Designing for Sally: Turning Dashboards into Decision-Making Tools for Impact-Driven Employers
Transforming a cluttered tool into a personalized launchpad for employer decisions.
Internal tooling impact
B2B2C
Modular design
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Check out the video showcasing the new features I implemented on the Control Center homepage!
👀 Overview
I led the Control Center homepage redesign to turn a cluttered landing page into a streamlined dashboard where employers act on insights, not just observe them. This redesign shaped the future of how Alight surfaces data and supports decision-making.
Role: Product Designer
Timeline: Dec 2024 – Apr 2025
Team: Sr. Product Designer, Product Designer, Product Manager, Engineer
Platform: Internal tooling (B2B2C) – Alight Control Center
🤯 Before: Sally was stuck in a cluttered homepage. It was designed to show everything—yet made it difficult to do anything.
Control Center was overloaded. Users like "Sally" logged in to make decisions about benefits, enrollment, and tools—but were met with filters, static dashboards, and disorganized navigation.
"It shows everything… but makes it hard to do anything." – Internal feedback
How might we help Sally move from confusion to clarity the moment she logs in?
🧭 Insight to Action: Reframing the Experience
I shifted the focus from passive information to active decision-making. Instead of asking “Where do I find X?”, we asked “What should I act on today?” That single change grounded every design decision moving forward.
Prioritize action over information
Make insights digestible and dynamic
Design for configurability and scale
Support upcoming features even if they’re not launched yet
🔄 My Design Process
I followed a flexible but focused design loop throughout this project:
before
💡 Making It Work — My Design Solutions
📌 The Action Center – Prioritize, Don't Just Present
Surfaces critical tasks like approvals, IMT notifications, and payment updates—ranked by urgency. No more digging, just doing. We tested one version that grouped by category and one by urgency. Urgency-based sorting received better feedback.
🧱 Modular Cards – Design for Scale
Three client tiers: Full (all insights), Mid (insights + performance), and Lean (action items only). This ensured easy configuration without requiring full redesigns for different clients.
✨ Contextual Help – Support Where It’s Needed
Inline help and tips appear only when needed—linked to the user’s active tool or data view. Inspired by the principle of progressive disclosure. We also surfaced intelligent suggestions like optimizing invoice templates based on recent activity.
📊 Tabbed Insights – Engaging Data
Converted static, overwhelming cards into interactive, digestible components. Visual hierarchy and tabs help reduce cognitive load and allow fast comparisons. The top insights section anchors users with meaningful direction.
The dashboard supports both micro and macro decision-making. Whether a user has 5 minutes or 2 hours, the layout provides a direct path to productivity and insight.
🔧 Constraints, Challenges & Collaboration
I designed a dual-path solution: one version buildable now, and a future version with advanced features.
A client insisted on an action item calendar, but I pushed back—showing how critical action-item surfacing offered more value.
Regular peer reviews helped me keep clarity and accessibility at the forefront, balancing business goals with real user needs. We carefully crafted microcopy—using terms like "Take action" or "Recommended" to subtly guide intent.
📈 The Results
And… it paid off.
What started as a cluttered, feedback-heavy interface turned into a bold bet on user-focused design. Despite tight deadlines and legacy constraints, we delivered a homepage that earned stakeholder praise, inspired internal adoption, and set a new standard for what a dashboard should feel like.
Clarity in action: Employers no longer dig through data — it surfaces to them, prioritized.
Faster workflows: Personalized entry points reduced navigation friction significantly.
Endorsed by leadership: Became the reference model for all future internal dashboards.
Shared across teams: Presented as a showcase of scalable UI and thoughtful design.
Hypothetical KPI: Time to complete top tasks ↓
Increased interaction with Action Center & Top Insights ↑
Reported clarity and satisfaction in stakeholder sessions ↑
“Sally sees a trend, takes action, and sees impact—all from the homepage.” – Leadership
"You did it, Anais. What a transformation! From chaos to clarity, you turned the homepage into a scalable, decision-making machine." – Internal feedback
✨ Reflection
This project helped me grow from a visual problem-solver to a systems thinker. I learned to communicate vision under constraints, push for clarity with impact, and design not just for what exists—but for what's next.
In hindsight: I would’ve loved to test more interactions for the help zones—especially for users onboarding for the first time. It’s a future iteration I’m excited about.