Digital Transformation: Modernizing Accounting Workflows
Key goals
Remove the paper cash slip process in accounting and bring consistency through a digital application.
The team
1 UI/UX Designer
8 Frontend Developers
1 Scrum Master
1 Product Owner
Time
6 months
The city of lost paper
Accountants were moving money between accounts using paper slips sent through internal mail. These slips would often get lost, forcing the team to either waste time reprinting them or lose track of funds entirely. Tired of playing paper chase, they came to us for a digital solution.
I needed to know more
I inherited a project with some initial research and wireframes, but something was missing. So I dug deeper with new interviews gaining key insights and pain points such as:
Lost information
Lost funds
More time spent searching for the slips
From low to high
I took the initial wireframes and all the research to design high-fidelity prototypes. I wanted the design to feel familiar to the staff using it so they could have a good user experience while improving it. We incorporated similar terminology and kept the interface simple.
Putting my designs to the test.
I then conducted user testing with several accounting staff members and some underwriters. No serious issues were found, but the backend couldn't code several elements the staff needed due to third-party vendor connections. I spoke with the product manager and decided to move forward with the pieces that could be coded and then add functionality and actions as they become available.
Search page
Users were able to find cash slips with a simple search.
Advanced search
If the search yielded zero results, users would be taken to an advanced search with more options.
Search results
Results are shown with basic information to help scan and make the selection process easier.
Living in the digital world
Since the Home Office Cash application has gone into production, it has cut down on time spent processing cash slips, lost money, and back and forth between accounting and underwriting.
What users said:
"13 returns in 10 minutes. That includes spot-checking the mainframe to make sure the cash item cleared."
"It helps underwriting immensely, too. RSA's are done in minutes and not days."
Pamela Sextro-Kelly
