Designing Clarity for Service Operations
[1]
I designed a service delivery platform for the non profit Edu — Futuro to help staff manage beneficiaries, services, and reporting in one place. The goal was to replace spreadsheet-heavy workflows with a system that supports clarity, security, and day-to-day operations.
Role
UX Designer
Skills
Systems design, Payments & dashboards, Interaction & hierarchy
Timeline
Sept 2022 - Nov 2022
Tools
Figma, Notion, Excel Sheets
More About The Client
[2]
Edu-Futuro is a nonprofit that provides access to education and workforce training for immigrant and underserved communities. Its programs help people build practical job skills, find employment, and maintain steady, long-term income for themselves and their families.
The Problem
[3]
How do we help a small nonprofit manage complex services without relying on fragile spreadsheets?
Edu-Futuro tracked beneficiaries and services across Excel and Apricot, making data hard to find, easy to break, and difficult to share safely across teams.
Research
[4]
Through stakeholder interviews and workflow mapping, I identified friction from duplicate data entry, unclear service status, limited visibility into support, and language barriers that made interviews essential.
The user needs
👨👩👧👦 Family in need of Service
Access to services for food stability and youth programs.
Straightforward process to request and receive support.
Assignment to appropriate service providers.
👧 Youth participants
Educational opportunities.
Connect with educational resources and mentors.
Clear communication channels for program updates and participation.
💼 Case managers and service providers
A system to manage multiple service requests efficiently.
Auto-assign families to the right services without manual errors.
Real-time access to user information and case details to avoid errors and delays.
User Context
[5]
Who we were designing for:
1
Many staff and beneficiaries were recent immigrants to the U.S., often coming from under-resourced communities.
2
Technical comfort varied widely, and many users relied on familiar tools like Excel and Apricot to manage their work.
3
Language access mattered—Spanish was often the primary working language.
What this meant for design:
The system needed to be usable without onboarding or technical training.
The interface should say exactly what’s going on, especially when something is saved, submitted, or completed.
Familiar UI patterns helped users move faster.
Refined Problem Statement
[6]
How do we design a system that reduces operational overhead while protecting sensitive beneficiary data?
Staff needed a way to track services confidently, without worrying about version control, access permissions, or losing critical information.
Design Strategy
[7]
I designed the platform from first principles, focusing on how staff actually think about their work, not how data is stored.
Instead of centering the system around spreadsheets or forms, I structured it around beneficiaries, services, and status.
Consistency and security guided every decision. If the system didn’t feel predictable or safe, it wouldn’t be trusted.
Final Creations
[8]
#1 Staff couldn’t see the full picture of a beneficiary
Information was scattered across files, tabs, and tools.
I designed beneficiary profiles that consolidate services, history, and notes into one view, reducing context switching and missed information.
#2 Spreadsheets made data fragile and unsafe
Manual edits created errors and privacy risks.
I designed controlled data entry patterns with role-based visibility to protect sensitive information while still supporting collaboration.
#3 Services needed a single source of truth
Excel made it easy to miss details or apply rules inconsistently.
A structured service creation flow ensures every service follows the same requirements and stays accurate over time.
#4 Tools weren’t designed for how nonprofits actually work
Existing systems assumed technical comfort and rigid processes.
I kept interactions simple, language clear, and layouts predictable so the platform supports staff with varying levels of technical experience.
The final platform replaces scattered spreadsheets with a structured, secure system built around real workflows.
Staff can track beneficiaries, manage services, and understand status without digging through files or second-guessing data accuracy.
Reflection
[9]
This was my first real design project, and I was learning Figma as I built it. It forced me to slow down and really think about structure, clarity, and how even small decisions affect the full experience, especially when you’re designing for a diverse audience.
Working closely with Katherine, the director at the time and the only other UX designer, really shaped how I think. And partnering with engineers taught me quickly that good design isn’t just about how it looks, it has to work within real constraints and be something the team can confidently build and ship.
Footer
[10]