Designing an Accessible Online Filing System for Small Business Entrepreneurs.
Problem
Many first-time business owners struggled to complete the complex, multi-step online form for filing articles of incorporation. High drop-off rates indicated a need for a more intuitive and accessible user experience to help users confidently navigate the legal requirements.
Solution
Using a human-centered design approach, I redesigned the Online Filing Service to be simpler, more accessible, and easy to navigate.
Streamlining the task flows, improving readability, and enhancing accessibility, increased user comprehension and built confidence among novice entrepreneurs, helping them successfully complete the incorporation process.
Results
- Increased completion rates by 20% within the first few months of launch.
- Reduced time to complete the form by 50%.
- Achieved a 100% error-free task success rate during usability testing.
Team
Over the course of 6 months, I led UX design efforts as part of a multidisciplinary team, working closely with directors, business analysts, developers, and legal experts.
Together, we iterated on designs through research and development sprints to deliver a high-performing, user-centered solution.
Prototyping for Usability Testing
I developed functional high-fidelity prototypes using Axure RP, which were crucial in our usability testing process.
These prototypes allowed us to validate design choices and gather actionable feedback from users early in the process.
Research Insights:
Addressing User Drop-off
Our research revealed that nearly 90% of novice users were abandoning the process before completing the form. This insight became the foundation for redesigning the task flow and reducing user friction.
97.9% of employers in Canada are small businesses, employing 68.8% of the private labor force.
Building Empathy with Personas
I leveraged personas from Corporations Canada to create stories that helped the team better empathize with our users.
By understanding the motivations and challenges of users, we designed more meaningful and effective task flows.
Process
We designed the solution around two personas: “Joe,” a novice business owner, and “Norman,” a paralegal familiar with the task flow.
By reducing cognitive load — using fewer options per screen, familiar design patterns, and improved readability — we boosted user confidence and comprehension.
User feedback led us to introduce help icons for additional guidance.
To optimize task efficiency, I conducted a Keystroke-Level Model analysis to measure task times and validate findings through user observations.
Based on insights, we implemented auto-fill features, reduced form steps, and improved visual hierarchy for better accessibility.
Deliverables included detailed reports and presentations, created using MS Word and PowerPoint, summarizing findings and key recommendations.
Key Responsibilities
As the Lead UX Designer, I drove the user-centric design process and led usability research efforts from concept to delivery.
Facilitated Workshops
- Led cross-functional workshops to define user criteria, personas, task flows, and early-stage sketches, ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
Usability Testing
- Moderated in-person usability testing sessions, tracking key performance indicators such as errors, comments, and time to task completion.
Accessibility and Prototypes
- Created high-fidelity prototypes using Axure RP to test both usability and accessibility, ensuring compliance with design standards.
Deliverables
- Produced comprehensive presentations, diagrams, reports, and interactive prototypes to communicate design solutions and inform decision-making.
Data-Driven Design
- Analyzed testing data and presented insights on task completion rates, user satisfaction, and pathways taken, using heuristics to deliver actionable recommendations that optimized user flows, content structure, and UI elements.
Conclusion
Our team successfully delivered a streamlined, user-friendly online form that enables new Canadian entrepreneurs to quickly and confidently file articles of incorporation, even with limited legal experience.
Through user research, we identified pain points and implemented solutions, such as clearer task flows, clickable icons for help, and better grouping of information.
These changes reduced the number of transactional pages by a third, cut cognitive load by 50%, and decreased clicks by 20%.
As Lead UX Designer, I was proud to contribute to Corporations Canada’s mission to support small businesses and drive economic growth by designing innovative, client-focused services.
