Reporting Module

The reporting module is one of the most heavily utilized areas of the product, serving as a critical touchpoint for users who need access to essential business data such as payment history, deal activity, and end-of-day summaries. At the time of this research, the experience was centered around a set of static, pre-built reports. While users could view this data within a table or export it as a PDF or Excel file, the structure and content of these reports were fixed, offering little flexibility to adapt to individual workflows or needs.

The Problem

The purpose of this research is to validate our theory that the current report and reporting module isn’t meeting the demands of our clients. Therefore, a custom reporting solution is the method that would best suit their needs. Another objective is to create user personas based on our findings in order to know exactly who we are developing this module for.

Methodology

My Role

To gather insights at scale, we designed and distributed a survey to a broad audience of over 11,000 clients. This approach allowed us to collect quantitative data while also capturing directional feedback on user expectations and challenges.

The survey was structured to provide a comprehensive view of the user experience, including:

  • Demographic information to understand who our users are.

  • Usage patterns and frequency of interaction with the reporting module.

  • Satisfaction levels with current reporting capabilities.

  • Specific pain points encountered when generating or analyzing reports.

  • Desired features and improvements for future iterations.

By segmenting responses based on region, role, and use case, we were able to identify meaningful trends and differences across our user base.

Throughout this project, I played an active role across the research lifecycle:

  • Collaborated closely with cross-functional stakeholders to define research objectives and align on key questions.

  • Co-designed the survey to ensure it captured both actionable and scalable insights.

  • Verified and prepared the client distribution list to ensure accurate outreach.

  • Synthesized large volumes of data into clear, digestible insights.

  • Developed user personas and archetypes based on behavioral and attitudinal patterns.

  • Presented findings, insights, and strategic recommendations to stakeholders, helping drive alignment on next steps.

Key Insights

The findings strongly validated our initial hypothesis: users are seeking greater control, flexibility, and efficiency in how they interact with reporting tools.

A consistent theme across responses was that pre-built reports often contained excess or irrelevant information, forcing users to spend additional time filtering, interpreting, or exporting data to meet their needs. Rather than supporting their workflows, the existing system introduced friction.

We also uncovered several important patterns:

  • Users have diverse and highly specific reporting needs that cannot be met by a one-size-fits-all approach.

  • Many users rely on external tools or manual workarounds to manipulate report data after export.

  • There is a strong preference for customizable views, filters, and data selection.

  • Challenges varied across regions and roles, reinforcing the importance of flexibility in the solution.

These insights pointed to a clear opportunity: empowering users to define and generate their own reports would significantly improve both usability and efficiency.

Based on the research, we recommended a shift from static, pre-built reporting toward a customizable reporting experience. This proposed solution enables users to select the data points most relevant to them, apply filters, and generate reports tailored to their specific workflows.

In addition to informing product direction, the research produced several key deliverables:

  • Three primary personas representing core user groups.

  • Seven behavioral archetypes capturing nuanced patterns in user needs and behaviors.

  • A regional breakdown of responses to highlight geographic differences.

  • A comprehensive insights report outlining key findings and data-backed recommendations.

These insights pointed to a clear opportunity: empowering users to define and generate their own reports would significantly improve both usability and efficiency.

These outputs provided a strong foundation for future design work, ensuring that the next iteration of the reporting module is grounded in real user needs. More importantly, the research helped shift the team’s perspective, from assuming what users need to deeply understanding how they actually work, enabling us to design a more intuitive, flexible, and user-centered experience.

Outcome

Research Goals

The primary goal of this research was to validate whether the existing reporting experience aligned with user needs. In addition, we aimed to:

  • Identify usability gaps and pain points within the current module.

  • Understand how reporting needs differ across user types, regions, and workflows.

  • Uncover patterns in how users interact with and interpret report data.

  • Define clear user segments through personas and archetypes to guide future design decisions.