Modernizing the Internal Software Management Experience

OVERVIEW

Software Bundles is an internal tool for managing the software which GE employees can download. The legacy tool was developed without UX designers and as a result had a very poor user experience that caused a lot of friction. I created the end-to-end MVP1 experiences for creating a new package and mapping packages to products.

3 years after the launch it was acquired by another GE admin product suite thus resulting in an MVP2 effort. I led the redesign and rebrand to seamlessly integrate Software Bundles into Control Panel.

MY ROLE

MVP 1: UX Designer

MVP 2: Lead & Solo Designer

THE TEAM

2 Designers, 1 Product Manager, 2 Engineers

DURATION

MVP 1: Q1-Q2 2020

MVP 2: Q2 2023

THE PROBLEM

The software management team, which is responsible for provisioning software to thousands of GE employees, was hindered by a deeply flawed legacy tool. Their ability to do their job was compromised by critical issues:

  • No data validation

  • Product duplicates and no delete function, creating a confusing and bloated database

  • No native search functionality, forcing users to manually scan large tables or rely on browser search, which caused significant delays and wasted time.

Screens of the legacy Software Bundles tool

MVP1 Goals

  1. Improve findability of packages by integrating a search and sort functionality within the tool

  2. Display software information that’s valuable for users and in a way that is easily scannable

  3. Guide users through the steps for creating a package by streamlining the file upload process and reducing errors

PROCESS

We kicked off a design sprint with the lead Product Manager walking us through the existing tool and the key processes users needed to accomplish. We interviewed power users of the tool to learn more about their process, what they thought worked well, and uncover pain points. For MVP1 we wanted to start from scratch so it was important to go through several rounds of iterations during the lo-fi stage.

Once we narrowed down the landing page and the flow of creating a new software package we fleshed out the high fidelity designs, data, and error states. To test our designs we conducted remote moderated tests over Microsoft Teams and had users clicked through an Invision prototype.

We received positive responses for moving away from the existing two column table view in favor of cards to display software information on the landing page. Users liked being guided with steppers through the process of creating a new package.

MVP 1 RESULTS

The MVP1 launch successfully addressed the core usability issues of the legacy tool, resulting in the following improvements:

Improved scanability: by placing relevant and useful information on the landing page so user’s don’t have to dig to find it.

Improved findability: of software packages with the implementation of sorting and searching. Users no longer have to rely on the internet browser’s find feature.

Reduced errors: The new guided, step-by-step process for creating a new package, complete with real-time validation, decreased the potential for errors and provided a more confident user experience.

THE OPPORTUNITY

3 YEARS LATER…With the announcement of business changes, in an effort to reduce costs and the number of products to maintain, Software Bundles would be integrated into another product suite.

MVP 2 GOALS

  • Retain the functionality of MVP 1

  • Rebrand Admin to Software Bundles and integrate the color theme and design patterns that exist in Control Panel

  • Rework the details page so that we can remove the tab design

PROCESS

My first approach for MVP2 was to simply rebrand the existing MVP1 design with the new product suite's color palette. However, I quickly recognized that this would create a disjointed experience, introducing new design patterns that were inconsistent with the rest of the Control Panel suite.

I presented this concern to stakeholders and developers, advocating for a more cohesive, pattern-driven redesign.

This strategic pivot led to two key changes.

1. Landing Page Redesign: I transitioned us away from the MVP1 card-based view to a standardized table view. While a table view was what we had originally moved away from, the Control Panel's existing table framework was robust, with powerful search, sort, and filter capabilities that far surpassed the MVP1 design and provided a consistent experience with other features in the suite.

2. Details Page Unification: Instead of the MVP1 tabbed design, I consolidated all information into a single, cohesive details page by grouping information into containers. This design decision aligned with an established pattern across the new product suite, reducing cognitive load for users and making the experience feel native to Control Panel.

RESULTS

I successfully integrated the new Software Bundles into the Control Panel, creating a cohesive and consistent user experience for administrators. By adopting the suite's established design patterns, the tool now feels like a native part of the product suite rather than a separate, standalone application.