Allison Walker | Internal Resource Management Portal

Problem

Geometry Global's resource management team had an internal portal for tracking hires, freelancers, transfers, and promotions — but it hadn't kept pace with the agency's complexity. Data was inconsistent, reporting was unreliable, and teams were working around the tool rather than with it. A mismatch between resource needs and client budgets was a real risk.

Approach

I worked with stakeholders across HR, Operations, Resource Management, and Finance — including the CFO — to map the existing workflows and identify gaps. The priority was getting the data model right before designing screens — because good data in means good data out.

Early on it became clear the requirements were incomplete. I worked with the resource management and development teams to round them out, pushing some functionality to a second phase. Wireframes were built in Omnigraffle with detailed annotations in InDesign, and iterated with the talent management team to handle confidential data requirements.

Outcome

The redesign covered the full scope of the portal: hire request forms, freelance extensions, automated notifications, a customizable dashboard with spreadsheet export, an archive, and user management. The work was completed and handed off to engineering. The project ended when the agency merged and eventually wound down its digital practice — a common outcome in agency work.

Design Solution

The redesign covered five core areas of the portal. To help stakeholders and engineers navigate a large set of structurally similar screens, I color-coded sections by functional area, added a consistent numbering system, and used distinct annotation typography — making the wireframe deliverable easier to read and reference.

Approval Workflow

Before designing screens, I mapped the full approval workflow for full-time hires. Agency hiring involves sign-offs across HR, Finance, and department leadership — and the existing process had gaps where requests could stall. The workflow diagram became a shared alignment artifact before any screens were built.

Approval Workflow

Fulltime & Freelance Requests

The core of the portal was managing and tracking hire requests. I worked closely with the talent management team on what information to capture, in what order, and how to handle sensitive fields. This is where the most important design decisions happened — in the form structure, not the dashboard.

Automated Notifications

Status changes in the portal triggered automated email notifications to relevant stakeholders. Designing the email templates was part of the scope — keeping communications consistent and reducing manual follow-up.

Wireframe of Mark as filled: Preview Email

Preview email notification: Mark as filled

Dashboard

The updated dashboard gave resource managers a real-time view of hiring activity. Filters could be customized or set to pre-selected defaults, and status labels were clearly defined to reduce ambiguity.

Dashboard: Human resources

Secondary menus

Status explained

Archive & User Management

The updated archive supported improved search and retrieval of past requests. The user management panel allowed administrators to add and remove users and assign roles — giving the team control over access without requiring IT.

Archive page

Manage users page