Journey to a shared understanding

Challenge

During a complex merger of four distinct brands, misaligned terminology and competitive pressures created an urgent demand for a new "Case Management" feature. However, a user-centered investigation revealed that the request stemmed from a deeper communication breakdown, masking differing underlying needs.  This presented a challenge that required going beyond surface-level requests to truly understand and address the core issues.

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Research

Despite external pressure to rapidly develop a new "Case Management" feature, initial uncertainty of a path forward signaled the need for deeper investigation.  Leveraging a user-centered design approach, I set aside all existing assumptions about the feature and dove into the essentials to better understand its true purpose and the broader context within user goals.  Collaborating with product managers and customer support personnel, I conducted open-ended interviews with key users interested in a "Case Management" solution. By intentionally avoiding leading language, I focused the questions on their core tasks, desired outcomes, and existing pain points.

Analysis revealed that the terminology itself was a significant barrier to shared understanding. The term "Case Management" was used inconsistently to describe entirely different workflows across various user groups. Compounding the challenge, internal product terminology diverged from competitors within the industry and surprisingly within our own merged teams as well. Different words were being used to describe the same thing, and the same words were being used to describe different things! No wonder the initial kick off of the project left everyone scratching their heads on what to do next. In order to enable effective product decisions moving forward, a shared language and a clear understanding of the full user experience were essential.

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Output

Through meticulous analysis of interview data and industry terms, I created a comprehensive product dictionary. This defined the purpose of each product element within the context of user goals. By establishing a shared language across internal teams and with external clients, the dictionary helped ensure clear and consistent communication.

To further solidify the team's understanding, I developed a detailed user journey map. This visually illustrated the most import compliance officer's tasks  within the product, incorporating the established terminology. The map pinpointed user needs at each stage, directly linking them to relevant product features, and showed how each feature was interconnected and worked together.

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Outcome

What began as a simple effort to clarify a single term evolved into a transformative force for internal collaboration. The comprehensive journey map and glossary established a shared understanding of terms that clarified internal and external discussions. This enabled more precise, user-centric discussions around feature development and prioritization. A more cohesive product strategy took shape with a clearer understanding of how each new feature fit into the larger product. This initiative not only fostered a product-wide understanding of the user experience but also served as a cornerstone for strategic decision-making, ensuring a user-centric approach remained at the heart of every product development step.

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Next steps / Opportunities

The initial journey map provided a robust foundation for understanding high-level user needs and industry-wide communication challenges. The next step would be to refine this framework by mapping specific user interactions within each journey stage. This granular approach would serve as a living blueprint for the product, guiding ongoing development decisions and proactively identifying potential friction points in the user experience.

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