SpeakUp: Investigation Workspace & Case Context
Led UX strategy | Partnered with Ethics & Compliance Director (Patrick K.)
Timeline
3 months · Jan–Oct 2024
My Role
Principal UX Designer
Company
OneTrust · SpeakUp
About the Project
About the project
Key Collaborator
Patrick K.
Ethics & Compliance Director
Overview
Ethics investigators at enterprise companies handle some of the most sensitive cases imaginable—whistleblowing, harassment, retaliation. But the tools they used were fragmented: case details scattered across systems, context buried in documents, relationships between cases invisible.
I partnered closely with Patrick, our Ethics & Compliance Director, to rebuild the investigation experience from the ground up. The challenge wasn't just technical—it was about understanding how investigators think, what they need in moments of high stakes, and how to surface the right information at exactly the right time.
Goal & Impact
Surface just-in-time context without overwhelming investigators mid-case
Unify investigation workflows (interviews, evidence, status) in one workspace
Eliminate admin friction through Outlook/Word integration proposals
Ship in 3 weeks for Customer Advisory Board validation
Results:
Validated by CAB as solving their "number one pain point"
Pattern adopted across all SpeakUp modules
Outlook/Word integrations approved for Q3 roadmap
The Challenge
Problem
Ethics investigators needed to connect dots across sensitive cases—whistleblowing, harassment, retaliation—but context was fragmented and workflows unclear. Partnering with the Ethics & Compliance Director, I turned this high-stakes compliance challenge into a design puzzle: how do we surface just-in-time context without overwhelming investigators mid-case?
The stakes were real: protecting victims depends on investigators seeing patterns others miss. When case relationships are buried in documents and context is invisible, critical connections get overlooked. We needed a system that made the invisible visible—without adding cognitive load.
Behind the Design
Behind the Design
This work was deeply collaborative—I partnered closely with Patrick to extract clarity from a complex domain. Working under a 3-week CAB deadline didn't feel like pressure; it felt like flow. When you have a meaningful problem (protecting victims), a trusted collaborator, and clear constraints (Trust Week demo), the design puzzle solves itself. I thrive in these conditions.
The Solution
Solution
I designed a Related Cases & People modal that surfaces just-in-time visibility into case relationships—case IDs, involved parties, roles, and quick actions—without forcing investigators to abandon their primary task. The modal appears exactly when context is needed, not as a permanent distraction.
The Investigation Workspace unifies interview scheduling, evidence management, and status dashboards in one view, with proposed Outlook/Word integrations to eliminate admin friction. Investigators no longer jump between systems—everything they need lives in one place.
This pattern reduces cognitive load through progressive disclosure: investigators access context exactly when needed, without drowning in complexity. The system reveals complexity gradually, matching the investigator's mental model of the case.
Impact
Impact
Shipped in 3 weeks—validated by Customer Advisory Board as solving their "number one pain point." The rapid timeline didn't compromise quality; it forced clarity. Working with clear constraints and a trusted partner enabled us to ship something meaningful fast.
The progressive disclosure pattern I developed is now adopted across all SpeakUp modules. The proposed Outlook/Word integrations were approved for the Q3 roadmap, eliminating admin friction for investigators. This work didn't just solve one problem—it established a reusable pattern for the entire product.
