Eigen Technologies
Improving the document processing experience by streamlining Eigen’s design system
Challenge
Build cross-team trust in the platform’s design system
Outcome
Crafted a comprehensive design system workflow for iteration by the Eigen team
A representation of a table of data; what Eigen specialise in.
About Eigen Technologies
AI and machine learning to automate and improve document processing
Eigen Technologies (Eigen) is a global intelligent document processing (IDP) provider, applying cutting-edge AI technology to solve real-world business problems. Their Eigen platform uses natural language processing and machine learning to extract text-based data for analysis, insight, and automation of repetitive document processing tasks.
Eigen pioneered the small data approach that is essential to unlocking the data trapped in text-based documents. Their innovative AI technology powers decision-making and digital transformation across industries, where they are trusted by global leaders in financial services, insurance, and banking.
“At a point where we needed to consider our long-term scalability, thoughtbot gave us the extra edge with two incredibly seasoned product designers, that could hit the ground running and work effectively in a new ecosystem almost instantly. Within days, the pressure was relieved and thoughtbot’s team were already providing value and impact.
The Challenge
Tackling design debt to deliver a high performing UI/UX
Eigen reached out to thoughtbot to overhaul their design system. Design debt had built up during a period of rapid and innovative growth. To continue providing the quick and accurate service for which they are trusted by their global clients, Eigen needed their UI/UX to catch up with their award-winning AI tech.
A mismatch of UI/UX design patterns and patchy documentation meant the existing design system was not being efficiently used across the rapidly growing organization.
thoughtbot also identified the opportunity to add value by improving trust across Eigen’s diverse teams through the creation of a single source of design truth: the Eigen design system.
“Due to the speed of our client growth we needed to re-evaluate our approach to the Eigen platform’s design system, thoughtbot was able to help us define an end-to-end process and the best path forward to implementing and rolling out a new design system across a large number of designers and developers. Their experience in this specific area really helped us easily identify any potential pitfalls and considerations. The final result was a shared understanding of how to work moving forward and clarity around what we needed to do next.
The Solution
Rebuild team trust and create a style guide that delivers on brand experience
The thoughtbot team understood that the core objective was to rebuild cross-organisational trust in the Eigen design system. The aim going forward was for designers and developers to work together and take ownership of the design system as a living style guide which would result in a more cohesive brand experience for Eigen customers.
thoughtbot kicked off the project with a comprehensive design system audit. The thoughtbot team went over the Eigen platform with a fine-toothed comb, systematically documenting each component and evaluating its role in the wider system. Every analyzed component was then tagged with a recommended action. For example, the platform’s modern documents sidebar was tagged as “document”, whilst a little-used sign-in button was tagged as “remove”.
Working at this atomic level ensured the new design system would be comprehensive, meaning all Eigen team members could trust it to meet their needs.
Next, interviews with Eigen’s designers, developers, product managers, and QA team members drew out the strengths and pain points of the current product design and development workflow.
The thoughtbot team then used their design system expertise to translate these insights into recommendations. Based on their real-world experience of what works and what doesn’t, thoughtbot also suggested that Eigen put together a design-system focused team to ensure the project’s sustainability.
Design system workflows from Eigen Technologies
The Outcome
Design system workflow to maintain award-winning product
After collaborating with thoughtbot, Eigen now has a comprehensive design system workflow that does justice to their award-winning product. Designed to be easy to use by cross-functional teams, the workflow is presented in Figma and can be tested and iterated upon in-house. The result is increased trust in Eigen’s design system because designers, developers, and the QA team are now empowered to take ownership of this living style guide. This will result in a more consistent user experience, amplifying the feeling of trust that Eigen’s customers have in their cutting-edge technology.
“thoughtbot were always incredibly supportive with our needs, really taking the time to first understand the problems we are trying to solve, whilst also being mindful of our existing business constraints. They presented a really solid approach to design and problem solving. I’d happily recommend thoughtbot to any peers. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have already!