Experian | Redefine Legacy Functionality (2024)

Employer Services – Custom Messages

Overview

The Paperless Employee, a white-label application provided by Experian Employer Services, faced a critical inefficiency: client admins relied on internal teams to add Custom Messages for their employees, resulting in delays and accessibility risks. I was tasked with designing a client-facing feature that would empower admins to independently create and manage messages while ensuring WCAG and Section 508 compliance. Through thorough discovery, simplified designs aligned with development constraints, and integrated accessibility safeguards, I delivered a user-friendly and efficient solution that streamlined workflows, reduced dependencies, and ensured inclusivity.

Company

Experian Employer Services (current)

Project duration

2023 - 2024

My role

UX research, Prototyping, User Testing, Development Support, Accessibility Assurance

Experian Vandelay portal: Edit Custom Message 1/2 screen with My Information preview and rich-text editor, with button states (default, hover, focus, pressed) in a separate column, on a paper background with ring motif

Fig. 01 — Overview

Experian Employer Services (current)

Problem statement

Discovery

The “Paperless Employee” application lacked the independent way for client admins to create and manage Custom Messages for their employees. This limitation forced admins to rely on internal managers who used a complex, legacy tool to manually add messages, leading to delays, inefficiency as this increased workload for internal users, and accessibility risks because the messages created using the legacy system often lacked adherence to WCAG and Section 508 compliance standards, leading to accessibility issues and potential legal exposure.

Process

Four steps

How I got there

Step 1

Grid of twelve legacy Experian admin screens used to map the existing custom message workflow, on a paper background with ring motif

Step 1: Understanding the Current Workflow

Mapped out the existing process through collaboration with Product Managers and developers, identifying inefficiencies.

Step 2

Figma canvas of early sketches: a small annotated flow at the top and three desktop wireframes labelled Desktop 1, Desktop 2 and Desktop 3 for the Custom Messages settings pages

Step 2: Initial Sketches

Created early sketches to enable client admins to easily create messages, ensuring WCAG compliance at every step.

Step 3

Legacy Vandelay screen: Edit Custom Message 1/2 with purple header, sidebar menu, Placement note, My Information preview card, Custom Message section with an Add Custom Message button and Next Message navigation

Step 3: Creating and applying the new styles

Iterated designs with development teams to balance user needs with resource constraints, maintaining simplicity and functionality.

Step 4

Restyled Edit Custom Message 1/2 screen with left navigation (Home, Pay Statements, Forms, Year-End Tax Statements, I-9 Forms, Administrator), Placement note, My Information preview, Add Custom Message button and Next Message link

Solution

Delivered

What I designed

Solution

I designed a client-facing Custom Messaging feature that empowers admins to independently create and manage messages. The functionality integrates built-in accessibility safeguards, ensuring compliance with WCAG and Section 508 standards, and aligns with business constraints through resource-efficient design.

Three design options compared. Option 1: optimized for seamless interaction, requires significant development effort and a new database. Option 2: suboptimal usability, cost-efficient, requires a new database. Option 3: optimized for seamless interaction, cost-efficient, facilitates smoother data migration from the legacy application

Create flow: four Vandelay portal screens connected by orange arrows, from Company Settings and EForms Center to Edit Custom Message 1/2 with the rich-text editor, on a paper background

Create Flows

Developed an intuitive interface that allows admins to create messages independently, reducing reliance on internal teams.

Accessibility Compliance

Did WCAG-compliant annotations to ensure all messages are inclusive and accessible from the start.

04 — Outcomes and next steps

What I learned

This project taught me the importance of balancing user needs, technical feasibility, and business goals. By simplifying complex processes, I was able to deliver an accessible and user-friendly feature. The next steps include post-development testing, accessibility validation, and UAT to ensure the functionality meets the highest standards.

Three Vandelay portal screens I designed: Company Settings with custom message tiles, Edit Custom Message 1/2 with My Information preview and rich-text editor, and EForms Center page list, on a dark panel with ring motif

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