Building an Award Winning HR Platform.

Performance Reviews.

I enhanced an existing wizard-style performance review tool by introducing grouped questions and weighted scoring. Along with adding visibility into scoring and comments, improved review completion tracking, and introduced automated reminders. These refinements made the experience easier to run at scale and more actionable for managers.

This work lived within the broader Paychex Flex HR Analytics and later fed into Talent Dashboard ecosystem I led design and launched, which consolidates workforce insights into one place for decision-making.

Hiring.

I led the initial design sprint and early usability testing to shape the vision and MVP for a new candidate management system. I built rapid prototypes, research artifacts, and workflow definitions, then partnered with the team to prioritize a phased rollout. I later handed the project to another designer so I could focus on higher-priority road map work, but my early work set the foundation for scalable hiring workflows.

Three out of four clients, 75% reported shortening hiring cycles, saving an average of 26% time on hires.

3 million hires processed through Paychex Flex annually.

People Overview (Talent Dashboard).

I designed a modular dashboard system that adapts to each customer's Paychex setup. People Overview pulls in data across the Paychex ecosystem, including timecards, benefits, attendance, tasks, and retention signals, then presents it in a context-aware layout.

This was built to be plug-and-play. Clients only see what is relevant based on the products they have. The result is a flexible foundation for expanding workforce insights without redesigning the entire dashboard each time.

Retention Insights.

I named and helped design Retention Insights, a predictive feature that identifies employees at risk of leaving. Working with Paychex data scientists, I helped translate complex signals into a digestible risk score and supporting details that leaders could act on with confidence.

I also helped co-moderate usability tests for analytics features like this, developing prototypes and scripts, guiding participants through scenarios, and synthesizing results into prioritized refinements. This was not the only instance where I supported research in this way. On other clients, I have run usability testing and interviews soup to nuts myself, including recruiting and analysis.

Built on 31 predictive risk factors, Retention Insights was recognized as an Accounting Today Top New Product, and helped clients reduce turnover by 15% to 20% compared to non-users. Citation, Citation, Citation (PDF)

Why it matters: This feature turned predictive modeling into an experience leaders could act on quickly, enabling proactive retention decisions instead of reactive backfills.

State Taxes Walkthrough.

I led design on a new State Taxes product offering that automated and simplified state form completion for employees. The goal was to make tax form filling more intuitive and step-by-step, while enabling automated mailing where required and digital options when available.

This work came with real constraints. We were embedding and mapping complex form logic using a third-party API that provided state tax questions and requirements. That introduced edge cases, conditional branching, and data constraints that needed to feel seamless inside the Paychex Flex experience. I partnered closely with engineers and QA to document flows, validate paths, and ensure the mobile experience was as smooth as desktop.

The result replaced a paper-based process and contributed to millions of dollars in annual savings by eliminating unnecessary mailings and reducing manual follow-ups. We approached delivery in phases so value could ship earlier, while building a foundation for future expansion.

Partner Pro.

When I joined Partner Pro, the vision was already underway. My role focused on refining and tokenizing the existing design system, improving accessibility, and enhancing clarity across common patterns. I worked to bring the library into alignment with evolving platform standards, enabling better consistency and faster development.

Timecards & Pay Adjustments.

My main contribution here was building workflows that allowed users to copy, move, and set both standard and custom recurrence patterns for time and pay entries. These flows introduced meaningful efficiencies into high-frequency tasks where small time savings compound at scale.

These workflows support some of the highest-frequency actions in Paychex Flex, used daily by millions of employees and managers.

Advanced Scheduling.

Advanced Scheduling required more than a facelift. I helped rebuild parts of the experience during a broader framework transition, ensuring parity with legacy tools while designing net-new functionality. I created consistent copy, move, and repeat flows aligned with what I built-in Timecards and Pay Adjustments. The system was designed to feel familiar across Time & Attendance tools while allowing the necessary application-specific exceptions.

My Process.

Clarify the Problem.

Every project started by clarifying who we were designing for, what legacy pain points existed, and how success would be measured from both a user and business perspective. I regularly supported discovery with competitive research, journey mapping, and workflow diagrams to align teams early.

Explore Quickly.

I designed and iterated rapid prototypes at multiple fidelities, often as the designer in design sprints. When possible, we ran usability testing early to validate logic, surface confusion, and uncover edge cases before development. I helped co-moderate countless usability tests, including writing scripts, designing prototypes, and evaluating results to drive the next iteration.

Document & Iterate With Teams.

I collaborated tightly with product, dev, and QA from early concepts through implementation. I created detailed documentation of states, flows, component specs, and edge cases to reduce ambiguity. My developer background helped me communicate more seamlessly with engineering, especially when integrating third-party APIs and complex business rules.

Design for Cohesion.

I looked for opportunities to standardize interaction models across Flex and Partner Pro, creating reusable patterns while allowing the exceptions each tool required. This approach improved consistency for users and reduced reinvention for teams.

What I Learned.

• Designing within a legacy system does not mean settling. It means choosing the right battles and solving the bottlenecks that matter.
• Early testing, even when lightweight, saves major headaches later in development.
• Consistency across products starts with reusable interaction models, not only matching visual styles.
• Phased delivery works best when the initial design is built as a foundation, not a disposable v1.

Let's Talk.

If you're working on enterprise tooling, migrating legacy systems, or designing HR experiences that do not frustrate users, let's connect. I thrive in complex systems and love making them feel seamless. Even if you're just looking for someone to gut-check ideas or swap workflows, I'm always up for it.

Still Curious?

Browse One of My Other Case Studies, Writings, Resources, Or Reach out for a Chat.

You can contact and connect with me through email, on Dribbble, or LinkedIn as well.