Through the Forest, from Tables to Cards: EHS UX, where Innovation regards.

Problem and Hypothesis:

During my internship at EHS, I was tasked with the design of five use cases:

Forestry First Aid Forms
Filter Popup for Safety Tasks
Artificial Intelligence Interface (EIDA Chat)
Login Page integrated with Supplier Link App
Workflow of Access and Statuses for Users (People List)

One of the most enriching tasks was the People List use case within the FIRS application. The FIRS App is a mobile tool that optimizes and reduces administrative and occupational safety documentation in the forestry industry, with BC Forest being its main client. The scope was developing a workflow to manage active and inactive users with different access levels. The initial requirement was ambiguous since this was communicated as a need for a more straightforward structure to organize and categorize users within its forestry domain. Additionally, direct interaction with end users was not an option, and all the coordination to gather requirements and resolve design questions was done through two key stakeholders, the product manager, and the CEO of EHS.

Image 1: FIRS App

Role and Collaboration:

I was the only UX designer in an agile team of three developers, a product manager (who was also the lead developer), a project leader, and a QA engineer; I led the design proposals by collaborating closely with the team during the ideation and development process.

Proposed Solution:

The product manager and CEO, the subject matter experts (SMEs), initially requested a straight table to display the list of users with categorizations and activity statuses. In my first iteration, I focused on understanding the use case's possible states and primary users, designing a pivot table prototype (Image 2) with sortable columns and pagination using Figma. I also introduced the idea of using squared cards instead of tables.

Image 2: People List Table

I received positive feedback from the product manager about the table and the alternative idea of squared cards. However, the CEO felt it necessary to offer a more impactful solution for the table and dismissed the squared cards option. I revised the designs, incorporating interactive icons (Image 3) and components for each user status with categories for active, locked, and disabled. After two weeks of preparing and reviewing alternatives with both SMEs, we agreed that horizontal cards with an expansible button were the way to proceed instead of pivot tables or squared cards.

Image 3: User icons and statuses

I always had constant feedback from the team, allowing me to progress quickly with my prototypes' design and usability testing. Once the design and usability tests were completed, we implemented them with the developers.

Image 4: People List horizontal and expandable cards

Image 5: Filtering option and confirmation pop-ups

Problem Resolution:

The usability testing conducted by SMEs confirmed that the new design made simple identifying users. Also, after its implementation and deployment, users experienced greater ease in editing and adding more users to the application.

Challenges and Unexplored Concepts:

The initial designs with tables did not convince the SMEs during the ideation since a more dynamic and friendly interface was expected. Multiple design concepts were explored, but the lack of documentation and direct communication with users slightly lengthened the process.

Impact on Users and Businesses:

The incremental design of different use cases, especially for "People List," improved the user experience, addressing the frustration expressed by users with the use of tables. Completing this use case fulfilled a need identified by EHS for several months.

Image 6: BC Forest Safety Logo

Key Lessons and Takeaways:

This project highlighted the importance of having straightforward requirements from the beginning or establishing communication channels with the end user to address the lack of previously specified needs quickly. Furthermore, the importance of usability testing for the prototypes was evident, providing valuable insights on problem points, especially when direct interaction with end users was not an option.