SERVICE OPERATIONS WORKSPACE | arijit sengupta ux

Overview

Role

UX Design

UX Research

UI Design

UX Design

UX Research

UI Design

Team

Me (UX)

Rob (DPM)

Andrew (Dev)

Team

Me (UX)

Daniel (Ser.M)

Sailaja (Dev)

Sumithra (SM)

John (Lead)

About Service Operations Workspace

The Service Operations Workspace at Allstate streamlines incident management with a universal design approach to its list view and form-filling processes. The list view is organized into intuitive groupings, such as categories or statuses, making it easy for users to navigate and locate incidents quickly. The forms follow a consistent, universal design with dynamic fields, contextual hints, and validation checks, ensuring accessibility and ease of use for all employees. These features enhance efficiency and accuracy, enabling a seamless experience for managing and resolving incidents effectively.

The Service Operations Workspace project, initiated in August 2024, aimed to streamline incident management and operational workflows for employees by centralizing essential tools and data into a unified platform. As the Product Designer, my role was pivotal in shaping the user experience by focusing on enhancing visibility into incident details and simplifying form-filling processes to reduce friction in daily operations. I collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to conduct user research, define workflows, and design prototypes that addressed pain points and improved overall usability. My contributions ensured the workspace was both functional and intuitive, meeting the diverse needs of employees across roles.

One of the key challenges was creating a universal design that balanced consistency with flexibility, catering to varied use cases while reducing cognitive load. Leading the design process, I facilitated stakeholder alignment and iterative testing to develop a solution fostering collaboration and efficiency. By addressing these challenges, I helped design a scalable, user-friendly platform that improved task management and aligned with Allstate’s broader organizational goals. This foundation continues to evolve, driven by user feedback and ongoing optimization efforts.

UX development stages

The Service Operations Workspace project aimed to create a universal template for IT, sales, and agent support teams. The existing system was inconsistent, leading to inefficiencies in incident management and collaboration. I was brought in as a UX designer to address these issues by designing standardized list pages and form interfaces using UI Builder. The objective was to ensure that support teams could quickly access, fill, and manage incidents without unnecessary delays. This project posed a significant enterprise UX challenge, requiring solutions that aligned with the diverse needs of users while adhering to the technical capabilities of the ServiceNow platform

To tackle this, I conducted in-depth UX research, alike cognitive walkthroughs, to understand workflows and goals. Task analysis using the 3x3 method highlighted critical bottlenecks, while opportunity mapping revealed high-value improvements like clear visual prioritization and quick-access actions. The new design focused on grouping and prioritizing form elements logically based on urgency and importance. Iterative prototyping and usability testing validated the changes, ensuring a user-friendly interface. Leveraging UI Builder not only enabled seamless implementation but also ensured the design was scalable and technically viable, enhancing efficiency and collaboration across teams.

Challenges

Information Overload

Balancing detailed information, like SLAs and detection methods, with a clean, user-friendly interface to avoid overwhelming users.

Consistency & Visual Hierarchy

Ensuring consistent use of icons, badges, and abbreviations while maintaining a clear visual hierarchy to prioritize urgent and critical tasks.

Interaction Efficiency

Streamlining workflows by introducing quick action tabs, refresh updates, and email integration without adding unnecessary complexity.

Scalability of Design

Creating a scalable design template that addresses the varied needs of IT, sales, and agent support teams while ensuring usability and adaptability.

Problem statement

The current incident management system lacks a streamlined design that prioritizes critical information, ensures consistency in visual hierarchy, and enables efficient workflows, resulting in reduced productivity and difficulty in resolving incidents quickly.

After observing key challenges within the Service Operations Workspace—such as difficulty prioritizing incidents, inefficiencies in form navigation, inconsistent use of icons, and delays in sharing updates—it became evident that a deeper understanding of the end users was essential. These issues highlighted the need to approach the redesign with a user-centric perspective, focusing on real-world scenarios to identify the root causes of the pain points. To achieve this, we developed a persona that encapsulated the key behaviors, goals, and challenges faced by the primary users of the workspace.

The persona served as a foundation for our evaluation, helping us visualize how typical users interact with the system and uncovering specific friction points in their workflows. By aligning the workspace’s challenges with the persona’s needs, we were able to gain valuable insights into the gaps between user expectations and system performance. This approach informed our design strategy, ensuring that proposed solutions addressed the actual problems users face in their day-to-day tasks

Persona

Based on user research, I created a persona for the Service Operations Workspace to capture employee needs and pain points, guiding targeted design improvements.

After defining the persona, we conducted a cognitive walkthrough to evaluate the Service Operations Workspace from the user's perspective. This method focused on critical tasks such as prioritizing incidents, filling forms, and sharing updates during live collaboration calls. By mapping out Jenna's typical workflows and challenges, we systematically identified points of friction where the system did not align with user expectations. Specific pain points included difficulty locating CI indicators, navigating through overloaded forms, and inefficiencies in real-time collaboration during calls. This step-by-step analysis provided clarity on how these barriers impacted Jenna's productivity and operational efficiency.

The walkthrough also highlighted areas for improvement in interface design and task flow organization. For instance, the lack of grouped incident categories and inconsistent icon usage created confusion, while scattered update fields slowed response times during critical discussions. These findings allowed us to align design goals with Jenna’s specific needs, ensuring that solutions were not only intuitive but also enhanced her ability to perform tasks efficiently. This user-focused evaluation set the stage for targeted redesigns aimed at streamlining workflows and improving the overall user experience within the workspace.

Cognitive walkthrough

Based on the findings from the cognitive walkthrough, the redesign of the Service Operations Workspace was driven by a need to align user goals with actionable design improvements. The 3x3 Method was applied to map key user goals—efficient incident management, clear communication, and informed decision-making—with their critical activities. This approach highlighted the importance of features like enhanced filtering for quick incident identification, pre-filled email templates for streamlined communication, and visual cues to distinguish high-priority tasks. The proposed redesign simplifies workflows and focuses on user-centric features to boost productivity.

In the next stage, updates were made to enhance usability based on the 3x3 insights. These included redesigning the form layout from a 3-cell to a 2-cell format for better focus, reorganizing the email and activity sections with actionable icons, and grouping filters to improve navigation. Limitations within the ServiceNow UI Builder, such as restricted customization options, were considered, leading to the prioritization of reusable components and standardized styles. Despite these constraints, the redesign ensures a seamless user experience, focusing on efficiency and practicality while adhering to platform capabilities.

3x3 Method

The transition from the 3x3 Method to the 2x2 Importance/Difficulty Matrix in the UX research process allowed for a more refined prioritization of user needs and activities. The 3x3 Method was instrumental in identifying and grouping user goals—such as efficient incident handling, streamlined communication, and informed decision-making—by mapping these to critical activities. Tasks like advanced incident filtering, the use of pre-filled email templates for consistent communication, and visual indicators for task prioritization were assessed systematically. However, the need for a sharper focus on actionable insights led to the adoption of the 2x2 Importance/Difficulty Matrix, which provided a clearer framework to evaluate activities based on their impact and feasibility, ensuring alignment with both user needs and project goals.

The 2x2 Matrix introduced a more structured prioritization framework by categorizing activities into four quadrants: high impact/low difficulty (quick wins), high impact/high difficulty (strategic priorities), low impact/low difficulty (nice-to-haves), and low impact/high difficulty (deprioritized). This approach supported Lean UX principles, focusing on solutions that delivered maximum user value with minimal effort. For instance, simplifying the task filtering process was deemed a quick win due to its ease of implementation and immediate usability improvement, while redesigning multi-layered communication workflows became a strategic priority, given its complexity and potential long-term benefits. This methodological shift streamlined decision-making, facilitated effective stakeholder collaboration, and ensured that the research process remained iterative, user-centered, and aligned with practical constraints.

2x2 Importance/difficulty

The 2x2 Importance/Difficulty Matrix served as a foundational tool in our UX research process, enabling us to categorize tasks and features based on their impact and complexity. By mapping activities like form layout simplification and filter enhancements into quadrants, we quickly identified "quick wins" (high importance, low difficulty) and longer-term investments (high importance, high difficulty). This method provided a clear roadmap for actionable improvements, ensuring efficient allocation of resources. However, it had its limitations in addressing interconnected opportunities and aligning solutions with broader strategic goals.

To overcome these challenges, we transitioned to the Opportunity/Value Tree. This framework broke down user needs into specific opportunities, linking each to tangible outcomes and organizational objectives. For instance, the overarching goal of "streamlined incident resolution" was expanded into actionable opportunities like implementing AI-driven suggestions and context-sensitive help prompts. Each branch of the tree was evaluated for its value and feasibility, allowing us to prioritize high-impact solutions systematically. This shift not only deepened our understanding of user needs but also ensured our design decisions aligned with long-term business strategies, driving both innovation and measurable success.

Opportunity/Value tree

After analyzing the insights gathered from the Opportunity/Value Tree, we prioritized a quick improvement: the redesign of the column header layout in the ServiceNow workspace list pages. This change aimed to create a consistent structure for column headers across different pages, ensuring users could easily identify and interact with important information such as incident IDs, statuses, and assigned agents. By standardizing the layout, we simplified the navigation experience, making it more intuitive for users to access the data they needed.

The updated layout for the ServiceNow Workspace list view introduced a consistent and organized structure, improving the hierarchy and visibility of key data. By reducing cognitive load, the redesigned column headers enabled quick scanning and navigation, allowing users to focus on relevant details efficiently. This streamlined list view organization addressed inconsistencies in formatting, enhancing usability and accessibility. While a relatively simple change, it significantly improved data visibility, enabling quicker scanning, decision-making, and task completion, enhancing overall efficiency.

Standardizing
Column headers

Standardizing Column headers

The information hierarchy presents key elements in an F-shaped pattern with quick visuals, leading users from concise to detailed content for an efficient and intuitive experience.

The form design was restructured to improve usability and reduce cognitive load by categorizing information into four key components: badges, popovers, dynamic form fields, and input fields. For input fields, the most critical details—such as incident-related fields, PII (Personally Identifiable Information), and related records—were surfaced prominently to guide user focus and reduce the time spent searching for essential data. This prioritization aligned with progressive disclosure principles, ensuring users see the most important details first while less critical fields remain accessible as needed. By streamlining the flow and focusing on information hierarchy, the design enhanced navigation efficiency, ensuring the form feels intuitive and manageable.

Badges were introduced to display high-visibility attributes like impact, CI (Configuration Item), risk level, and severity level, offering quick visual cues without overcrowding the form. Popovers were strategically used to provide additional, non-editable details—such as contact information, PII counts, and "Opened By" details—to maintain clarity while preserving screen space. Lastly, dynamic form fields were implemented for sections like closure information and turnover notes, ensuring the form adjusts to user inputs contextually. Together, these methods transformed a long, cumbersome form into a more concise and digestible layout, adhering to best practices in form design, including visual simplicity, contextual inputs, and clear organization, which significantly improved both efficiency and the overall user experience.

Form design

For the side panel redesign, we streamlined the layout by integrating the Email Section with the existing Email Templates tab, creating a unified and organized interface. This enhancement allowed users to compose, access, and manage emails without switching between multiple sections, improving task efficiency and reducing cognitive load. Additionally, a new Activity Tab was introduced to centralize task-related updates, enabling users to track real-time changes and actions seamlessly. By reducing the layout from a 3-cell structure to a 2-cell design, we maximized screen space utilization and enhanced visual hierarchy, ensuring critical information remains prominent and accessible.

To further improve usability, we added a small but impactful action button—"Open in Outlook"—which provides users with a quick, context-sensitive way to transition between the ServiceNow Workspace and their email client. This addition simplifies workflows for tasks requiring external communication. We also incorporated Toast Messages to deliver instant feedback, such as a Success Alert when a form is saved. These lightweight notifications enhance user awareness and confidence without disrupting their flow. By focusing on intuitive design, contextual actions, and clear feedback mechanisms, the redesigned side panel not only improves usability but also aligns with user needs for efficiency and clarity.

After the launch of the initial improvements, including quick developments like form redesign, email integration, and layout standardization, we collected user feedback to assess the impact of these changes. The quick wins successfully improved workflows by reducing task complexity, enhancing navigation, and streamlining form interactions. These targeted updates demonstrated the value of agile iterations in addressing immediate user needs while laying the groundwork for broader platform enhancements.

With these insights, we are now preparing to move into a more comprehensive discovery and framing phase. This next step will involve detailed user testing, in-depth research, and collaborative workshops to uncover additional opportunities for improvement. By focusing on refining workflows, optimizing list views, and enhancing the overall experience, we aim to build a scalable and user-centered Service Operations Workspace that aligns with both user goals and business priorities.

The redesign of the Service Operations Workspace has resulted in a streamlined, efficient user experience that directly addresses the core challenges identified in our research. By implementing a universal column header layout, we ensured consistency across the list views, allowing users to easily scan and identify crucial data points. This improvement not only optimized navigation but also simplified the cognitive load, making the workspace more intuitive. The form redesign focused on organizing information into four distinct categories—badges, popovers, dynamic form fields, and input fields—which facilitated faster form completion and more accurate data entry. With strategic use of tags and the elimination of unnecessary fields, we successfully reduced clutter, allowing users to focus on what’s most important. Furthermore, integrating toast messages for real-time success alerts and adding actionable buttons like “Open in Outlook” enhanced user efficiency by providing immediate feedback and simplifying task execution. These changes were crafted to meet user needs while maintaining consistency across the platform.

User feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many appreciating the improvements to form filling and tracing. One user shared, “I would say we need to work on a few more things like organizing the list view, but one thing was ‘easyfied,’ which is form filling & tracing. Earlier it would take hours.” Another commented, “Tags for extra form items have reduced a lot of less required fields,” highlighting the effectiveness of the simplifications made. These responses confirm that the design decisions were impactful, with progressive disclosure techniques allowing users to navigate and interact with the platform more effectively. Collaborative field tracking played a key role in improving team coordination, while the 2x2 matrix and Opportunity/Value Tree methods ensured that we aligned design efforts with user goals and business objectives. Ultimately, these targeted changes showcase the importance of a thoughtful, research-driven approach to UX design, ensuring that small refinements can lead to significant improvements in user satisfaction and productivity.

Key learnings

Consistency Improves Usability

Standardizing elements made it easier for users to find key data.

Simplification Enhances Efficiency

Streamlining forms reduced complexity Improving task completion.

Real-Time Feedback Boosts Confidence

Toast messages and action buttons enhances user satisfaction.

User Feedback Refines Insights

User feedback, like organizing the list view, refines design iteration.

Next steps

The next phase will focus on rediscovery and framing, followed by detailed user testing to gather feedback on navigation, form completion, and interactive features. This will ensure the design continues to align with user needs and business goals.