Workflow Software Tool
Led the design and implementation of a data and AI platform solution for customers to manage data request processes.
IBM Technical Achievement Award
Impact
The Business Imperative
Our objective was to design and deliver a workflow solution that enabled IBM's Data and AI customers to build and manage request processes such as data requests and custom requests on an existing data management platform.
Design Lead
Led UX Designers, Visual Designer, User Researcher, Product Manager, Architects, Developers
Competitive Pressure
Market research revealed we were losing business to competitors offering workflow services. The business needed a solution for embedded and custom workflows to protect IBM's market share and strengthen its competitive position as a leader in data management.
Strategic Leadership
New Team, New Domain
I was leading a newly formed team, some of us were new to both the platform and the workflow domain. We faced ambiguity, technical complexity, and limited shared context.
Established a Language
A workflow is a structured sequence of tasks and decisions that moves work from initiation to completion across people, systems, and rules.
Established a Direction
What was the best and quickest way to build a shared understanding? I directed the team to take a platform user-centered approach by learning from subject matter experts and user research.
User Research
Accelerated Shared Understanding
We began by auditing existing research and conducting interviews with internal platform users to quickly surface experience gaps and unmet needs.
Research Insights and Highlights
- 30+ user interview hours
- Human to human workflows
- Workflow set up is a main job
- Processes were manual
- LOBs should also manage workflows
- Lack of workflow process visibility
- Up to 12 task steps in a workflow
Established a Mental Model
This effort accelerated our domain fluency and helped establish a clear mental model of workflow-specific users, setting a strong foundation for strategic design decisions.
Scoping Design and Development
Based on research, I defined user stories, designed core functional flows, and created service blueprints instrumental in identifying front- and back-end capabilities and requirements.
From Ambiguity to Clear Alignment
I led design reviews with Product and Engineering to align the team around the core workflow architecture. Using system maps, I surfaced and negotiated tradeoffs between technical constraints and user needs.
Defined Archetype User Stories
- Requester needs to initiate internal requests to obtain, use or manage data.
- Fulfiller, data owner needs to complete data requests for assets.
- Builder needs to configure workflows so that end users can initiate and fulfill requests.
Divide and Conquer
After aligning on the workflow architecture, I structured the design work around two core experiences: the end-user workflow interface and the technical configuration experience.
Staying Aligned
Regular critique sessions ensured the experiences remained cohesive as we evolved and finalized designs.
Launched Adaptive Proven Framework
A comprehensive and implementable framework that responded to requirements and could adapt to giving product teams the same power to bring the product design into context, then adapt it.
Impactful Results
The result was not just a feature, but an extensible workflow framework embedded into the platform for on premises and SaaS customers.
- Earned IBM Technical Achievement Award
- Framework aligned with the Carbon Design System
- Ensured platform consistency and seamless product experience
- Reduced product development and implementation friction
- Strengthened IBM's competitive position as a Data and AI leader
Drove Adoption Across Products
Discover, curate,
govern, and share
data
Identify data
inconsistencies,
manage
duplicates
Enable sharing,
discover and
usage of data
products
Monitor and
resolve data
quality violations
Customizable
workflows to
manage the
lifecycle of data