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Confidentiality & Data Privacy DisclaimerTo comply with my Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and protect the privacy of Care Requesters in the child welfare system, this case study utilizes anonymized brand elements and synthetic data. Visual assets and Figma prototypes have been white-labeled to safeguard the client’s identity while accurately demonstrating the UX logic, information architecture, and measurable workflow improvements achieved.

Executive Summary

By transforming a "manually powered" legacy workflow into a high-performance B2E2C (Business-to-Employee-to-Consumer) ecosystem, this project reclaimed critical operational capacity for front-line advocates.

90%

Search Efficency

Slashed resource validation time from 40 minutes to ~5 minutes per request

30%

Administrative Recovery

Reclaimed 2.5 hours per day per staff member by automating redundant workflows

Zero

Data Conflicts

Eradicated a 12% duplicate rate across 3,000+ records, reducing 200+ conflicts to zero

100%

Reporting Precision

Transitioned from manual estimates to high-integrity, accurate reporting for state-level compliance

The Challenge: The "Hidden Tax" of Manual Systems

Before the intervention, the organization’s support services were powered by human labor rather than efficient technology. Service Navigators (Employees) were forced to navigate a fragmented ecosystem, toggling between a legacy ticketing suite for communication and separate, unorganized spreadsheets for resource management.This fragmentation created a "hidden tax" on the Care Requester (Consumer) experience. Staff spent more time fighting the system, manually merging duplicate tickets and re-vetting outdated data, than providing actual care. The result was delayed response times for families in crisis and a lack of real-time insights into the lived experiences of those seeking help.

Discovery & Research

To guide the migration to a unified system, I led a discovery phase to uncover usability gaps and define data management requirements.

Methods: Conducted an audit of legacy documentation and performed 1-to-1 interviews with 4 Service Navigators and 2 Operations Managers.
Key Finding - System Fragmentation: Users reported it felt unproductive to manage a single request across different locations.
Key Finding - Data Decay: No established process existed for re-vetting resources, leading to "doubled efforts" as multiple staff members manually checked the same data validity for every ticket.
Key Finding - The "Power User" Reality: The staff were not "early adopters" of technology; they required a system that was "aesthetically pleasing" but primarily "easier to access and searchable".

The Solution: Project Lively

I designed Lively, a unified resource ecosystem that serves as the organization's single source of truth.

1. Integrated CRM/RMS ArchitectureWe consolidated the resource database from disconnected spreadsheets into a unified tool using unique identifiers. This ensured that every resource was easily searchable and eliminated the "manual cleanup" previously required by management.

2. Workflow Automation• Automatic Ticket Merging: Developed a method to consolidate various communication threads (SMS, web forms, calls) into a single consumer profile based on data patterns like phone numbers and emails

• Consent Tracking: Linked legal consent directly to the unique ID. This ensured consent was requested only once and never lost during ticket merges, eliminating the need for staff to scroll endlessly through history logs.

3. UI & Information Priority• Field Prioritization: Redesigned the interface to surface the most relevant data fields immediately, reducing "scroll fatigue" and allowing Navigators to focus on the conversation rather than data entry.

Outcomes & Impact

The transition to Lively resulted in a measurable shift from staff acting as "manual engines" to becoming high-impact advocates.

Reclaimed Capacity: The team of 6 Service Navigators collectively saves 15 hours of manual labor per day. This recovered time is now reallocated to high-intensity cases and proactive outreach.
Eradication of Redundancy: By flagging duplicates before they enter the system, we removed the 360+ redundant records that previously overwhelmed the queue.
Operational Velocity: The system now enables the team to maintain a steady pace, managing a revolving queue of 70 requests with each Navigator efficiently processing an average of 6 complex cases per day.

The Bottom Line

The success of Lively isn't just in the numbers — it's in the elimination of friction. By reducing a 40-minute search to a 5-minute task, we increased the emotional capacity of the team to provide more focused, compassionate care for every family in crisis.

Project Lively

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