Project Overview
The client’s complaint management process was entirely manual, relying on Google Sheets to track and manage cases. This led to data inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and difficulty scaling operations. Additionally, the lack of structured workflows and accessibility compliance made it challenging for teams to process cases efficiently.
To address these issues, I designed a centralized complaint management system that improved data organization, streamlined workflows, and ensured WCAG compliance. The new system allowed teams to track cases seamlessly, improve response times, and enhance overall usability.
Identifying Unique Challenges
Correctional oversight committees face several challenges, including:
Encouraging trust and reducing stigma around filing complaints.
Securing and organizing sensitive data while ensuring accessibility.
Presenting complex correctional insights in a way that resonates with the public and stakeholders.
Complaint Manager directly addresses these issues with features designed to enhance usability, security, and transparency.
Resolving Complex Problems
Breaking Stigmas and Ensuring Anonymity
Filing complaints carries a negative stigma, often discouraging participation.
Result: Complaint Manager V2 allows inmates and correctional officers to file complaints anonymously, encouraging participation and safeguarding identities.
Streamlining Data Management
Committees required a way to mass-upload officer data for transparency.
Result: Officer history is now easily accessible, eliminating the need for lengthy requests to police departments.
Amplifying Awareness and Humanizing Inmates
Changing public perception requires sharing correctional conditions in relatable ways.
Result: Complaint Manager’s letter-generation feature enables users to highlight systemic issues, humanizing those in custody and fostering public awareness.
Empowering Committees with Data Dashboards
Outdated processes limited committees’ ability to influence legislation effectively.
Result: With myth-busting data dashboards, committees can share actionable insights with legislators, improving buy-in and accountability.
User-Centric Design
Complaint Manager’s design focuses on providing:
Secure and anonymous complaint submissions to build trust.
Streamlined data accessibility for oversight committees.
Reports and visual dashboards to engage stakeholders and inform legislative efforts.
Meeting Stakeholder Needs
The platform was tailored to meet the complex needs of oversight committees, ensuring:
Scalability: A system adaptable to different jurisdictions and volumes of data.
Transparency: Tools that foster trust and accountability within the correctional system.
Actionable Insights: Features like dashboards and report generation that simplify complex processes and empower stakeholders.
Impact
Before this, we were reliant on separate Word documents for each complaint and the tacit knowledge needed by our employees to keep quality and consistency. With this product, every case is consistent and comprehensive thanks to the tool guiding the user through the process.
Stella Cziment, Deputy Independent Police Monitor
Doubled user productivity in processing complaints.
Improved data accuracy and case tracking with structured workflows.
Enhanced team collaboration by providing a clear system for case ownership and status updates.
Ensured accessibility compliance, making the tool usable for a wider range of users.
