Team Management dashboard - Infinitus
From Delayed Dashboards to Live Updates: A Design Solution for Multilevel Marketing Teams amidst Legacy System Challenges
In Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), success isn't solely dependent on product sales - it also requires building a robust network of downline distributors. As a result, effective team management is crucial for senior distributors to drive business growth. The dashboard serves as their primary tool for monitoring performance, making timely updates and insights essential for informed decision-making.
However, legacy systems can hinder this process with delayed dashboards, leaving senior distributors without critical information when it matters most - especially near cut-off dates. This case study explores the design of a workaround solution to address these challenges. By incorporating search, filter, and notification functions, we aimed to enhance user experience and empower senior distributors to make data-driven decisions.
Role.
UI/UX Designer
Team.
LKK Health Product Group IT Team
1x Junior UIUX designer
Scope.
UX Research - User interview | Research analysis | MVP testing
UX design - Usability test | Prototyping
UI design - Visual design
Overview.
As Lead Designer, I collaborated with cross-functional teams to redesign the business platform for senior distributors, enabling them to efficiently manage their teams and focus on offline training and team expansion.
The primary objective was to transform the dashboard into a user-centric interface that provides senior distributors with essential information at a glance. The existing data organization was primarily designed for internal operational purposes, making it difficult for users to access key metrics.
To address this challenge, I introduced a search function to facilitate quick access to 200+ records, which were previously hidden in multiple level tabs. By reorganizing the data and implementing intuitive navigation, senior distributors can now easily monitor team performance, streamline their workflow, and make informed decisions.
Background.
Infinitus China's team leaders earn 100 million RMB monthly. However, their bonuses affect up-line teams, requiring complex calculations. The existing system, designed in 1992, struggles to support global expansion and timely dashboard updates.
The outdated dashboard includes:
Personal Ordering Bonus
Group Ordering Bonus
Team Ordering Bonus
Recruitment
Team Performance (Team Management)
To address these challenges, a simplified commission management solution is needed, empowering Infinitus China's distributors with data-driven insights to drive business growth.
Team leaders and director were celebrating their success in 2018 annual conference held in The Venetian Macao.
Challenges.
Resistance to Change: Gathering suggestions directly from senior distributors is hindered by management's concern that providing too much information may alienate them.
Data Integrity: After readjustment, the dashboard becomes riddled with errors, making it difficult to adjust to accurate values.
Secret Knowledge: The senior member's understanding of how they use the old dashboard serves as a "secret weapon" to gain trust from junior members, but also hinders the redesign process due to its complexity.
Complex Bonus Point System: The distributor strategy for earning different points (personal value, group value travel point, promotion scheme) and meeting monthly consuming quota is complex, requiring time to understand and integrate into the new dashboard design.
The original dashboard is not designed in from user’s perspective. It just lay out al the data available without organising it.
Research.
Understanding Stakeholders' Needs and Technical Boundaries
To effectively design the new dashboard and team management page, I need to understand the following aspects:
Team Leaders' Perspective: I should comprehend how team leaders view the current dashboard and team management page, including their insights into the data displayed.
Distributors' Workarounds: I will conduct interviews with distributors in Hong Kong to uncover their workarounds when using the existing system, ensuring a deeper understanding of their needs and pain points.
Marketing Team's Requirements: I will gather requirements and comments from the marketing team for all existing local markets to ensure that the new design meets their expectations.
Usage Figures Analysis: By analyzing usage figures across all digital platforms, I will identify trends and patterns that inform the design of the new dashboard.
Technical Boundaries: To overcome technical limitations, I need to gather information from programmers and engineers regarding the API of the centralized calculating system based in China.
Research insight.
Trust and Confidence in Dashboard Figures
Distributors lack trust in dashboard figures, citing concerns that they are not accurate or up-to-date.
The delay in updating figures after each transaction has led to miscommunication and mistrust.
Usability Issues and Data Accessibility
Junior distributors struggle to retrieve specific data from the dashboard, highlighting a need for improved data visualization and filtering capabilities.
Senior members waste significant time browsing team performance pages, indicating a lack of clear and concise information.
Technical Limitations and System Downtime
The system's inability to update figures instantaneously has been exacerbated by technical problems with time zone conversions.
A 8-hour downtime at midnight (GMT+8) for the bonus calculation system has resulted in significant losses for some distributors.
Impact on Distributor Behavior and Efficiency
Senior distributors spend hours reviewing records, one by one, to identify potential downlines, highlighting a need for improved data visualization and filtering capabilities.
The current dashboard design hinders distributor's ability to focus on high-leverage activities, such as expanding their business.
Opportunities for Improvement
Developing a more intuitive and user-friendly dashboard that provides real-time updates and clear visualizations of key performance indicators (KPIs).
Improving data accessibility and filtering capabilities to support distributors in achieving their goals.
Addressing technical limitations, including system downtime and time zone conversions, to ensure accurate and timely updates.
“there is no way we can fix the update problem as no one can bear the risk of screw up the system. It’s about $230billion business.”
Above diagrams show distributors’ goal in different stages and what they are looking for the dashboard and team performance page.
The dashboard guides them what they need to do to expand their business. A better-designed dashboard can improve distributors’ working and communication efficiency.
Proposed solutions.
Create Update notifications For Distributors To be notified when the figures will be updated after each transaction and when they should make those significant transactions And improve their working efficiency and communication efficiency
Create follow-up notifications For Senior Distributors To be notified which member(s) they need to contact And improve their working efficiency and communication efficiency
Create Search and filter function in team performance For Senior Distributors To find the potential team or team member at ease And improve their working efficiency and the chance of expanding their business
Intuitive Search and Filter Functions: Implement a robust search and filter system that enables distributors to quickly locate specific information without having to manually sift through extensive datasets.
Personalized Follow-up Notifications: Introduce a notification system that automatically updates distributors on their relevant performance metrics, eliminating the need for manual checks and reducing time spent on data retrieval.
Transparent Update Frequency Indicators: Display clear indicators of last update times before cut-off dates to provide distributors with accurate information about data freshness and reduce confusion regarding update frequencies.
Enhanced Raw Data Presentation: Redesign the presentation of raw data to make it more intuitive, concise, and easily comprehensible, allowing distributors to quickly understand their performance and identify areas for improvement.
Design.
Our design aims to address the pain points faced by distributors, providing a more efficient, intuitive, and user-friendly experience on the platform.
1. Enhanced Search and Filter Capabilities
We've introduced a robust search function that allows distributors to quickly locate specific members using their ID or filtered lists (e.g., PV<500, GV>PV, Expired members). This reduces the need for manual browsing and saves time.
Quick member search by ID
Filtered list options (PV<500, GV>PV, Expired members)
Easy access to individual member details
2. Follow-up Notifications
We've implemented a notification system that helps distributors stay informed about critical events, reducing the need for manual checks on the dashboard or contacting customer service.
Automatic notifications on successful transactions
Monthly follow-up notifications to save time checking member performance
3. Last Update Time before Cutoff
We've incorporated a feature that displays the last update time before the cutoff date, mirroring an established practice among experienced distributors in China.
Clear indication of last update time before cutoff
Statement on update frequency and last update time
4. Organized Dashboard UI
We've designed an intuitive dashboard that presents all essential data in one page, reducing the need for tab switching and back-and-forth navigation.
Consolidated view of critical data
Easy access to member performance and team information
Search and filter
With the search and filter, distributors do not need to browse their members one by one; they can search by their ID or get a filtered list(i.e. PV<500, GV>PV, Expired members) at ease.
Other than the individual member details, it’s more important to view his team performance and his direct sponsor.
Follow up notifications
Distributors should focus more on getting new potential business partners, expanding their team via training. With the notifications, they can save a lot of time browsing the dashboard and calling the customer service. Notifications on ordering will inform them their transactions are successful and their personal value is updated. Notifications on monthly follow-up will save their time checking their members from the team performance.
Last update time before the cutoff
This method is how experienced distributors worked in China. They understand the problem of update frequency; they will suggest all their team member finish all the transactions before that particular date and time. And the update frequency and last update time has been stated.
Organised dashboard UI
Distributors can view their data in one page without browsing back and forth from different tabs.
Impact / Learnings.
The redesign of the distributor platform has yielded significant improvements in user satisfaction, adoption rates, and overall efficiency.
1. User Satisfaction Rate:
A substantial increase from 58 to 83 demonstrates the effectiveness of our design approach in meeting the needs of distributors.
Key Metrics:
User satisfaction rate: 83%
Improvement: +25 points (from 58 to 83)
Data source: Distributor feedback and surveys
2. Platform Adoption Rate:
The high adoption rate, with 95% of users switching to the new platform, indicates that our design has been well-received by distributors.
Key Metrics:
Platform adoption rate: 95%
Parallel implementation with old system
Data source: User behavior and analytics
3. Inbox Notification Response Rate:
An impressive 80% of distributors respond to inbox notifications, acknowledging the value of this feature in saving time browsing the dashboard.
Key Metrics:
Inbox notification response rate: 80%
Distributor feedback on time-saving benefits
Data source: User engagement and feedback
Lessons Learned:
Distributor-centric approach: By prioritizing distributor needs and preferences, we created a platform that resonates with users.
Effective communication: Clear messaging guidelines and branding tone helped establish trust and credibility with distributors.
Iterative design process: Continuous user feedback and testing ensured our design met evolving needs and expectations.