Introduction

Configurable Reports is the cornerstone of a larger Advanced Reporting initiative. The vision: empower customers to edit and eventually create their own reports with ease. Our primary users — daycare directors who are often non-technical — needed a tool that was simple, reliable, and flexible enough to meet compliance requirements.

​

I led UX design for Configurable Reports, balancing user needs with business goals while building a scalable foundation for future reporting features.

​

The Challenge

By the time I was brought in, the project had been stalled for two years due to tooling debates. When leadership finally moved forward, I was asked to deliver workflows, a prototype, and prepare for usability testing in just three weeks — compressing years of complexity into an unrealistic timeline.

​

Key challenges:

• No shared vision: stakeholders each imagined a different “house,” but no blueprint existed.

• Unrealistic expectations: years of work condensed into a sprint, risking burnout.

• Future-proofing: ensuring designs could scale as more reporting features were added.

• Conflicting priorities: balancing leadership’s deadlines with users’ real needs.

​​​

​

​

MY APPROACH

The Action Plan

• I reframed the problem: before we decorate the house, we need to agree on its shape.

• Conceptual alignment: I created conceptual designs to align teams on the structure of the solution, giving everyone a shared mental model before diving into details.

• Industry research: Studied tools like Google Looker and Power BI, adapting patterns to fit the needs of non-technical daycare directors.

• Foundational design: Delivered the Favorite Reports feature — a complete UI overhaul that set a scalable foundation, avoiding costly rework later.

• Future-focused workflows: Designed customizable reporting workflows with the end user in mind, preparing prototypes for usability testing and developer handoff.

• Collaboration under pressure: Partnered with researchers and developers, balancing flexibility with protecting UX integrity.

​

Challenges Overcome 

• Advocated for conceptual design as strategy, ensuring the team aligned on the problem before rushing to build.

• Maintained focus on user needs even when timelines and leadership pressures pushed in other directions.

• Preserved the impact of my UX vision while adapting to shifting ownership dynamics.

• Prevented short-term decisions from compromising long-term scalability.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​

​

OUTCOMES AND IMPACT

Results

• A scalable UI foundation that allows new reporting features to be added seamlessly.

• Actionable workflows and prototypes, ready for validation and development.

• A stronger shared vision among cross-functional teams through conceptual design and clear documentation.

• Validation of my foresight when technical teams later echoed the need for alignment and architecture — reinforcing the value of my early design leadership.

​

​​​​​​

REFLECTION

Food for Thought

This project tested not just my design skills, but my resilience and ability to lead through ambiguity. It taught me how to balance diplomacy with advocacy — to put feelings aside when needed, but still fight for the user’s voice and the integrity of the solution.

It also reinforced a core strength of mine: seeing the bigger picture early, and creating conceptual clarity that prevents wasted effort downstream. While not every decision was smooth, the experience highlighted my ability to guide complex initiatives, keep teams aligned, and ensure user-centered outcomes even under pressure.