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This case study is protected due to confidentiality agreements and contains work done for State Street. Access is granted exclusively for professional review purposes.
To request access, please email – jagadeeshkailasam@gmail.com – I usually respond within 90min unless I’m asleep.
Preparing Catalyst for the Spotlight
Catalyst was initially built to collect automation ideas and convert them into actionable projects. With multiple tools across State Street handling different idea types, the vision was to unify them under platform. Catalyst with limited access until then was preparing for an global launch. Before going global, we wanted to make sure we have control over the experiences we plan to offer through the product.
Problem :
Lack of a streamlined experience for idea submission, review, and tracking.
No centralised control or governance over automation efforts.
Users didn’t know how or where to contribute, and reviewers lacked a consistent way to evaluate ideas.
Expected Outcome :
Unify all idea-related workflows under Catalyst.
Establish one scalable platform for all idea management.
Redesign the experience to be intuitive, scalable, and global-ready.
Settling In to Dive Deep
Being new to the team — and Catalyst being an internal tool with my colleagues as the very first users — I couldn't stop myself from rolling up my sleeves, breaking the ice, and listening to their unfiltered thoughts. I saw this as the perfect chance to get honest insights without the filters of formality.
Through several rounds of user observations, I framed questions, probed constraints, and surfaced patterns that revealed real friction. I used this foundation to gear up for a deep UX audit, applying usability heuristics and minimizing users' VIMM loads — so their interaction with the product felt intuitive, not overwhelming.
Together, we were steering Catalyst toward a complete product facelift!
“ As the first user-researcher of Catalyst, I had the privilege of seeing the cracks before anyone else did and that shaped everything I did next. ”
UX Audit
User Research & Observations
Heuristic Evaluation
Flow Optimisation
Form Design
Interaction Design
Stakeholder Engagement
UX Strategy & Root Cause Analysis
Cognitive Load Optimization (VIMM)
From Understanding to Solving Real Needs
Reframing Categories with Real User Intent :
During our early observations, we realised the existing idea categories weren’t meaningful to most users. So, we gathered real submissions from multiple platforms, analysed them for patterns and intent, and grouped them based on user motivations — not just internal logic.
This helped us reframe the categories to better align with how ideators actually think and work.
Goal 1 :
List out all the questions from the ideas submitted so far from multiple idea management tools across Statestreet and find similar patterns to group under relatable idea types.
Goal 2 :
Add necessary questions to enhance clarity and efficiency, and remove irrelevant ones to eliminate clutter from each of the idea type forms.
No More One-Form-Fits-All :
Once we had a clearer picture of how people actually framed their ideas, the next step was to design input forms that respected the context of each idea.
Instead of a generic, one-size-fits-all form, we mapped user journeys, analysed each idea type's nature, and created custom form flows tailored to what contributors actually needed to share and what reviewers needed to evaluate.
Impact :
Made it easier for people to focus on what mattered.
Helped reviewers get to the point faster, without back-and-forth.
Reduced clutter and confusion in the submission flow.
Improved submission quality by eliminating irrelevant inputs.
“ The better we tailored the forms, the less time everyone spent trying to explain what they actually meant. ”
The diagram below captures how we moved from a linear, rigid form to a modular, intent-driven system — one that supports ideators based on purpose, not assumption.
Thinks of a solution
Opens Catalyst
Select Idea Type
Submit Idea
Track Status
Receive Feedback
See Idea Approved
Project Take Off
SSGA
Idea
Types
User input form steps
Before
Overview
SIPOC
Details
Attachments
Solution
Solution details
Submit
Overview
SIPOC
Details with att
Solution details
Benefits
Summary
Overview
Details with att
Solution details
Evaluation Parameters
Supporting Artifacts
Summary
Problem Area
Pain Points
Simplification
Supporting Artifacts
Summary
Overview
Objective
Governance
Regulatory
Summary
Problem Recognition
Enhance Automations
New Automation
Simplify Room
After
New
New
New
Form Design & Usability Fixes :
Once we knew what kind of ideas people were submitting, the next step was to fix how they submitted them.
Instead of tweaking the old form, we took a step back to ask: What does each idea type actually need? From there, we redesigned the entire form experience by reducing redundancy, reordering fields for clarity and aligning the structure with how people naturally think.
Here’s a side-by-side walkthrough of how the forms evolved — shaped by everything we observed, tested, and refined along the way.
Before
Limited options, vague copy, no clear segmentation. User is left guessing the difference between choices.
After
Clear categorization (Tech, Non-Tech, General) with concise, user-friendly descriptions improves clarity and decision-making.
The dense, unstructured layout lacked clarity and guidance forcing users to work harder. Key breakdowns occurred in clarity, consistency, and error prevention.
Redesigned flow adds clarity, focus, and ease with better grouping, emphasis, and cues that guide users smoothly and reduce friction.
Overuse of dropdowns, flat visuals, and minimal contextual feedback made the workflow feel mechanical. Users were forced to interpret structure without support or spatial clarity.
The redesign introduces progressive layering, contextual tooltips, and card-based interactions that reveal structure visually. Interactions now feel guided, deliberate, and far more intuitive.
“ The goal wasn’t just to make it cleaner — it was to reduce the effort users didn’t even know they were making. ”
Dense text, minimal spacing, and undifferentiated options led to scanning fatigue. Inputs felt like checkboxes in a spreadsheet, not guided decisions — overwhelming without helping.
Content is now well-chunked and interaction zones are clearer. Visual spacing, progressive disclosure, and drag-drop affordance make the task feel lighter, more human, and easier to follow through.
The interface drops users into a blank state with no guidance, weak visual hierarchy, and an overloaded content block that blends action with outcome — causing hesitation and misinterpretation.
The improved screen introduces a friendly empty-state prompt, clearly separates action from data, and centers focus through a clean, direct call-to-action — reducing friction and prompting confident input.
Dense layout and passive language increased cognitive load, relying on recall. Poor grouping and weak CTAs failed to guide flow or build confidence.
Better hierarchy via chunking/spacing; dynamic preview cuts effort; clear labels & grouped inputs aid recognition; microcopy & feedback fit flow.
Attachments felt like an afterthought — minimal visual hierarchy, poor affordance, and lack of contextual cues slowed discovery and increased friction for new users.
The redesign uses progressive disclosure and strong visual cues to guide interaction. Clear CTAs, contextual framing, and grouped benefits improve scannability and align better with user expectations and mental models.
“ Before users hit submit, users deserve to see everything come together and so we have the summary to give back their story.”
“ Our goal wasn’t just to collect inputs. It was to help users make sense of them that gives confidence to move forward. ”
The submission screen offered minimal feedback. It lacked visual delight, had low information scent, and gave no clear next steps or closure for the user journey.
The redesign applies feedback principles with visual affirmation ("Congratulations!"), clear next actions ("Submit another idea", "View my ideas"), and a clean layout — enhancing user satisfaction, task completion confidence, and system credibility.
Once an idea was submitted, we made sure users weren’t left guessing. A clean message, a clear next step, nothing more, nothing less. We kept it simple, gave them space to breathe, and let the system quietly guide them into what is to came next.
Redesigning the Idea Feed for Clarity, Tracking and Action :
With submissions in motion, the next step was making them visible.
We designed an idea feed where contributors could revisit their own submissions, browse others’, and track everything in one place. Each card highlighted key inputs from the form not just as data, but as meaningful, scannable insights. From filters to feedback, we restructured the space so ideas wouldn’t just be submitted — they’d be seen, explored, and acted on.
Before
The submission screen offered minimal feedback. It lacked visual delight, had low information scent, and gave no clear next steps or closure for the user journey.
After
Custom bot runner solution
Custom solution
runner solution
Automation Macro
Approved
Approved
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
Macro
8/21/15
9/18/16
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
by:
Macro
8/21/15
9/18/16
Wade Warren
by:
by:
by:
by:
by:
Beel James
Jasmin Fernandas
Jasmin Fernandas
Jasmin Fernandas
Jasmin Fernandas
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
by:
Macro
8/21/15
9/18/16
Owner
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
by:
Macro
8/21/15
9/18/16
Wade Warren
121
1
In Process
@ SIPOC
Rejected
by Business Approver
1882
89
11
972
21
112
My Ideas
Search
Catalyst
Jasmin Fernandas
Search for ideas here
Filter by
The redesign applies feedback principles with visual affirmation ("Congratulations!"), clear next actions ("Submit another idea", "View my ideas"), and a clean layout — enhancing user satisfaction, task completion confidence, and system credibility.
The list view is cluttered, dense, and overloaded with text and colors that compete for attention. Visual noise, inconsistent affordances, and lack of prioritization make scanning tedious and decision-making slow.
Displaying 1-10 of 11001 Results
Ideas per page
Page
of 1101
10
1
Solution Type
Macro
Power Automate
Python
RPA
Power Apps
Simplify Room
Power BI
Undetermined
Simplify Room T Board
Idea Status
Review Groups
tags
Filters
Search for ideas here
Reset
9232734 - Custom bot runner solution
9232734 - Custom solution
Approved
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
RPA
8/21/15
9/18/16
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
by:
RPA
8/21/15
9/18/16
Wade Warren
by:
by:
by:
Beel James
Jasmin Fernandas
Jasmin Fernandas
121
1
Rejected
by Business Approver
1882
89
Search Ideas
Catalyst
Jasmin Fernandas
The redesigned view reduces cognitive strain through visual grouping, consistent iconography, and card-based separation. Filter interaction is more deliberate, and key info like status, author, and engagement is presented with better hierarchy and breathing space — improving both scanability and actionability.
Custom bot runner solution
Approved
Solution Type:
Created on:
Last Updated on:
Macro
8/21/15
9/18/16
by:
by:
Beel James
Jasmin Fernandas
121
1
Designing the Reviewer Flow :
Once ideas started flowing in, our focus shifted to those responsible for evaluating them — the reviewers. These were the people who brought structure and credibility to the system. For them, the experience had to be fast, focused, and fail safe.
We designed their journey with one goal in mind: make complex decisions feel simple. From filtering to approvals, every step was rethought to reduce friction, eliminate noise, and bring just the right amount of detail into view.
“ What reviewers needed wasn’t more information - it was the right information, at the right moment, framed with purpose. ”
Auto-assigned to SME Panel
SME Reviews Idea
Forward to Technical Review
Forward to Business Review
Business Panel Reviews Idea
Technical Panel Reviews Idea
End: Reject
End: Reject
End: Reject
Idea Submitted
Relevant
Feasible?
Final
Decision
Approved
Review Ideas
Idea Summary
Transfer
Select profile
Send
End: Reject
Login
Review
Approved
A quick walkthrough of how reviewers interact with the ideas assigned to them. It’s less about the screens, and more about how we brought structure to their decision-making with just the right amount of guidance, context, and control. The goal here wasn’t to add features, but to reduce the effort it takes to act and make sure good ideas get the support they deserved.
Outcomes That Mattered
The real measure of design is in the change it enables. After weeks of redefining flows, clarifying architecture, and simplifying interactions, we began noticing subtle but meaningful shifts — both in how people used Catalyst and how they felt about it.
Below are the key outcomes — not just numbers, but signs of momentum, adoption, and trust engineered.
62% Increase in Submission Rate
From 300 to 486 ideas submitted within 3 months post-launch
65% Drop in Incomplete Ideas
Fewer abandoned forms thanks to routing, relevance, and progression clarity
72% Lower Bounce Rate
More users continued through forms vs. dropping off early
Long forms, no complaints
Despite 70+ fields, clarity and flow made it feel intuitive
“ Despite having more questions, it never felt long. I actually understood what I was trying to articulate. ”
Tara Kondate
(Frequent ideator)
Review Time
From 10-12 days to 3-4 days Thanks to notifications, reminders, and clean dashboards
Reviewer Collaboration Load
Less dependency on others to understand submissions
Clearer Paths, Smarter Decisions
Structured inputs reduced ambiguity in review decisions
Transfers & Loops
Fewer back-and-forth due to accurate tagging by landing ideas with the right reviewers
2x Increase in Project Pipeline
More well-formed, review-ready ideas translated into executable projects
Platform Adoption Across Teams
From 2–3 pilot teams to 8+ global units using Catalyst as the central idea hub
Thank You!
For scrolling this far, giving your time, attention, and curiosity to this story.
I truly hope it gave you something to think about, something to take away or simply a better sense of how I work and what I care about.
BAG - Build And Grow
Independent Initiative
Designed a solution to the problem I was living as a student. An education system that was left unchanged for centuries could get empowered with digital evolution.
I I failed hard but it sparked my career in design.
BAG - Build And Grow
Independent Initiative
Designed a solution to the problem I was living as a student. An education system that was left unchanged for centuries could get empowered with digital evolution.
I I failed hard but it sparked my career in design.