User record

User record | 2023

Optimizing user setup for activation

I spearheaded a design initiative to optimize user setup for sales teams. By prioritizing user needs and fostering cross-functional collaboration, I successfully delivered a solution that not only addressed current challenges but also positioned the company for future growth.

My contributions

User research and synthesis, user flows, end-to-end experience designs, user vision, content writing, product strategy and roadmap, stakeholder communication

Team

Product manager
Tech Lead
FE and BE engineers
UX researcher
Cross-team stakeholders

Challenge

The limitations of permission-based
user management

Historically, HubSpot's user management has been overly focused on permissions, neglecting the broader aspects of user setup. This limited approach has led to several challenges for admins:

Lack of visibility: Admins struggle to see the complete picture of each user's configuration.
Reactive management: Without a holistic view, admins are often forced to address issues after they arise.
Inefficient support: The absence of a centralized user overview hinders admins' ability to provide timely help.
Frustration: The lack of comprehensive user information is a constant source of frustration for admins.

These issues highlight the need for a more advanced user management system that empowers admins with tools and visibility

Incomplete setup tasks can hinder sales rep performance and lead to a decrease in product adoption.

Process

Understanding admin pain points

To gain a deeper understanding of the user journey, my UX researcher and I conducted a comprehensive analysis. Leveraging insights from previous admin research, customer feedback, support tickets, and NPS scores, we developed the 'user lifecycle' framework. This framework provided a clear roadmap for understanding the key stages of user management and identifying opportunities for improvement.

The user setup lifecycle consisted of three primary phases: onboarding, maintenance, and off-boarding. Additionally, a fourth phase, troubleshooting, spanned the entire lifecycle.

Defining data relationships through OOUX

To foster cross-team collaboration and optimize data relationships within the new user record, we leveraged Object-Oriented UX (OOUX). By analyzing the potential objects and their connections to other teams (e.g., User Management, Help Desk Routing, Sales Meetings, and Discovery), we were able to identify key collaborators and align our goals with their initiatives. This OOUX-driven approach ensured a more cohesive and efficient user experience.

User object map in relationship to other objects

Given the limited scope of the current user profile, we initiated a fresh analysis, mapping all relationships between a user and other objects within the product. We identified a recurring pattern in user interactions with various default settings, classifying them based on their level of engagement. This classification aided in prioritizing their importance within the user interface.

Addressing the need for granular user management

The user record redesign was a collaborative effort involving key stakeholders from Product, Engineering, and UX. Through open dialogue and iterative feedback, we developed a comprehensive solution that aligned with our long-term product vision. By considering the broader context of cross-product journeys and the needs of other teams, we carefully selected components and patterns to ensure a seamless and integrated user experience.

User record feedback from design critique

Solution

Leveraging iterative design for a successful launch

Our iterative development approach ensured a customer-centric product by establishing a clear roadmap and milestones. This allowed us to gather valuable feedback throughout the process, refine the design, and ultimately deliver a solution that exceeded user expectations.

Regular design reviews were instrumental in analyzing our progress and identifying key areas for improvement. We discovered that the primary use case for the user record was editing names, and the new editing interface was significantly more intuitive.

Building on these insights, we focused on enhancing the information architecture and overview tab of the user record. Through collaborative discussions we worked together to assign tasks to our engineers, making sure the new design met our users' needs.

Results

Boosting efficiency with user setup

By fostering deeper platform integration, we streamlined user setup and provided admins with enhanced user management tools. These improvements included greater visibility into user access and profiles, culminating in over 24,000 name changes facilitated by a new admin feature.

Furthermore, admins gained the ability to monitor users' calendar and inbox activity, leading to a substantial increase in calendar connections from 5% to 65%. This streamlined admin workflows, improved data accuracy, and encouraged wider adoption of key platform features.

The user record framework catalyzed cross-team collaboration, accelerating product development and delivering significant value to administrators. This collaborative effort enriched the user record, showcasing its scalability and potential for future innovation.

34K+

user names changed within 6 months of launch

60%

increase in a user's connected calendar and inbox