USA Staffing is the federal government's platform for hiring and onboarding, used by over 140 agencies and 120,000+ HR professionals. While it supports complex recruiting workflows, much of the user experience has historically been oriented around process, not productivity. I led this project from start to finish — initiating research, facilitating cross-team collaboration, and designing a new dashboard experience focused on improving workload management, task tracking, and day-to-day usability for HR specialists.

We received dozens of enhancement requests from users asking for better ways to manage their work — specifically around productivity, task tracking, prioritization, and organization. But when I mapped each request against the current dashboard, I noticed something surprising: many of the features already existed — or were at least partially available.

The real issue wasn't missing functionality — it was that users couldn't find or confidently use what was already there. This disconnect pointed to a deeper problem: poor visibility, usability, and alignment with real-world workflows.

Constraints:

• Integrate seamlessly with existing permission models
• Align with the system's current design pattern
• Avoid changes to recruiting/onboarding logic

Given the disconnect between user requests and existing features, I wanted to understand how HR specialists were actually managing their workloads — and why the current dashboard wasn't meeting their needs. I conducted a 4-week qualitative study with HR specialists and leads across several federal agencies. Through contextual observations and follow-up interviews, I captured how users tracked tasks, prioritized work, and collaborated with their teams in real-life settings.

Key Findings

Opportunity Areas

Cross-functional Ideation

I organized and facilitated a 2-hour cross-functional design workshop with product owners, business analysts, developers, and designers to align on goals, prioritize ideas, and map out feasible directions for improving workload management.

Workshop Prep

I created a persona and journey map to communicate key research insights to stakeholders who weren't part of the interviews — ensuring everyone was aligned on user context before the workshop.

Workshop Activities

I started the session with a quick Crazy 8s exercise to encourage divergent thinking and surface a wide range of ideas. Then I guided participants through a prioritization activity, organizing ideas into a Now, Next, How, and Parking matrix to evaluate feasibility and impact.

A combined elements of a project management board and a tracker — supporting both workload management and task tracking, creating a clearer, more flexible experience that matches how users naturally work.

Design Highlights

Task Management

Customization

Information Visibility & Continuity

Communication & Collaboration

Early usability testing with HR specialists across multiple federal agencies showed immediate, confident engagement with the redesigned dashboard — users navigated tasks they previously tracked in spreadsheets entirely within the system.

• Reduced reliance on external tracking tools like Excel and sticky notes
• Enabled faster, more confident task prioritization without switching contexts
• Improved team alignment through shared task views and status visibility
• Provided a scalable foundation for future workload management features

The project became a strong example of how user-centered design, cross-team collaboration, and strategic research can come together to influence product direction — supporting our team's growing emphasis on research-led, collaborative design practices.

This project was a chance to lead research through design and see its impact firsthand. The workshop I facilitated not only aligned stakeholders but also demonstrated the value of collaboration in shaping product direction. Listening directly to our users and observing their workflows ensured the design reflected real practices, and emphasized the importance of practical, usable solutions.