Project Overview

As the lead designer on Policy Pro by Relias, I was responsible for guiding the product from initial research and ideation through to its beta phase and successful launch. Policy Pro is a B2B SaaS product that enables organizations to maintain a centralized policy library, allowing them to easily draft, manage, and distribute policies for employee attestation. This tool was developed to streamline compliance processes and ensure that all policies are consistently documented and shared. Policy Pro required a scalable design approach that could easily merge with both future offerings and our legacy learning platform. Policy Pro was also the first product to be built fully using our Ivy Design System, which I was designing in tandem. Finally, Policy Pro was the first in a suite of Compliance Management products which I oversaw the design of. The suite accounted for 5% of Relias’ revenue in it’s first year of release.

Why Policy Pro?

Before Policy Pro, most organizations managed their policies using static PDFs stored on desktops and distributed via email. This approach made it challenging to keep policies up-to-date, track employee attestations, and maintain a shared, accessible repository. The lack of a centralized solution led to inefficiencies and increased the risk of non-compliance due to outdated or untracked policies.

So How Did I Tackle The Problem?

To tackle these challenges, I employed a user-centered design approach, starting with lo-fidelity wireframing to map out the core functionalities. I engaged in extensive discussions with internal stakeholders and stakeholders, referencing their user interviews and competitive research to understand the landscape and identify gaps in existing solutions to focus on creating a clear and intuitive interface that would simplify navigation and reduce cognitive load for users.

The design of Policy Pro needed to not only solve existing user pain points but also establish a foundation for a suite of products to follow. As the first in the suite, Policy Pro had to be scalable and flexible, setting the stage for future development. In addition, Policy Pro needed to seamlessly integrate with our pre-existing legacy learning platform, requiring careful consideration of both visual and functional consistency. To achieve this, I worked concurrently on the Ivy design system, which was implemented for the first time in Policy Pro and provided a consistent, modular framework that ensured scalability and cohesion across future products.

Collaborating closely with both internal teams and an external development firm (Insight Global), I often acted as a bridge between different parties to ensure alignment and clarity. This collaboration was crucial in balancing the needs of various stakeholders while keeping the user experience at the forefront of the design process.

What was the Solution?

The result was a central policy library that provided a cohesive and navigable interface for managing policies. Users could easily draft and upload documents, track changes, and distribute policies to specific employees and groups for attestation. The platform also included features like automated recurrence and version control, which helped ensure that all users had access to the most current policies and that attestations were properly documented.

Learning & Reflection

Policy Pro was the first B2B SaaS product I guided from ideation to launch, and it provided invaluable lessons in collaboration and communication which I carried forward into future products. I learned the importance of managing expectations across different teams, from product management to engineering, and ensuring that the user’s voice was represented in every discussion. By advocating for the user and leveraging research to build empathetically, I was able to design a solution that met both business objectives and user needs.

This project also reinforced the significance of clear and continuous communication, especially when working with cross-functional teams and external partners. The experience strengthened my ability to bridge gaps between stakeholders and deliver a product that not only fulfilled its compliance objectives but also provided a seamless and intuitive user experience.

Outcomes

Feedback from the initial beta users was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the ease of use and the time saved compared to their previous manual processes. The ongoing iteration based on user feedback allowed us to refine the product further, adding features and enhancements that continued to improve the overall user experience. I am also proud to say that our new modernized platform is utilizing design patterns I established in Policy Pro.