Revolutionizing Contract Analysis: Designing an AI Tool for Streamlined Financial Decision-Making
TL;DR:
Role: Lead Designer, UX Strategist, Design Manager
Context: Adobe, IBM’s Client, had financial teams who spent several hours a day manually reviewing contracts to identify and rectify verbiage and specific clauses to better align with their business practices. The Client Engineering team, that I was part of, was tasked with the development of a tool leveraging AI to simplify contract analysis allowing a user to quickly locate specific clauses regardless of verbiage and efficiently to facilitate prioritization of work and enhanced financial decision-making.
This case study demonstrates my ability to lead end to end design, proving value and ultimately leading to over $20 million in new business for IBM.
Challenge:
To prove value in investing with IBM, I was tasked with end-to-end design management for an AI powered MVP in 6 weeks that would augment the end user's work streams and enhance financial decision making. This involved:
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Uncovering the current state of operations for an end user on Adobe’s Financial Contracts team to make a strong business case for product sales while narrowing the scope for the MVP.
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Conceptualizing and designing a user-focused interface for a tool that would integrate with IBM’s AI technologies to simplify and enhance financial decision making through contract review and analysis.
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Designing features that would allow end users to continuously train the AI model as they interact with the interface.
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Iteratively enhance the solution with end user testing — just enough to prove the art of the possible in a short time span.
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Manage the build of designed interfaces in IBM environments, and ensure seamless integration of AI technology to deliver/test a tool that actually works.
How I made an impact:
Led end to end design by:
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Performing preliminary research
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Facilitating design thinking workshops to assess end user needs
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Iteratively designing wireframes, mockups, and prototypes
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Building medium fidelity prototypes for user testing
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Overseeing the integration of IBM’s watson studio (AI technology) with the front end
Outcome and value:
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The MVP proved value in IBM’s AI technologies, and their ability to augment and enhance end user’s work streams. It led to the exploration of more modernization use cases involving IBM’s AI products and services, eventually snowballed to IBM winning over $20 million in generative AI integration.
Skills flexed:
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Design thinking
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User experience research
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User interface design for web
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User testing
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Leadership
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Cross-functional collaboration
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Project management
Challenge
The challenge at hand was to create an AI tool that could swiftly analyze large contracts, regardless of phrasing, to identify key clauses and simplify financial decision-making for Adobe. Recognizing the vast scope of contract analysis, we narrowed our focus to detecting variations of the 'termination at will' clause for the MVP. My challenge as the Sr. UX Strategist was to spearhead the development of an innovative web-based tool capable of reading large contracts in minutes and identifying specific clauses, giving users the choice to prioritize the order in which they dealt with the clauses. This involved leading a multifaceted team, comprised of executives and engineers, to navigate the complexities of contract analysis and deliver a solution that met Adobe's needs within tight deadlines.
Image below shows part of the final solution designed.
Approach
To drive progress from concept to delivery, I employed a structured approach that prioritized uncovering the current state of contract analysis, identifying end user pain points, and developing wireframes for the AI tool. Collaborating closely with stakeholders, I facilitated workshops and interviews to gain insights into the challenges faced by financial decision-makers when analyzing contracts.
Based on these insights, I led the development of wireframes, iterating designs based on feedback from end users and stakeholders. Through rigorous testing and validation, we ensured that the AI tool effectively addressed the pain points identified and aligned with Adobe's success metrics.
I also added features within the web interface that would allow users to continuously train the AI model in the backend while they interact with the tool. Overtime, this would cause the model to get smarter and provide more accurate detections of clauses.
Image below shows end user's current state process uncovered through discovery sessions with the client
Execution
Managing a multi-disciplinary team, I orchestrated a deadline-driven workflow to ensure seamless execution of the project. Leveraging agile methodologies, we iteratively developed and refined the AI tool, incorporating feedback from stakeholders and end users at each stage of the design process.
The final MVP showcased a user-friendly interface that allowed users to upload contracts and swiftly identify variations of the 'termination at will' clause. By streamlining the contract analysis process, the AI tool enabled Adobe to make informed financial decisions with greater efficiency and accuracy.
Image below shows the tool's interface architecture laid out to facilitate a smooth design and build phase.
Outcome
The successful delivery of the AI tool demonstrated its potential to revolutionize contract analysis and financial decision-making for Adobe. By focusing on a specific clause for the MVP, we proved the value of AI in simplifying complex processes and empowering decision-makers.
Furthermore, the collaborative approach adopted throughout the project fostered alignment among stakeholders and facilitated the seamless integration of the AI tool into Adobe's workflow. Moving forward, it led to the exploration of more modernization use cases involving IBM’s AI products and services, eventually leading to IBM winning over $20 million in generative AI integration efforts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my role as lead designer and Senior UX Strategist was instrumental in driving the progress of the AI tool from concept to delivery. By uncovering end user pain points, developing intuitive wireframes, and managing a multi-disciplinary team, I ensured the successful execution of the project within tight deadlines. This case study underscores the transformative potential of AI in simplifying complex processes and empowering decision-makers in the financial sector while proving my contribution in driving business and financial value to the organization.
Wireframes and Prototypes
Explore the functionality maps and prototypes showcasing the evolution of the AI contract analysis tool, designed to simplify financial decision-making for Adobe. Witness the iterative design process and user-centric approach that drove the creation of this transformative solution.
