User Research and Design Strategy for CRM Project

User Research Overview

Objective

Three primary personas—Medical Sales Representatives, Area Sales Managers, and Headquarters Users—were identified, each with unique needs and challenges. To capture authentic insights and real-world context, the research began on-site, where we directly observed users in their actual work environments. We also interviewed senior stakeholders to clarify broader business objectives. In the end, I compiled a comprehensive User Research Report, from which I'll share key insights here while respecting NDA obligations.

Research Process

1. Field Study

Field studies with 10 users (across 2 personas) in hospitals and pharmacies provided real-world context, letting us observe how Medical Sales Representatives (MSR) and Area Sales Managers (ASM) work, engage with healthcare professionals, and manage their teams in actual settings.

Our team with an MSR conducting field studies

Observing MSR workflow in hospital settings

Understanding pharmacy environment

Early Field Observations

Context Matters

Hospital and pharmacy environments present unique challenges for MSRs, including time constraints and interruptions.

Workflow Optimization

MSRs need quick access to information and efficient planning tools while moving between locations.

Environmental Constraints

ASMSs struggle to balance field visits with team oversight, often lacking real-time insights into MSR activities and performance.

Overview & User Personas

Over three days, we joined users on 60 Health Care Professional visits, gaining valuable real-world insights. From these observations, we developed two field personas, with a third persona representing the headquarters user.

Overview of Field Studies

User persona for an MSR

User persona for an ASM

MSR's Module Specific Insights

The following insights are derived from raw notes taken during on-site observations and in-depth interviews with Medical Sales Representatives (MSRs). These early findings highlight real-world challenges, workflows, and user behaviors captured directly from the field. Below are screenshots of the initial data, offering an unfiltered look into the daily experiences and pain points of our users.

To comply with NDA requirements, the uploaded images are displayed in low resolution to protect sensitive information.

MSR Calendar/Visit Module Initial Findings

MSR CLM Module Initial Findings

MSR Order Module Initial Findings

Reports Module Initial Findings

MSR Other System Findings

MSR’s Mental Model: Visit planning sheet taken from an MSR

ASM and HQ Persona Insights

These insights offer a comprehensive view of Area Sales Managers (ASMs) and Headquarters (HQ) users, derived from in-depth interviews and on-site observations. Unlike the MSR findings, this data captures the unique challenges and workflows of leadership roles, emphasizing team management, data analysis, and strategic decision-making. The following snapshots reveal key pain points, efficiency bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement in how ASMs and HQ personnel interact with the INFINI system to oversee field operations and drive organizational performance.

ASM User Initial Findings

HQ User Initial Findings

General Insights from Field Study

1. Key Functional Areas

• INFINI experience is centered around four main areas: CLM, Visits (Planning & Reporting), Reports, Orders

2. CLM Challenges

• CLM is the most frequently used module but fails to fully meet user needs.
• The most requested feature is multi-custom presentation creation.

3. Usability & Performance Issues

• INFINI is complex, slow, and not enjoyable to use.
• Completing tasks requires too many taps.

4. Inconsistent Experience Across Devices

• INFINI Desktop and Mobile feel like two different products in terms of architecture, functionality, and visuals, causing confusion.
• Reps want to manage all their work from a single device.

5. Data Utilization Gaps

• INFINI holds highly valuable data, but most reps don't know how to leverage it.
• Only curious and analytically skilled users benefit from the available data.

6. Planning & Segmentation Issues

• Planning and segmentation processes are overly complicated.

7. Orders Management Satisfaction

• Users are satisfied with the Orders module.

8. Lack of Intelligent Assistance

• INFINI does not offer an intelligent experience that guides, informs, or assists reps in their tasks.
• Users rely on INFINI only because it is mandatory.

9. Insufficient System Feedback

• The app lacks essential user feedback such as:
  • "Where am I in the flow?"
  • "How do I cancel?"
  • "Did my action succeed?"
• It does not align with UI Usability Heuristics.

10. Lack of Feature Usage Tracking

• There is no system to track feature adoption.
• A dedicated INFINI Analytics module is needed.

2. Design Strategy, Business Strategy & Organizational Insights

To align the redesign with both business objectives and user needs, I began by understanding the company’s business strategy, conducting interviews with the founders of my company to clarify long-term strategic goals. Building on this foundation, I defined a design strategy that translated these business priorities into actionable design principles. To ensure alignment across the organization, I also conducted a company-wide survey to capture broader employee perspectives. In parallel, I analyzed Customer Support data to identify frequent user pain points and trends, including help request volumes over time. From these combined insights, I was able to set clear UX goals—focused on addressing user challenges while supporting organizational priorities—creating a strong bridge between business strategy and design execution.

Business Strategy & Goals of Our Company

Design Strategy

Set UX Goals

Idesse Customer Support Insights

Idesse Employee Insights

Metric	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	2022
Number of Customer Support Requests	3,647	3,350	3,869	5,464	16,330

We expect the new product to reduce support requests by providing clearer insights and a more intuitive user experience.

These artifacts illustrate our comprehensive approach to understanding both internal and external factors affecting the project. They include an analysis of our company's business goals, insights from customer support, and employee perspectives. This approach ensured that our redesign efforts were aligned with organizational objectives while addressing user needs.

3. Legacy System & Technical Insights

This section explores the legacy INFINI system’s structure, usage patterns, and user interactions.

Legacy Product Device Distribution

Device stats information provided by the data team, combined with field observations, helped us define our target devices. We prioritized a tablet-first approach, while adopting adaptive design for modules and contexts where mobile use is essential. Desktop usage remains limited for field users, whereas headquarters users primarily rely on desktop access.

Platform Distribution

Distribution by operating system (%)

Device Model Distribution

Number of users per device model

Key findings from card sorting, device usage statistics, and information architecture analysis highlighted navigation issues and platform preferences. Reviews of the settings interface and sitemap revealed usability challenges, while insights from the most viewed reports helped prioritize features for the redesigned INFINI Modern.

Device Stats From Database

Card Sorting During Field Study

Information Architecture

Legacy Site Map

Legacy Settings Flow

Most Viewed Reports

4. Competitive & Market Analysis

To align with industry standards and user needs, I conducted a SWOT analysis, a benchmark study on calendar behavior, and global market research on MSR needs and insights. These studies provided a comprehensive understanding of best practices, gaps, and opportunities, guiding design decisions for a more intuitive and efficient planning experience.

SWOT Analysis

App Store reviews of our app and competitor apps

Benchmark Study on Calendar Behavior

Global Markets Research

5. Synthesizing Insights: Affinity Mapping

To consolidate our research findings, we created an Affinity Diagram, organizing insights from field studies, business goals, legacy system analysis, and competitive research. This process helped us identify recurring themes, prioritize user needs, and uncover opportunities for improvement, shaping the foundation for the next phases of ideation and design.

Synthesizing Insights: Affinity Mapping

Following field studies and user research, weekly brainstorming sessions began with the product team and other departments. Results and solutions were discussed, iterated. Each module's ideation is documented on its respective page.

Initial brainstorming sessions

6. Leveraging AI: How ChatGPT Enhanced My Design Process

I integrated ChatGPT into my UX/UI workflow to improve efficiency, generate insights, and optimize decision-making. Here’s how it contributed to different phases of my projects:

1. User Research & Analysis

• Affinity Diagram Validation: Compared AI-generated insights with manually created affinity diagrams to ensure consistency.
• Interview & Observation Summaries: Synthesized large amounts of raw research data into clear, structured reports.

2. Ideation & Concept Development

• User Flow Generation: Provided initial user flow drafts, helping me explore different interaction paths.
• Feature Brainstorming: Assisted in generating innovative ideas for new features based on user pain points.

Testing Process

Our testing strategy was an ongoing, iterative process conducted before, during, and after the design phases. We combined qualitative user feedback with quantitative data analysis to ensure comprehensive validation at every stage. Frequent testing led to more iterations than initially planned, allowing us to refine the design continuously and address user needs more effectively.

Usability Testing

Conducted moderated testing sessions with 5 participants from each personas.

A/B Testing

Tested multiple design variations to ensure the design is intuitive and user flows are optimized.

Embedded Domain Expert Evaluation

We worked closely with a former MSR and ASM, using their feedback to validate usability and optimize workflows.

Beta Testing Planned

A 1-month beta with small clients will use Microsoft Clarity for insights, tracking navigation, and analyzing behavior with heatmaps, recordings, and error detection.

Key Improvements

Improved Efficiency

Simplified Workflows

Enhanced Usability

Persona-Centered Design

Consistency and Responsiveness

Increased User Satisfaction

Key Results

The redesigned module demonstrated significant improvements in user efficiency across various tasks. Below are the detailed metrics comparing the legacy system with the modern redesign:

Project Impact Summary

The redesign of the modules has resulted in substantial improvements:

• Medical Sales Representatives (MSRs): Improved efficiency in visit planning, execution, and reporting, leading to more streamlined workflows and better time management.
• Area Sales Managers (ASMs): Enhanced visibility into MSR activities, enabling better coaching, performance tracking, and approval processes for visit plans and sales targets.
• Headquarters (HQ) Teams: Improved data accuracy and actionable insights for sales, marketing, and product management teams, allowing for better strategic decision-making and performance evaluation.

Project Challenges

Delivering a user-centric CRM for a regulated industry required balancing diverse personas, stakeholder expectations, technical constraints, and legal obligations:

• Diverse Personas: Three distinct personas with different goals and motivations created conflicting priorities across workflows and UI needs.
• Business vs. User Needs: Headquarters (buyers) preferred reporting-heavy flows, while field teams (daily users) needed speed and simplicity—requiring evidence-based trade-offs to secure buy-in.
• Stakeholder Alignment: The product had to align with founder vision and company strategy without compromising essential usability for field operations.
• Design Ambition vs. Reality: The team aimed for a modern, minimal, user-centric experience while navigating business goals, tech limitations, and compliance.
• Technical Constraints: The chosen development framework limited flexibility, and API constraints affected data structure and could introduce latency.
  • Framework limitations reduced certain interaction and layout options.
  • APIs could not always provide required data in one call, risking long wait times.
• Regulatory Compliance: Strict industry rules governed who could see which data, constraining information architecture and access patterns.