Project Overview
Client: BAM Technologies
Industry: Military Financial Aid & Educational Services
Project Type: Admin Portal Redesign & Feature Development
Role: Lead UX/UI Designer
Project Summary
At BAM Technologies, I served as the Lead UX/UI Designer for the Army’s Admin Portal, a tool used to track how service members utilize the financial aid provided by the Army, approve courses, and manage financial aid needs. My role included redesigning the dashboard to improve usability, creating a more intuitive financial management system, streamlining the global resources uploading process, and designing the out-processing flow for service members exiting the military. Each of these projects focused on enhancing user experience and ensuring efficient workflows for both service members and administrative personnel.
Goals & Objectives
The key objective of this project was to improve the usability and functionality of the Army Admin Portal, ensuring that administrators could effectively manage financial aid and track service members’ use of funds. Specific goals included:
- Improve Dashboard Usability: Redesign the dashboard to present key data more clearly and make it easier for admins to navigate and manage their tasks.
- Redesign Financial Management System: Simplify the financial management process for administrators handling service members’ financial aid and course approvals.
- Streamline Global Resources Uploading: Enable users to quickly upload and manage resources globally across the platform, reducing manual input.
- Design the Out-Processing Flow: Create a seamless out-processing flow for service members exiting the military, ensuring all financial aid and educational benefits are properly managed.
Research & Discovery
User Research:
To better understand the needs of Army administrators, I conducted interviews with stakeholders and users of the Admin Portal. The research revealed several challenges:
- Overwhelming Dashboard: Administrators found the dashboard cluttered and difficult to navigate, with key information buried under layers of unnecessary data.
- Cumbersome Financial Management: The financial management process required too many steps, leading to frustration and errors when tracking or approving financial aid.
- Manual Resource Uploads: Uploading global resources was a slow, manual process that consumed significant time and was prone to errors.
- Complex Out-Processing: Service members’ out-processing was not streamlined, leading to delays in closing accounts and managing final financial aid distribution.
Competitive Analysis:
I reviewed other military and educational financial aid management systems to understand best practices for handling large datasets, tracking financial aid, and processing service members’ benefits. This analysis helped identify features and workflows that could be improved or adapted to fit the Army’s needs.
Design & Strategy
The design strategy focused on simplifying the user experience for Army administrators while ensuring the system could handle complex financial data and service member information. Key design initiatives included:
1. Dashboard Redesign
Objective:
Create a cleaner, more intuitive dashboard that prioritized the most important tasks and data.
Design Approach:
I redesigned the dashboard with a minimalist approach, removing unnecessary elements and focusing on key data points that administrators needed at a glance. The new layout used widgets and cards to display financial information, course approvals, and notifications, all customizable based on the user’s role.
Key Features:
- Simplified, modular design with customizable widgets.
- Quick access to critical data such as financial aid usage, pending approvals, and important notifications.
- Clear visual hierarchy to reduce information overload.
2. Financial Management Redesign
Objective:
Simplify the process for managing financial aid, tracking service members’ fund usage, and approving courses.
Design Approach:
I redesigned the financial management system to provide a clear, step-by-step process for tracking and approving financial aid. The interface was simplified to reduce errors, with validation checks and automated notifications for missing or incorrect data. A centralized dashboard was created to manage all financial-related tasks, ensuring administrators could easily track service members’ spending and course approvals.
Key Features:
- Streamlined approval process for courses and financial aid.
- Real-time tracking of service member fund usage.
- Automated notifications for missing or inaccurate financial data.
3. Global Resources Uploading
Objective:
Streamline the resource upload process, allowing users to manage global resources more efficiently.
Design Approach:
I implemented a drag-and-drop functionality for resource uploading, making it easier for administrators to upload and manage documents, guidelines, and educational materials. The new system allowed for bulk uploads, reducing the time spent on manual data entry, and included tagging features for easier searchability.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop upload functionality for ease of use.
- Bulk upload capabilities to speed up the resource management process.
- Tagging and categorization for easier resource organization.
4. Out-Processing Flow
Objective:
Design a smooth out-processing experience for service members leaving the military, ensuring financial aid and course completions are properly managed.
Design Approach:
The out-processing flow was designed to guide administrators through each step of closing out a service member’s account, ensuring all financial aid is accounted for and any pending course approvals or benefits are finalized. The interface included a checklist to track completed steps and automated reminders for any pending tasks.
Key Features:
- Step-by-step checklist for closing out service member accounts.
- Automated reminders for pending financial aid or course approvals.
- Integration with financial management tools to ensure all funds are properly allocated.
Implementation & Development
Throughout the implementation process, I collaborated closely with development teams to ensure that the design elements were properly executed and aligned with the overall functionality of the Admin Portal.
Front-End Design:
I worked with front-end developers to create responsive, user-friendly interfaces for the redesigned dashboard, financial management system, and out-processing flow.Back-End Integration:
I ensured that the financial management system and resource uploads were integrated with the platform’s back-end systems, allowing for real-time updates and data synchronization.User Testing:
Multiple rounds of user testing were conducted to gather feedback from Army administrators. Based on their input, we refined the dashboard and financial tools to ensure that the system met their needs.
Outcome & Results
The redesigned Admin Portal resulted in significant improvements for Army administrators:
Improved Dashboard Usability:
The simplified dashboard increased user engagement, with administrators reporting a 20% reduction in time spent navigating the platform.Faster Financial Aid Processing:
The streamlined financial management system reduced errors and improved the efficiency of course approvals, with a 25% increase in successful, first-time approvals.Efficient Resource Management:
The global resource upload system cut the time spent on resource uploads by 30%, thanks to the bulk upload and tagging functionalities.Streamlined Out-Processing:
The out-processing flow ensured a smoother transition for service members leaving the military, reducing the time spent on out-processing tasks by 15%.
Lessons Learned & Reflections
This project reinforced the importance of simplifying complex processes, particularly in an environment where administrators are managing large amounts of data and financial transactions. By focusing on user-centered design, we were able to create an Admin Portal that significantly improved both usability and efficiency. One key takeaway from this project was the need for continuous user feedback throughout the design process, as the insights provided by Army administrators were invaluable in shaping the final product.
Moving forward, I would recommend building additional features to support real-time collaboration between different departments, further enhancing the platform’s efficiency and scalability.