UX Design

Improving Enquiry Type Selection at MTVH

Role

Lead UX designer. I led the end-to-end UX process, including user research , wireframing and testing.

Team

Customer Service & Salesforce team at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing

Duration

3 Months

Tools

Figma, Miro, Confluence, Jira

Project Overview

MTVH’s case management system in Salesforce had over 180 enquiry types, creating confusion and inconsistent use across teams. I led a UX initiative to simplify and restructure the enquiry type selection process to improve reporting accuracy, reduce rework, and make it easier for staff to find the right options.

Problem

Salesforce was used for enquiry case management, but the system had become too complex:

  1. 188 enquiry types made it difficult for staff to select the correct one.
  2. The ‘General Enquiry’ option was overused, making up 40% of all logged cases.
  3. Some teams lacked access to relevant types, while others had too many unused options.
  4. The long dropdown list can be overwhelming , increasing reliance on the general option.
  5. UI Layout is not intuitive and easy to use.

Research & Discovery

To understand why staff were struggling to select the right enquiry types in Salesforce,I conducted two types of research to understand the issue:

  1. Data Review an Analysis :Over a year’s worth of CRM reporting data was analysed to uncover patterns and pain points in how enquiry types were being used.
  2. Workshops with agents: Led workshop sessions with Homeownership and Lettings teams to identify UX and operational pain points
Solution / Recommendation

Based on data analysis and user insights, I drafted UX recommendations that included removing unused enquiry types, improving layout and search, and introducing clear categorisation.

I presented these to the Product Manager and Head of Digital, gaining buy-in to move forward into the ideation phase.

Ideate & Design

Card Sorting to Define Information Architecture

Using Miro, I conducted an open card sorting exercise with five users , including frontline agents and managers, to understand how staff naturally grouped enquiry types. Each user was assigned a board with 188 enquiry types and the flexibility to create groups based on their options.Â

Best practise and Landscape Analysis

To validate and inspire best practices, I also conducted a landscape analysis of companies like Tesco, Argos, and Amazon to study how these organisations structure and surface support enquiries or help topics.
I also documented UX best practices around enquiry selection, data capture, and case handover.

Userflows and Low Fidelity Wireframes

Using findings from the card sort, best practices and landscape analysis, I mapped out userflows and  sketched low-fidelity concepts to rethink how users select enquiry types in the CRM.Â

I presented my design concept in a stakeholder workshop and facilitated a collaborative ideation workshop in Miro to ascertain technical feasibility, co-generate new ideas and prioritise features based on feasibility and impact.

High Fidelity Wireframes
  1. Removed “General Enquiry” and introducing a clearer fallback option.
  2. Grouped enquiry types into categories for easier navigation.
  3. Aligned the layout with Salesforce UI components to support integration.

Test & Implement

Tested designs with agents who confirmed the new structure was clearer but highlighted that the two-step model added time. Adjustments were made to balance simplicity and speed and re-tested.

Outcome
Challenges
  1. Salesforce constraints limited UI flexibility, making it difficult to fully implement a seamless step-by-step experience.

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  2. Simplifying the enquiry list without losing important detail was a constant balancing act, as some teams needed more specificity.

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  3. Webforms often didn’t align with backend enquiry types, which caused confusion and required frequent manual corrections.