OVERVIEW
Forms from Functional to Universal
An innovation management platform, enables organizations to drive innovation through idea management. After a decade leading the market with highly customizable interface, the platform needed to evolve - not just its interface, but its entire design system to match current user demands.
At its core, form handling was more than just data collection - it was the lifeblood of innovation processes. It's fascinating that from the web's inception to today, forms remain pivotal in digital interactions. In platform's ecosystem, forms weren't merely touchpoints; they were neural hubs where ideas transformed into actionable innovation. Every feature, every process, every innovation journey orbited around these forms.
The crux? Administrators wasted precious time recreating forms from scratch, while end users abandoned forms midway. Working with enterprise-level organizations meant we had to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards - not just as a checkbox, but as a catalyst for transformation.
EMPATHIZE
Discovering the Real Story
I dove deep using two research powerhouses. First, we got crafty with "dogfooding," using our own platform to gather administrator feedback. Meanwhile, Heap Analytics became our window into user behavior, revealing the raw, unfiltered truth through session replays, heatmaps, and pathway analysis.
The data painted a clear picture: administrators were stuck in a cycle of reinventing the wheel rather than reusing existing forms. End users? They were dropping like flies, losing progress and patience. Screen readers struggled with progress bars, leaving accessibility-dependent users in the dark.
DEFINE
When Accessibility Becomes Opportunity
Here's where things got interesting. What started as an accessibility requirement morphed into something bigger. I found myself asking: "Could accessibility be our secret weapon for solving deep-rooted usability issues?" This wasn't just about checking boxes anymore - it was about universal design that would lift everyone up.
IDEATE
Building Bridges
Armed with Adam Silver's "Form Patterns" and a fresh perspective on universal design, I crafted solutions that would serve both sides of our user spectrum. For administrators, I envisioned a contextual navigation system that made form management intuitive. For end users, I designed a progressive disclosure system that would make form completion less overwhelming and more accessible.
PROTOTYPE
The prototype phase was a tale of two users.
Streamlining the Backend Ballet
I built a navigation menu that turned form organization into a breeze, complete with advanced search capabilities.
Making forms flow like conversation
For end users, I transformed the overwhelming single-page format into a progressive journey, making form completion feel more like a guided conversation than a bureaucratic nightmare.
EVALUATE
Lessons from the Launch Pad"
Implementation became a dance of collaboration with our dev team. Technical questions about the new design system components led to special working sessions - sessions that taught me the art of strategic compromise without sacrificing user experience fundamentals.
The project's biggest revelation? Accessibility isn't just a technical requirement - it's a gateway to universal design excellence. We didn't just improve the platform; we set a new standard for how B2B/B2C tools should adapt to human needs, proving that when you design for accessibility, you design for everyone.
