Design Development:
To give users flexibility, we added a question mark icon in the main interface that links to the guided tutorial and a catalog of info cards, allowing them to revisit any part of the tutorial at any time allowing them to learn at their own pace.
What Caused This?
Designing an onboarding system that's efficient and educational.
Project type:
:
My Role:
University group project
Ux research
Designing
Prototyping
Testing
Figma
10 weeks
Miro
Project timeline :
Tools :
Overview :
The Problem
Solution
Designing an Efficient and Educational Onboarding Experience to Empower Users from the Start.
What Caused This is a company that provides software for organizations to identify and solve the root causes of problems through guided Root Cause Analysis (RCA), offering tools and resources to improve processes and prevent recurring issues. This project focused on designing an efficient and educational onboarding system to guide users through RCA. The system offers a step-by-step tutorial, interactive content, and an info library, allowing users to learn at their own pace while ensuring the process is intuitive and accessible.
There was a lack of an onboarding system. Currently, the only way users could sign up for the software was to contact the sales team, which slowed down the process, provided little to no information, put a heavy load on the team, and potentially discouraged users. Another issue we found was the lack of guidance, which caused many users to struggle and forced the company to spend extra time guiding them through the process.
A straightforward onboarding system that provides upfront information about plans, as well as a guided tutorial to educate users on RCA analysis and how to use the software itself, reducing the load on the team and increasing efficiency.
In this section, we analyzed several websites of software platforms that offer similar Root Cause Analysis (RCA) services to What Caused This. Our focus was on evaluating key aspects such as pricing models, user education resources, and overall usability. This helped identify opportunities to improve the platform's accessibility, functionality, and value proposition.
Competitive Analysis :
Exploring existing solutions.
We found that many of the platforms only allowed users to sign up by contacting the sales team, rather than offering direct access. Additionally, several companies provided some form of educational content on Root Cause Analysis (RCA). For example, CauseLink offered a handbook and a few pop ups, while ThinkReliability focused primarily on courses and educational resources rather than providing a software tool. This analysis helped us understand what was missing in the market — specifically, a clear gap in educating users on both the software itself and RCA
Voices from the Field
We began by speaking with individuals in the field — including a compliance officer, a consultant, and a key stakeholder — to gain a deeper understanding of the problem.
User interviews:
Key insights:
Training New Users:
Basic training can take a month, with full proficiency taking 3-6 months of practice and experience.
Users struggle with understanding the software's health score and how percentages are calculated. Many companies don't know when to conduct RCA analysis, leading to the suggestion of a threshold scale.
Users find that understanding both the process and the tool is essential, and new users are often overwhelmed.
Personas:
Ideation and design:
Turning Insights into Solutions
Turning Insights into Solutions
What caused this had the goal of reducing the amount of time users spent with the support team. To achieve this, and based on our research, we felt it would be best to design an onboarding system that would teach users both the software and RCA analysis in a way that a complete beginner could understand.
User flows:
Low fidelity wire framing:
High fidelity wire framing:
We wanted to make the tutorial intuitive, so during sign-up, we included a question about the user's business type. This way, when they use the tutorial, it presents a case study example relevant to their business, helping them understand it better.
To personalize the experience, we added a post-signup pop-up that asks about the user’s RCA experience and offers a guided tutorial option, so they can choose the path that best fits their comfort level and goals
We designed the pop-ups to be engaging and optional, based on research showing that users find unskippable or forced pop-ups frustrating. To reduce drop-off during the tutorial, we kept the content short and informative. We also included a video option to make the tutorial more accessible, recognizing that people learn in different ways.
During user testing, many users mentioned they wanted to see the free trial offer more clearly, so we added a prominent banner at the top of the landing page that links directly to the free trial signup.
We gave users the option to start the guided tutorial instead of forcing it on them. This gave them more freedom and aligned with our research, which showed that users found forced pop-ups frustrating. This way, they could choose whether to learn through the tutorial or jump straight into the software.
During the interviews, users often felt overwhelmed and unsure where to focus due to too many buttons on the screen. To address this, we redesigned the experience to isolate each step and used an orange button to contrast with the blue background, making the next action clearer. In the next round of user testing, we saw a more positive response—users found the flow more intuitive and easier to follow.
We added an information library where users can access a catalog of RCA content without needing to redo the entire guided tutorial. For those who prefer video learning, a video catalog is also available. This gives users the freedom to learn at their own pace and revisit specific sections whenever they want.
While the same card-style information is available in the library, we also added a 'Go to Tutorial' option. This lets users jump directly to the relevant section of the guided tutorial, giving them a more contextual learning experience with an example—without having to restart the entire tutorial.
User Testing
Insights & Iterations
We tested the final design with 5 users, 4 of whom had no prior knowledge of RCA. By the end of the testing, all users had developed a strong understanding of RCA in under 15 minutes—a process that experts typically say takes months to master.
100%
of the users formed a basic understanding of RCA in less than 15 min
100%
Found the tutorial engaging and informative
In the final design, we used feedback from user testing to refine the experience, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
Final design :
Refining the Experience
Project type:
:
University group project
My Role:
Ux research
Designing
Prototyping
Testing
Figma
Miro
Tools :
10 weeks
Project timeline :
What Caused This?
Overview :
Designing an Efficient and Educational Onboarding Experience to Empower Users from the Start.
What Caused This is a company that provides software for organizations to identify and solve the root causes of problems through guided Root Cause Analysis (RCA), offering tools and resources to improve processes and prevent recurring issues. This project focused on designing an efficient and educational onboarding system to guide users through RCA. The system offers a step-by-step tutorial, interactive content, and an info library, allowing users to learn at their own pace while ensuring the process is intuitive and accessible.
Solution
The Problem
There was a lack of an onboarding system. Currently, the only way users could sign up for the software was to contact the sales team, which slowed down the process, provided little to no information, put a heavy load on the team, and potentially discouraged users. Another issue we found was the lack of guidance, which caused many users to struggle and forced the company to spend extra time guiding them through the process.
A straightforward onboarding system that provides upfront information about plans, as well as a guided tutorial to educate users on RCA analysis and how to use the software itself, reducing the load on the team and increasing efficiency.
Solution
Competitive Analysis :
Exploring existing solutions.
In this section, we analyzed several websites of software platforms that offer similar Root Cause Analysis (RCA) services to What Caused This. Our focus was on evaluating key aspects such as pricing models, user education resources, and overall usability. This helped identify opportunities to improve the platform's accessibility, functionality, and value proposition.
We found that many of the platforms only allowed users to sign up by contacting the sales team, rather than offering direct access. Additionally, several companies provided some form of educational content on Root Cause Analysis (RCA). For example, CauseLink offered a handbook and a few pop ups, while ThinkReliability focused primarily on courses and educational resources rather than providing a software tool. This analysis helped us understand what was missing in the market — specifically, a clear gap in educating users on both the software itself and RCA
User interviews:
Voices from the Field
We began by speaking with individuals in the field — including a compliance officer, a consultant, and a key stakeholder — to gain a deeper understanding of the problem.
Key insights:
Training New Users:
Basic training can take a month, with full proficiency taking 3-6 months of practice and experience.
Users struggle with understanding the software's health score and how percentages are calculated. Many companies don't know when to conduct RCA analysis, leading to the suggestion of a threshold scale.
Users find that understanding both the process and the tool is essential, and new users are often overwhelmed.
Ideation and design:
Turning Insights into Solutions
User flows:
Low fidelity wire framing:
What caused this had the goal of reducing the amount of time users spent with the support team. To achieve this, and based on our research, we felt it would be best to design an onboarding system that would teach users both the software and RCA analysis in a way that a complete beginner could understand.
High fidelity wire framing:
We wanted to make the tutorial intuitive, so during sign-up, we included a question about the user's business type. This way, when they use the tutorial, it presents a case study example relevant to their business, helping them understand it better.
To personalize the experience, we added a post-signup pop-up that asks about the user’s RCA experience and offers a guided tutorial option, so they can choose the path that best fits their comfort level and goals
To give users flexibility, we added a question mark icon in the main interface that links to the guided tutorial and a catalog of info cards, allowing them to revisit any part of the tutorial at any time allowing them to learn at their own pace.
Final design :
Refining the Experience
We designed the pop-ups to be engaging and optional, based on research showing that users find unskippable or forced pop-ups frustrating. To reduce drop-off during the tutorial, we kept the content short and informative. We also included a video option to make the tutorial more accessible, recognizing that people learn in different ways.
In the final design, we used feedback from user testing to refine the experience, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
During user testing, many users mentioned they wanted to see the free trial offer more clearly, so we added a prominent banner at the top of the landing page that links directly to the free trial signup.
We gave users the option to start the guided tutorial instead of forcing it on them. This gave them more freedom and aligned with our research, which showed that users found forced pop-ups frustrating. This way, they could choose whether to learn through the tutorial or jump straight into the software.
During the interviews, users often felt overwhelmed and unsure where to focus due to too many buttons on the screen. To address this, we redesigned the experience to isolate each step and used an orange button to contrast with the blue background, making the next action clearer. In the next round of user testing, we saw a more positive response—users found the flow more intuitive and easier to follow.
We added an information library where users can access a catalog of RCA content without needing to redo the entire guided tutorial. For those who prefer video learning, a video catalog is also available. This gives users the freedom to learn at their own pace and revisit specific sections whenever they want.
While the same card-style information is available in the library, we also added a 'Go to Tutorial' option. This lets users jump directly to the relevant section of the guided tutorial, giving them a more contextual learning experience with an example—without having to restart the entire tutorial.
User Testing
Insights & Iterations
100%
of the users formed a basic understanding of RCA in less than 15 min
100%
Found the tutorial engaging and informative
We tested the final design with 5 users, 4 of whom had no prior knowledge of RCA. By the end of the testing, all users had developed a strong understanding of RCA in under 15 minutes—a process that experts typically say takes months to master.
Interested in working together? Let’s connect!
RESUME:
linkedin.com/in/nainaz-chichgar
chichgarnainaz@gmail.com
Interested in working together? Let’s connect!
RESUME:
linkedin.com/in/nainaz-chichgar
chichgarnainaz@gmail.com
Designing an onboarding system that's efficient and educational.
Project type:
:
Project timeline :
Project type:
:
Project timeline :
My Role:
Tools :
University group project
Figma
Miro
10 weeks
Ux research
Designing
Prototyping
Testing
What Caused This?
Designing an onboarding system that's efficient and educational.
Overview :
Designing an Efficient and Educational Onboarding Experience to Empower Users from the Start.
What Caused This is a company that provides software for organizations to identify and solve the root causes of problems through guided Root Cause Analysis (RCA), offering tools and resources to improve processes and prevent recurring issues. This project focused on designing an efficient and educational onboarding system to guide users through RCA. The system offers a step-by-step tutorial, interactive content, and an info library, allowing users to learn at their own pace while ensuring the process is intuitive and accessible.
There was a lack of an onboarding system. Currently, the only way users could sign up for the software was to contact the sales team, which slowed down the process, provided little to no information, put a heavy load on the team, and potentially discouraged users. Another issue we found was the lack of guidance, which caused many users to struggle and forced the company to spend extra time guiding them through the process.
The Problem
Solution
A straightforward onboarding system that provides upfront information about plans, as well as a guided tutorial to educate users on RCA analysis and how to use the software itself, reducing the load on the team and increasing efficiency.
Competitive Analysis :
Exploring existing solutions.
In this section, we analyzed several websites of software platforms that offer similar Root Cause Analysis (RCA) services to What Caused This. Our focus was on evaluating key aspects such as pricing models, user education resources, and overall usability. This helped identify opportunities to improve the platform's accessibility, functionality, and value proposition.
We found that many of the platforms only allowed users to sign up by contacting the sales team, rather than offering direct access. Additionally, several companies provided some form of educational content on Root Cause Analysis (RCA). For example, CauseLink offered a handbook and a few pop ups, while ThinkReliability focused primarily on courses and educational resources rather than providing a software tool. This analysis helped us understand what was missing in the market — specifically, a clear gap in educating users on both the software itself and RCA
User interviews:
Voices from the Field
We began by speaking with individuals in the field — including a compliance officer, a consultant, and a key stakeholder — to gain a deeper understanding of the problem.
Key insights:
Training New Users:
Basic training can take a month, with full proficiency taking 3-6 months of practice and experience.
Users struggle with understanding the software's health score and how percentages are calculated. Many companies don't know when to conduct RCA analysis, leading to the suggestion of a threshold scale.
Ideation and design:
Turning Insights into Solutions
User flows:
Low fidelity wire framing:
What caused this had the goal of reducing the amount of time users spent with the support team. To achieve this, and based on our research, we felt it would be best to design an onboarding system that would teach users both the software and RCA analysis in a way that a complete beginner could understand.
High fidelity wire framing:
We wanted to make the tutorial intuitive, so during sign-up, we included a question about the user's business type. This way, when they use the tutorial, it presents a case study example relevant to their business, helping them understand it better.
To personalize the experience, we added a post-signup pop-up that asks about the user’s RCA experience and offers a guided tutorial option, so they can choose the path that best fits their comfort level and goals
To give users flexibility, we added a question mark icon in the main interface that links to the guided tutorial and a catalog of info cards, allowing them to revisit any part of the tutorial at any time allowing them to learn at their own pace.
Final design :
Refining the Experience
We designed the pop-ups to be engaging and optional, based on research showing that users find unskippable or forced pop-ups frustrating. To reduce drop-off during the tutorial, we kept the content short and informative. We also included a video option to make the tutorial more accessible, recognizing that people learn in different ways.
In the final design, we used feedback from user testing to refine the experience, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
During user testing, many users mentioned they wanted to see the free trial offer more clearly, so we added a prominent banner at the top of the landing page that links directly to the free trial signup.
We gave users the option to start the guided tutorial instead of forcing it on them. This gave them more freedom and aligned with our research, which showed that users found forced pop-ups frustrating. This way, they could choose whether to learn through the tutorial or jump straight into the software.
During the interviews, users often felt overwhelmed and unsure where to focus due to too many buttons on the screen. To address this, we redesigned the experience to isolate each step and used an orange button to contrast with the blue background, making the next action clearer. In the next round of user testing, we saw a more positive response—users found the flow more intuitive and easier to follow.
We added an information library where users can access a catalog of RCA content without needing to redo the entire guided tutorial. For those who prefer video learning, a video catalog is also available. This gives users the freedom to learn at their own pace and revisit specific sections whenever they want.
While the same card-style information is available in the library, we also added a 'Go to Tutorial' option. This lets users jump directly to the relevant section of the guided tutorial, giving them a more contextual learning experience with an example—without having to restart the entire tutorial.
User Testing
Insights & Iterations
We tested the final design with 5 users, 4 of whom had no prior knowledge of RCA. By the end of the testing, all users had developed a strong understanding of RCA in under 15 minutes—a process that experts typically say takes months to master.
100%
of the users formed a basic understanding of RCA in less than 15 min
100%
Found the tutorial engaging and informative
Interested in working together? Let’s connect!
RESUME:
linkedin.com/in/nainaz-chichgar
chichgarnainaz@gmail.com
