Michael’s UX research
Highlighted examples of user experience research engagements from Michael’s extensive UX portfolio.
Discover user personas, journey maps, and innovative design solutions from Michael’s UX research
Project Victor UX Strategy Findings
Engagement Overview
This UX research study investigated how to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the global audit workforce through enhanced digital tools. The project aimed to understand auditors’ motivations, values, and behaviors, identify pain points in current processes, and develop recommendations for technology improvements.
Research Process
Qualitative Research: Conducted 50 interviews with auditors across 9 countries (US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, France, China, and Japan), representing all levels of audit experience.
Persona Development: Created detailed user personas and empathy maps to represent different auditor archetypes along two axes: Audit Savvy/Audit Naive and Game Changer/Audit Effective:
- Maria (Game Changer, Audit Savvy): An up-and-coming team member looking for efficiencies
- Kelly (Audit Effective, Audit Savvy): A well-rounded auditor focused on communication and team growth
- Emily (Game Changer, Audit Savvy): The visionary audit leader of the future
Journey Mapping: Identified key pain points in the audit workflow:
- Audit file planning and setup issues
- Document management challenges
- Repetitive tasks and lack of automation
- Excess coaching requirements
- Inconsistent communication
- Inefficient review note processes
- Poor auditor/specialist collaboration
- Limited D&A understanding
- Minimal audit status insights
- Lack of mobile accessibility
Key Insights & Recommendations
The study produced four primary insights with associated recommendations:
Integrated Project Planning & Tracking
- Integrate with existing project management systems
- Provide real-time visual status throughout audits
- Enable better budgeting, resource planning, and task assignment
- Create milestone tracking and deadline management
Centralized Documentation Repository
- Create a single source of truth for all audit documentation
- Develop permission-based spaces for teams and clients
- Implement document linking within controls and activities
- Provide updates, reminders, and notifications
- Offer documentation templates
Mobile-First Approach
- Implement responsive interfaces for tablets and phones
- Provide mobile-optimized audit health tracking
- Enable access to milestone and task tracking
- Support mobile review workflows
- Offer customizable push notifications
Modern UX/UI & Technology Enhancements
- Develop a future-state roadmap with a product-focused approach
- Create workflow solutions that match user needs
- Update functionality to meet modern UX standards
- Align visually with modern brand standards
- Implement visual flowcharts, automation, and process mining
The project prioritized these recommendations based on user experience impact, audit quality impact, and level of effort required, providing a roadmap for both short-term and long-term improvements.