Expression (NDA)

Creating clarity and scalability in data-intensive federal platforms. Summary of two years of work with a federal contractor.

Role

Junior → Product Designer

Timeline

Oct 2023 - June 2025

SUMMARY

Organizational Impact

  • Created the company’s first design onboarding materials, documenting product knowledge and design history to accelerate ramp-up for future hires.

  • Produced a feature showcase video to illustrate product capabilities for business development efforts and client presentations.

DESIGN PROCESS

GROWTH & TAKEAWAYS

Team

Designers, Developers, SMEs, Data Specialists

I joined the team as a Junior Product Designer and was quickly given independent responsibility for my own projects, leading design and stakeholder communication. After 10 months, I was promoted to Product Designer. I worked closely with developers, subject-matter-experts (SMEs), data specialists, and other designers to improve usability and scalability across multiple internal federal platforms that support strategic planning and operations, primarily working on a data-intensive, map-based electromagnetic spectrum analysis platform.

Unfortunately, I can’t show my work due to privacy reasons, but my contributions included:

Independent Ownership

Sole designer on two initiatives:

  • Redefined IA and improved usability of a data repository site, making dense content easier to navigate and retrieve.

  • Designed a new application for analyzing electromagnetic radiation effects, allowing multi-device analysis through a clear four-step process.

Feature Innovation

Delivered four features on the main platform:

  • Created high-fidelity concepts for future requirements (air defense tracking system, data card comparison widget) to shape long-term contracts.

  • Redesigned a legacy equipment comparison tool to have greater functionality in a flexible interface.

  • Integrated a third-party data-visualization tool, expanding analytical capabilities without disrupting core UX.

Workflow Simplification

  • Reduced the number of windows and clicks in workspace management, improving efficiency and usability.

  • Helped centralize 10+ analytical tools into an organized workflow, making them more accessible and intuitive.

  • Collaborated with design team on a proposed next-contract overhaul, introducing a flexible layered architecture that consolidates multiple primary workflows into one.

Design System Improvement

  • Built and maintained two initiative-specific design systems, ensuring scalable and reusable patterns across distinct products.

  • Expanded and refined the main design system with new components, updated patterns, and table/layout guidelines to maintain product-wide consistency.

Due to security restrictions, I couldn’t conduct direct user testing. Instead, I collaborated closely with SMEs (acting as user representatives) and other cross-functional team members to interpret requirements and uncover UX opportunities. Requirements often evolved mid-project, so I prioritized early definition of crawl–walk–run phases, documented key decisions, and designed for scalability from the start.

The design thinking steps below guided my approach on all projects:

Being resourceful without direct user access

With no access to end-users, I learned to extract insights from existing records, patterns in other features, and SME/team knowledge. This sharpened my ability to spot UX opportunities even with indirect data.

Designing for complex, unfamiliar data

Industry-specific, jargon-heavy data and workflows became less intimidating as I developed strategies (organized note-taking, simplified FigJam diagrams, regular validation from SMEs/data team) to understand them and make outputs intuitive for users who often weren’t data experts.

Balancing competing priorities

Between user needs, contract requirements, and technical constraints, there was rarely any overlap on any given project or feature. I honed my ability to prioritize and negotiate these through open cross-functional dialogue.

Taking initiative early

As a junior designer, I was entrusted with leading a redesign outside the main product. I drove requirement gathering, facilitated cross-team discussions, sought critiques, and documented decisions, growing a lot more confident in advocating for design and my work along the way.

If you have any questions or would like to see a full project, reach out at leebonniep@gmail.com or on LinkedIn!