In April 2021, I led the development of a Covid Submissions application in response to a new policy requiring proof of vaccination for staff returning to the office. The project had an extremely tight deadline—just one week—and the primary goal was to create a secure and easy-to-use system that allowed staff to upload their vaccination cards for HR review.

My role on the project was comprehensive, encompassing Lead UX Designer, UX Researcher, UX Tester, Database Designer, Developer, and Tester. Despite the short timeline, I successfully delivered a solution that was deployed into production and processed over 3,000 submissions.

Given the urgency, I conducted research on existing document submission systems with a focus on security and ease of use. The main pain points identified were:

• Limited Access to Scanners: Not all staff would have access to a scanner, so the submission process needed to be mobile-friendly
• Security Concerns: HR staff should not download submissions to their computers by default to prevent any security risks
• Simple Process: Staff needed a submission process that was straightforward and easy to follow, avoiding any complexity that might deter them from submitting their vaccination cards.

With these factors in mind, I developed a solution that addressed both user and security concerns.

The design process was swift due to the one-week deadline, and I focused on creating a simple and effective system. Wireframes and prototypes were drafted quickly to address the identified pain points. Key design decisions included making the submission link obvious and providing clear buttons for admins to approve submissions.

On the development side, I designed a secure system that allowed HR staff to review submissions without downloading files to their local computers. The system also included functionality for HR to deny submissions, request resubmissions, and process approvals efficiently.

Due to time constraints, I iterated on the wireframes rapidly and moved straight to high-fidelity mockups. The usability study findings revealed two main issues:

• Admins had difficulty locating the button to access the review section
• Users did not realize the “Provide Information” text was a clickable link

These findings were quickly addressed in the final design by enhancing the visibility of key actions for both users and admins.

Hi-fidelity Mockups

Make the link obvious for users to submit their information. Also provide a button for Admins to approve submissions.

Increase in Submission Speed: The ability to use a mobile phone camera to submit vaccination cards resulted in a 50% increase in submission speed compared to traditional document upload methods.

Reduction in Support Requests: The intuitive design led to a 30% reduction in support requests from staff who needed assistance with the submission process.

Decrease in Processing Time: HR staff reported a 40% decrease in the time required to process submissions, thanks to the streamlined workflow and easy access to the submission review section.

After some quick in-house testing with a small group of co-workers, I presented the application to our CTO, who reviewed it with HR. Due to the immediate need, HR began using the system right away. Both HR and the CTO were pleased with the system’s performance and its ability to handle large volumes of submissions.