[Case 02]
Problem Reporting Tool
Transforming student experiences into measurable, career-ready competencies
Problem Reporting Tool
[Project Snapshot]
The Problem Reporting System was designed for the Region of Waterloo to improve how residents report local issues such as potholes, infrastructure damage, and public service concerns.
The goal was to streamline the reporting experience, reduce friction in submitting requests and provide residents with clear visibility into the status of their reports. The solution focuses on creating a simple, accessible and transparent system that encourages community engagement and improves communication between residents and the municipality.
[Problem Statement]
Residents in the Region of Waterloo faced a fragmented and often unclear process when reporting local issues. Existing systems required multiple steps, lacked intuitive guidance and often forced users to create accounts before taking action.
Additionally, once a report was submitted, residents received little to no feedback on its status, leading to uncertainty and reduced trust in whether their concerns were being addressed.
[Role]
UX/UI Design Student
[Focus]
E-Commerce
Systems Design
Student Experience
[Goals & Success Metrics]
Primary Goal
I just want the checkout to be quick and painless—no surprises or unnecessary steps!
[Goal]
Simplify the reporting process for residents to increase ease of use.
Remove barriers to entry by allowing quick submissions without mandatory accounts.
Establish Credibility → Introduce validation to ensure experiences are trusted and meaningful.
Increase transparency and trust through clear status updates.
[Success Metrics]
Increased completion rate of submitted reports.
Reduced time required to submit an issue.
Increased Reflection & Engagement → Students become more intentional about documenting and reflecting on experiences.
Increased engagement with tracking and follow-up features.
[Process]
[01] Research
Complex and fragmented reporting processes discouraged use → Need for a simplified, guided reporting flow.
Mandatory account creation created friction → Need for a guest submission option to enable quick action
Lack of clarity and feedback reduced trust → Need for structured inputs, confirmation, and tracking visibility.
[02] Ideation & Exploration
Explored a step-by-step reporting flow to reduce friction while maintaining structured data collection.
Introduced guest reporting and guided form inputs to improve accessibility and submission quality.
Mapped the end-to-end journey, leading to confirmation and tracking features to increase transparency and trust.
[03] Design Process
Designed a streamlined flow with guest entry, allowing users to quickly initiate reports without barriers.
Structured the reporting experience into clear steps with a review stage to improve accuracy.
Integrated confirmation, tracking, and error handling to ensure transparency and continuous user feedback.
[04] Testing & Iteration
Simplified the flow by reducing unnecessary steps to improve speed and ease of use.
Prioritized guest submission after identifying it as a key factor in increasing engagement.
Refined review, confirmation, and tracking features to improve accuracy, clarity, and user confidence.
[Final Solution]
Simplified the reporting process with a guided flow and optional guest access.
Improved submission quality through structured inputs and a review step.
Increased trust with clear confirmation, tracking, and progress updates.
[Impact]
Widespread Adoption
Implemented at multiple universities and colleges across North America.
Enhanced Student Engagement
Guided reflection and public visibility encourage students to actively document experiences
Improved Skill Communication
Students are better able to articulate transferable skills and growth to potential employers
Streamlined Usability
Dashboard improvements reduced friction in logging and managing experiences, improving efficiency
Employer Benefit
The card-based, professional presentation allows employers to quickly understand student competencies and relevant experiences.
[Reflection]
This project emphasized designing beyond individual screens and into systems and communication.
Key Takeaways
Clarity is structural, not just visual
Strong UX helps users express what they already know
Systems thinking is essential for complex, information-heavy problems
Designing this experience reinforced the importance of creating tools that don’t just store information but translate it into meaningful understanding.