At LINQ, as the Design Manager, I led a comprehensive redesign of the login and dashboard experience for our Food Distribution Program (FDP) product. This product is integral to state nutrition teams, who manage critical food distribution operations for school districts across the country. The existing platform was outdated, causing friction and inefficiencies that hindered the performance of users who needed streamlined access to important data and actions. My goal was to enhance the user experience by creating a more efficient, intuitive interface that catered to the specific needs of these teams.

This project was strategically aimed at solving multiple challenges: simplifying the login process, improving data accessibility, and creating a dashboard experience that users could customize to suit their roles. By leveraging data-driven insights and a user-first approach, the redesign not only transformed how state nutrition teams interacted with the product but also delivered significant business value in the form of increased efficiency, reduced support tickets, and improved customer satisfaction. Ultimately, the redesign led to a 35% boost in operational efficiency, a 30% reduction in support tickets, and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction.

Problem Statement

State nutrition teams faced several issues when using LINQ’s FDP system. The original platform was cumbersome, resulting in inefficiencies that affected user productivity and satisfaction. Key problems identified included:

1. Inefficient Login Process: Users had to manage multiple credentials for accessing different modules within the system. This led to confusion, delays, and security risks, causing a significant portion of user frustration and support tickets. With over 45% of users reporting login difficulties, this was a top pain point.
2. Overcrowded and Non-Customizable Dashboard: The dashboard was cluttered and presented the same information to all users, regardless of their roles. This one-size-fits-all approach was ineffective because state nutrition teams consist of various roles, such as district directors and administrators, each with unique needs. Users spent unnecessary time sorting through irrelevant data, which slowed down their workflows and resulted in frequent errors.
3. Poor Data Visibility: Key data and action points were difficult to locate quickly. The lack of a personalized experience made it hard for users to find the specific information they needed to make timely decisions, further reducing overall productivity.

The challenge was clear: streamline the login process to reduce friction, improve the dashboard to allow role-specific customization, and enhance the visibility of essential data to enable users to work more efficiently. Additionally, the solution needed to be scalable and secure to support the growing needs of state nutrition teams.

Research & Analysis

Objective: To thoroughly understand the unique pain points of state nutrition teams and identify areas of improvement to enhance their workflows and daily operations.

Research Methods:

• User Interviews: I led a comprehensive research phase, starting with in-depth interviews involving key stakeholders such as state nutrition administrators, district directors, and school staff. These interviews were designed to uncover specific pain points related to daily interactions with the FDP system, highlighting inefficiencies in both the login process and dashboard usability.
• Surveys: A quantitative survey was distributed to a larger user base to collect data on their experience with the existing system. This helped validate our qualitative findings from the interviews and provided a broader understanding of common issues.
• Usability Testing on the Existing System: Usability tests were conducted on the legacy FDP system to observe how users interacted with the interface. This revealed specific areas of confusion and frustration, such as the excessive time spent navigating the dashboard to retrieve key information.
• Workshops with Cross-Functional Teams: I facilitated cross-departmental workshops, including product managers, engineers, and customer success teams, to ensure alignment on user needs, technical constraints, and business objectives. These workshops provided valuable insights into the feasibility of various design improvements and helped shape the final strategy.

Key Insights:

• Login Process Friction: We discovered that 50% of users had issues managing multiple sets of credentials across different system modules. This was not only time-consuming but also posed security risks as users often stored passwords insecurely to keep track of them.
• Dashboard Overload: The existing dashboard presented too much irrelevant information, with 65% of users reporting that they regularly had to wade through data that was not pertinent to their specific role. This resulted in lost time, confusion, and, in some cases, incorrect decision-making due to data overload.
• Varied Role Requirements: Different users had very distinct needs. For example, district directors primarily needed access to high-level reports and metrics, while administrators required access to daily operational data and communications. This reinforced the necessity for a customizable, modular dashboard experience tailored to different roles.

Design Goals

Our research provided a clear roadmap for the redesign, leading to the following key objectives:

1. Simplify the Login Process: We needed to address the confusion and inefficiencies caused by the existing login system. Implementing a secure and seamless Single Sign-On (SSO) solution would allow users to access all system modules with one set of credentials, reducing friction and security risks.
2. Modular, Personalized Dashboard: The one-size-fits-all approach had to be replaced with a dashboard that could be tailored to each user’s specific role. This would enable district directors, administrators, and other users to quickly access the data and tools they needed, significantly improving productivity.
3. Faster Data Access and Enhanced Usability: Improving data visibility was critical to reducing the time spent searching for information. By simplifying the interface and making the most relevant information readily available, users could perform tasks faster and with fewer errors.
4. Increase User Satisfaction: By directly addressing user pain points and creating a system that catered to their needs, we aimed to increase overall satisfaction with the platform, ultimately driving higher adoption rates and long-term retention.

Design Process

Objective: Develop a user-friendly, scalable interface that significantly reduces friction, enhances data accessibility, and improves overall user experience.

Phase 1: Ideation and Brainstorming

In this initial phase, we focused on brainstorming solutions based on the insights gathered from user research. I facilitated collaborative sessions with the design team, product managers, and engineers to explore different concepts for simplifying the login process and improving the dashboard’s layout. Our goal was to ensure that each design concept aligned with user needs while also considering technical constraints and business goals.

We created initial wireframes that focused on key improvements, such as introducing SSO for a more streamlined login experience and breaking down the dashboard into customizable modules. Early sketches focused on balancing simplicity with functionality, ensuring that users could access critical data with minimal effort.

Phase 2: Prototyping and Iteration

Once the initial wireframes were refined, we developed high-fidelity prototypes of both the login process and the new modular dashboard. These prototypes were used to gather feedback from stakeholders and end users.

• Single Sign-On (SSO) Prototype: This prototype allowed us to test how users would interact with a simplified login process, eliminating the need for multiple credentials. We focused on ensuring the SSO solution not only improved efficiency but also enhanced security.
• Modular Dashboard Prototype: We designed a customizable dashboard that allowed users to select and rearrange modules based on their role-specific needs. Each module displayed relevant data and could be adjusted according to user preferences, improving both relevance and usability.

Phase 3: User Testing and Validation

We conducted multiple rounds of user testing, using both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of the new designs. These tests provided critical feedback on usability, helping us refine the interface and address any remaining pain points.

Key Adjustments from Testing:

• Login Process: Users responded positively to the SSO functionality, but some requested additional security features, such as two-factor authentication (2FA). We incorporated these into the final design to enhance security without sacrificing user experience.
• Dashboard Customization: Testing revealed that users appreciated the ability to personalize their dashboard, but some found the customization process slightly confusing. Based on this feedback, we simplified the customization options, ensuring that users could easily drag and drop modules without needing extensive guidance.

Design Considerations

Single Sign-On (SSO): The final login process allowed users to access all modules with one set of credentials, improving both security and efficiency. This feature alone resulted in a 30% reduction in support tickets related to login issues, as users no longer struggled with managing multiple passwords.

Modular Dashboard: The redesigned dashboard allowed users to fully customize their view, with modules for real-time data, reports, communications, and task management. By giving users control over their interface, we were able to reduce the time spent on data retrieval by 40%. This customization empowered users to focus on the information most relevant to their role, significantly enhancing productivity.

Scalable Design: The system was built to be scalable, ensuring that as the product evolved, new modules or features could easily be added without redesigning the entire system. This future-proofing was a key business requirement to support long-term growth.

Results & KPIs

Objective: Achieve measurable improvements in user experience, operational efficiency, and business outcomes.

• 35% Increase in Operational Efficiency: The streamlined login process and personalized dashboard enabled state nutrition teams to complete tasks more quickly and with fewer errors. This improvement was reflected in time-on-task metrics, which showed a 35% reduction in the time spent on administrative tasks.
• 30% Reduction in Support Tickets: The implementation of SSO drastically reduced the number of support tickets related to login issues, leading to direct cost savings for the support team.
• 40% Faster Data Retrieval: The personalized dashboard allowed users to access critical data more efficiently, with a 40% reduction in the time spent searching for relevant information.
• 20% Increase in Customer Satisfaction: Post-launch feedback from users was overwhelmingly positive, with satisfaction scores improving by 20%. Users praised the platform’s improved usability, relevance, and efficiency, contributing to higher adoption rates and long-term retention.