DigiForms: Digitizing Forms in Secure Environments

OVERVIEW: 

DigiForms is an application designed to digitize safety forms, store them in a secure database, and provide an administrator dashboard with data analytics. The goal was to streamline the traditionally slow, manual process of filling out and managing safety forms by automating key input fields and providing a searchable database of completed forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A screenshot of the mobile form input system

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My Role

As the primary UX Designer, I led the product discovery, market research, and wireframe design for both desktop and mobile versions of this product. I also designed the admin dashboard with data visualizations, ensuring the interface remained familiar while improving efficiency.

 

 

 

Key Challenges

 

• Limited access to users for testing and validation

 

• Future proofing designs for utilization outside of this specific use case scenario

 

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Solution

 

With limited access to users, I stayed as close as possible to the "knowns" of our users and avoided making assumptions. I therefore decided to keep a minimalist design for the form intake system and a simple admin dashboard. This allowed me to quickly adapt desktop designs to a mobile platform based on evolving client needs and a better understanding of user flows. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Key Responsibilities

• Defined use cases, scenarios, and product goals in an agile environment

• Conducted competitor analysis and market research

• Facilitated workshops to define features and product direction

• Designed wireframes and prototypes, iteratively improving based on feedback

• Created admin dashboards and data visualizations to enhance decision-making

• Redesigned the application for mobile platforms based on contextual inquiry

 

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Process

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1. Product Discovery & Defining Use Cases

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To kick off the project, I facilitated a cross-functional workshop to define the use case, product goals, and challenges. We mapped out the functionality of the digitized forms, identified user pain points, and brainstormed solutions to streamline form completion without sacrificing the familiar structure of traditional paper forms.​

 

Impact:

• Established a clear product direction with well-defined features and goals

• Identified key challenges in transitioning from paper to digital forms

• Developed initial concepts for the low-fidelity wireframes, which maintained user familiarity with paper forms

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. Market Research & Competitor Analysis

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I conducted market research to identify similar tools in the industry and performed a competitor analysis to assess strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in existing products. This analysis helped position Digiforms as a unique offering by highlighting its usability improvements and customization options for administrators.​

 

Impact:

• Identified areas where Digiforms could stand out in the market

• Pinpointed features and improvements that competitors lacked, strengthening our product’s value proposition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3. Wireframing & Feature Implementation

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Using the insights from the workshops and market research, I developed low-fidelity wireframes for the safety forms, focusing on ease of use and familiarity. I collaborated with developers and subject matter experts to ensure the designs were feasible and aligned with user needs. I also laid the groundwork for a searchable database that allowed users to easily retrieve completed forms.

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Impact:

• Designed intuitive, user-centered wireframes that balanced familiarity with efficiency

• Simplified form completion by automating key input fields and reducing potential for errors

• Created a structure for the searchable database, enabling easy retrieval of stored forms

 

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4. Admin Dashboards & Data Visualizations

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Following feedback from subject matter experts (SMEs) and user testing, I designed the admin dashboard with automated, interactive data analytics. The dashboard provided insights on form completion times, safety measures, and overall performance, with data visualizations to help administrators assess trends and make informed decisions.​

 

Impact:

• Created a dashboard that simplified data analysis and improved decision-making for administrators

• Designed customizable data visualizations that offered clear insights into safety performance and compliance

 

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5. Contextual Inquiry & Redesign for Mobile

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A team member conducted a contextual inquiry by visiting the site where the forms were used. This revealed the need to adapt the application for mobile platforms, as on-site workers required a more portable solution. In response, I led a design sprint to modify the original desktop design and streamline the mobile version, simplifying form inputs for smaller screens.

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Impact:

• Successfully adapted the design to a mobile format, ensuring usability and efficiency on smaller devices

• Simplified the form input process to meet the needs of on-site workers, improving user experience in real-world conditions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Results & Next Steps

With the redesigned mobile application and the customizable admin dashboard complete, the next step is to collaborate with front-end developers to implement the designs in a live build. Further usability testing will be conducted, and the client has expressed interest in adding more interactive data visualizations.