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#DTPS Workload Tracker MVP

Institutional Services • Internal Tools • Data Visualization

Design Story Overview

When I joined the Division of Training and Program Support (DTPS) as a Program Expert, I stepped into an environment filled with smart, committed people — but the “experience layer” of our work was almost entirely invisible.

Management Program Analysts (MPAs), Program Experts (PEs), and leadership were juggling dozens of program workloads with no shared architecture, no consistent workflow patterns, and no central way to see how work moved through the system. Knowledge lived in inboxes, memory, and ad-hoc documents.

This created friction, rework, and a lack of clarity that slowed us down when our mission demanded precision, consistency, and transparency.

My goal was to bring human-centered design, product thinking, and systems clarity to DTPS by creating the foundation for an Internal Experience Platform — a scalable structure for how workloads are researched, documented, executed, and tracked.

The first major artifact of this platform is the DTPS Workload Tracker MVP, a tool that brings visibility, consistency, and shared understanding across the branch.

Throughout this work, I am applying the same principles I used in my prior SSA-wide transformation efforts — including the redesign of SSA.gov, the creation of agency-wide design systems, and cross-component governance. This approach also aligns closely with the expectations of a Product Design Lead, including setting vision, defining systems, leading through ambiguity, and delivering usable tools that scale.

1. The Call to Solve a Problem — Clarifying User Needs, Pain Points, and the Core Challenge

From day one, it was clear that DTPS operated within a fragmented ecosystem:

The core challenge wasn’t just “tracking workloads.”
It was creating clarity — a transparent, consistent, human-centered structure for how DTPS works.

This required:

In short:
We needed to transform a loosely connected set of tasks into a cohesive product ecosystem.

Various reports, with different degrees of fidelity, all lacking consistency.

Figure 1: Varied and inconsistent reports make it harder to process information efficiently.

2. Gathering the Right Team — My Role, Collaboration Approach, and Cross-Functional Partnerships

Although DTPS is not traditionally structured like a product team, I approached this work as a cross-functional design initiative.

My Role

Collaboration Approach

I built momentum through:

Cross-Functional Partnerships

My collaborators included:

This model mirrors the product team structures I worked with during the SSA.gov redesign — designers, developers, policy, and content strategists working in lockstep.

3. Navigating the Design Journey — End-to-End UX Process

3a. Research & Insights

I began by conducting qualitative discovery, including interviews, shadowing, and artifact reviews.

Key insights emerged:

These findings made the problem clear:
Without shared patterns, everything becomes custom work.

A flow chart showing the pre-dashboard approach to task reporting.

Figure 3a: A flow showing the convolution of requesting task reports before the dashboard was established.

3b. Definition & Alignment

With insights documented, I led DTPS through structured alignment sessions to define:

This culminated in a guiding framework used to evaluate all processes moving forward.

3c. Design & Iteration

Once the foundational architecture was defined, I moved into design mode.

Core Workflow Foundations

I fully researched, documented, and leadership-vetted the first five workflows — establishing patterns that scale.

Program Expert BPD & SOP

I co-authored the first Business Process Document and Standard Operating Procedure, which act as our design system for internal operations:

Workload Tracker MVP

To create real visibility, I designed the Workload Intelligence Dashboard, an MVP that:

Dashboard Prototype Placeholder

Figure 3c: Early MVP prototype showing 2 of the workloads available in the dashboard.

3d. Testing & Validation

I validated the design through:

Feedback confirmed that the system:

4. Reaching the Breakthrough Moments — Key Insights, Usability Findings, Decisions, and Iterations

Several breakthrough decisions shaped the final design:

1. Patterns; Not Pages

Users didn’t need long documents — they needed repeatable structures.
This led to reusable workflow templates, decision models, and naming conventions.

2. Visibility Must Be Centralized

The dashboard became the centerpiece of the platform because users needed real-time clarity.

3. Communication with OPM Required Redesign

The standardized routing slip:

4. “Just Enough Structure” Was Key

People didn’t want bureaucracy — they wanted clarity.
The system balanced structure with usability.

5. Ripples Across the Organization — Outcomes, Impact Metrics, and Alignment to Agency Priorities

Though early-phase, this work has already had meaningful impact:

Operational Outcomes

User Outcomes

Organizational Outcomes

This work supports key SSA strategic priorities, including:

These outcomes mirror the measurable improvements I achieved during the SSA.gov redesign — including +22.3 CSAT, clearer pathways, and cross-agency alignment — and reflect the competencies expected from a Product Design Lead role.

6. Reflections and Future Direction — Summary, Lessons Learned, and Opportunities for Continued Improvement

DTPS needed clarity, structure, and cohesion — and the early phases of this work are delivering exactly that.

What I learned

What’s next

Throughout this project, I’ve applied the same principles that guided my work on SSA.gov — human-centered design, content clarity, accessibility, systems thinking, and measurable impact.

This story reflects the leadership, strategy, and experience design competencies I bring to Product Design Lead roles.

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