symplr Provider
Creating a Provider Portal from the Ground Up
We optimized the credentialing experience for providers and administrators by designing streamlined workflows within the Provider Portal. These improvements enhanced task visibility, increased user engagement, and reduced administrative bottlenecks, leading to a 30% reduction in credentialing time, as reported in a diary study.
My Role: UX Research, Wireframing, Usability Testing, Accessibility Design
Project Time: 2 years (from discovery to initial design handoff)
OVERVIEW
Provider Credentialing Challenges
All physicians must complete credentialing when onboarding at a new hospital and recredential every two years. This process verifies their qualifications for patient safety, compliance, and insurance eligibility. Managing 50 to 200+ required documents—including licenses, certifications, work history, and background checks—is complex and time-consuming.
For credentialers, the challenge is even greater. They manage multiple providers at once, handling hundreds of back-and-forth communications, especially when documents are missing or incorrect. Many work with outdated, fragmented systems that slow down the process, creating frustration for both providers and credentialers.
At symplr, the old credentialing platform was slow and inefficient. Instead of patching the existing system, we rebuilt from the ground up, creating a modern, intuitive, and scalable portal that streamlines workflows, reduces administrative burden, and improves the provider experience.
WORKSHOP
Credentialing Workflow Mapping
Collaborated with stakeholders and SMEs to map the end-to-end credentialing process, identifying inefficiencies and streamlining provider onboarding. This led to a comprehensive workflow diagram, forming the foundation for the portal’s functionality.
Role Mapping
For each role, we outlined job functions, such as managing credential applications, conducting verifications, and reviewing privileges. This analysis provided a clear understanding of how each role contributes to the overall credentialing process and their unique challenges.
Task Mapping
Tasks were mapped by persona, detailing the steps involved in key workflows, such as sending and receiving applications, verifying credentials, and updating provider data. We examined the considerations and pain points for roles like credentialers, such as minimizing data entry, reducing errors, and ensuring efficient validation processes. Additionally, we documented user goals and value propositions, focusing on improving oversight, limiting free-text input, and streamlining the privilege review process. This step created a foundation for addressing role-specific needs in the portal’s design.
Co-Design Workshop: Refining the Provider Experience
Building on insights from the Discovery & Workflow Analysis, we conducted co-design workshops to translate research findings into an intuitive Provider Experience Dashboard. These sessions brought together stakeholders, administrators, and providers to collaboratively refine key workflows and interface concepts.
Given the complexity of credentialing, we focused on creating a dashboard that provides clarity, task prioritization, and real-time progress tracking. Activities included:
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Sketching workflow-driven UI concepts to ensure alignment with provider needs.
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Exploring task management strategies to reduce administrative burden.
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Iterating on progress tracking and status visibility to improve transparency.
The participatory approach ensured the dashboard directly addressed provider pain points, making the credentialing process more efficient, user-friendly, and actionable.
Early Wireframe: Subscriber View
This image represents a refined dashboard concept, developed after synthesizing key needs identified in the workshop—tracking providers and understanding credentialing progress. Built using Alloy Design System components, this version explored a grid-based layout to provide structured, scannable information.
The design focused on clarity and efficiency, allowing users to:
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Sort and filter onboarding requests by submission date, provider, requester, deadline, and status.
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Track request progress through clear status labels like Submitted, Reviewed, Accepted, and Rejected.
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Facilitate communication with built-in comment threads for seamless collaboration.
This wireframe laid the foundation for future iterations, helping validate information hierarchy, usability, and workflow alignment before refining the final dashboard experience.
Research and Findings
Usability testing with subscribers managing credentialing workflows revealed key pain points in task prioritization, workflow visibility, and efficiency. As subscribers handled high volumes of onboarding requests, they struggled with the existing table-based system, which lacked clear task progression and urgency indicators.
Key Insights
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Users struggled to determine what needed their attention first. Without clear priority indicators, urgent and routine tasks were difficult to distinguish.
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The “Expedited” and “Regular” tabs didn’t match real-world workflows. Users needed a more integrated view of all tasks with clear urgency markers instead of switching between tabs.
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Sorting and filtering were inefficient. Managing dozens of credentialing requests at once required an easier way to filter by status, deadline, and requester without excessive clicks.
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Status labels lacked clarity on next steps. Terms like Submitted and Reviewed didn’t make it obvious what actions were needed or who was responsible for the next step.
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Users wanted a more structured way to track task progression. Without a clear workflow representation, tracking where each provider stood in the credentialing process required excessive manual effort.
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Task ownership was unclear. Subscribers needed a way to see who was responsible for each task at a glance to avoid delays and miscommunication.
Outcome
These findings highlighted the need for a more structured, visual approach that would allow better task prioritization, clearer workflow tracking, and improved efficiency in managing credentialing requests.
Refining the Dashboard: Addressing Key Usability Challenges
This updated dashboard concept was developed in response to the usability challenges identified in user research, focusing on task prioritization, workflow visibility, and efficiency for subscribers managing high volumes of credentialing requests.
Notably, the Kanban-style layout was not an existing component in the Alloy Design System, requiring careful adaptation to maintain design system consistency while introducing a new, intuitive workflow representation.
Key Improvements
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Clear Task Prioritization – Requests are now categorized into distinct workflow stages such as Overdue, Expedited, Pending, Approved, and Rejected, helping users quickly identify what needs immediate attention.
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Integrated Task View – The separation of Expedited and Regular tabs was removed in favor of a single, structured overview with urgency markers, reducing friction in navigation.
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Visual Workflow Representation – Tasks are now organized into columns that represent stages of progress, making it easier to track where providers are in the credentialing process.
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Enhanced Filtering & Sorting – Users can now filter by request type, status, and due date, ensuring that critical tasks are surfaced when needed.
By structuring the credentialing process into clear, trackable stages, this concept significantly improves efficiency, transparency, and task management, addressing the core issues surfaced during usability testing while extending the capabilities of the Alloy Design System.
Refined Provider Dashboard Wireframe
This iteration of the Provider Dashboard evolved from the previous wireframe, fully implementing the Alloy Design System for consistency and scalability. The Kanban-style layout effectively organizes credentialing tasks into distinct workflow stages, improving task prioritization and process visibility.
To ensure a cohesive user experience, the Subscriber and Provider Dashboards were developed consecutively, aligning workflows and interface patterns across both views. This approach created a shared experience while addressing the unique needs of each user group.
Testing Insights
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Positive Outcomes – Users found the structure intuitive, and the workflow representation improved efficiency.
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Areas for Improvement – The design lacked color cues, contextual instructions, and elements of delight, making it less engaging and reducing at-a-glance clarity.
These findings guided refinements to enhance visual hierarchy, user guidance, and engagement in the next iteration.
Final Provider Dashboard Design: Enhancing Clarity and Engagement
This final design iteration addresses key usability gaps by incorporating color cues, contextual instructions, and elements of delight, significantly improving at-a-glance clarity and user engagement.
Key Enhancements:
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Color Cues for Task Prioritization – Status labels now use distinct colors to differentiate between new, in-progress, and overdue tasks, allowing users to quickly assess urgency.
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Contextual Instructions & Progress Tracking – A personalized welcome message and progress indicator provide real-time credentialing updates, guiding users through their remaining tasks.
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Delightful User Experience – The illustrated mascot adds a friendly, engaging touch, making the experience feel more approachable and less transactional.
These refinements ensure the dashboard is not only functional but also intuitive and engaging, optimizing the provider credentialing experience with clear visual hierarchy and a user-friendly interface.
Quotes from participants in diary study
Dr. Patel, Primary Care Provider
"Before, I felt like I was chasing documents and approvals with no clear timeline. Now, I know exactly where I stand in the process—it's so much less stressful."
Dr. Martinez, Specialist
"The new Provider Portal is a game-changer. I used to dread logging in, but now everything I need is in one place, and I can complete tasks faster than ever."
Dr. Nguyen, Hospitalist
"Credentialing used to feel like a black hole. Now, with the improved workflow, I get real-time updates, and I’m spending less time on admin work and more time with patients."
Reflections & Learnings
One of the most valuable lessons from this project was recognizing when sticking to the rules doesn't serve the user. Initially, I adhered strictly to the grid-based components in the design system, but testing revealed that this approach didn’t work for providers or subscribers managing high-volume credentialing tasks. The lack of workflow visibility and prioritization made it clear that sometimes, you have to break the rules to build the right solution.
Switching to a Kanban-inspired layout—even though it wasn’t an existing component—was a pivotal decision that improved usability and task clarity. This experience reinforced that a design system should be a foundation, not a limitation.
Beyond functionality, this project also highlighted the importance of delight in enterprise products. The illustrated mascot and personalized progress tracker transformed the portal from a transactional tool into a more engaging, user-friendly experience. Small moments of delight matter, especially in workflows that are often tedious or stressful.
This project strengthened my ability to navigate ambiguity, align cross-functional teams, and turn research into actionable design decisions. It reinforced my belief that the best digital products don’t just meet requirements—they empower users and drive meaningful impact.
This is just the beginning. As the portal evolves, I’m excited to see how it continues to streamline processes, reduce administrative burden, and enhance the provider experience.
🚀 Key Learnings:
✔ User research is an ongoing process, not a one-time phase
✔ Accessibility and usability must be foundational, not an afterthought
✔ A well-structured design system accelerates development—but should never limit innovation
✔ Delight matters, even in enterprise products—it makes tools feel more human
✔ Breaking the rules is sometimes necessary to build the best experience