Uncovering Pain Points in Payroll Reporting to Deliver a Competitive, Industry-Standard Experience
Uncovering Pain Points in Payroll Reporting to Deliver a Competitive, Industry-Standard Experience
Problem
Early payroll customers struggled to understand payroll costs due to unclear and incomplete reporting.
my role
User Researcher, Project Lead
timeline
May–August 2024
project goals
Improve payroll reporting clarity and close capability gaps with competitive payroll products.
constraints
Early-stage payroll product, limited reporting infrastructure, and unclear definitions of “customization."
primary outcome
Shipped a Payroll Summary report that clarified total payroll costs and aligned reporting with industry standards.
Problem
Early payroll customers struggled to understand payroll costs due to unclear and incomplete reporting.
my role
User Researcher, Project Lead
timeline
May–August 2024
project goals
Improve payroll reporting clarity and close capability gaps with competitive payroll products.
constraints
Early-stage payroll product, limited reporting infrastructure, and unclear definitions of “customization."
primary outcome
Shipped a Payroll Summary report that clarified total payroll costs and aligned reporting with industry standards.
How I Approached This
Research & Design Process
How I Approached This
Research & Design Process
01
Identify Reporting Pain Points
Conducted discovery research across the payroll experience, synthesizing customer feedback and observational findings to identify recurring friction points. While several issues emerged, reporting consistently surfaced as the most critical gap.
lens used
Early-stage product validation and user pain prioritization
intent
Determine which payroll issues most directly impacted usability and trust.
KEY QUESTION
What is preventing customers from confidently understanding their payroll costs?
outcome
Identified payroll reporting as the highest-impact problem area, with “customization” emerging as a recurring but ambiguous request.
01
Identify Reporting Pain Points
Conducted discovery research across the payroll experience, synthesizing customer feedback and observational findings to identify recurring friction points. While several issues emerged, reporting consistently surfaced as the most critical gap.
lens used
Early-stage product validation and user pain prioritization
intent
Determine which payroll issues most directly impacted usability and trust.
KEY QUESTION
What is preventing customers from confidently understanding their payroll costs?
outcome
Identified payroll reporting as the highest-impact problem area, with “customization” emerging as a recurring but ambiguous request.
02
Benchmark Competitive Payroll Reporting
Established how competitive payroll platforms support cost transparency after pay runs.
02
Benchmark Competitive Payroll Reporting
Established how competitive payroll platforms support cost transparency after pay runs.
03
Translate “Customization” Into Clear Requirements
Reframed vague customization requests into concrete reporting needs.
03
Translate “Customization” Into Clear Requirements
Reframed vague customization requests into concrete reporting needs.
Key Decisions
Solution & Reasoning
Key Decisions
Solution & Reasoning
decision made
Ship a Standardized Payroll Summary Report
decision made
Ship a Standardized Payroll Summary Report
decision made
Design Reporting Around Post–Pay Run Workflows
decision made
Design Reporting Around Post–Pay Run Workflows
decision made
Make All Costs Traceable to Totals
decision made
Make All Costs Traceable to Totals
My Results
Outcomes & Impacts
My Results
Outcomes & Impacts
User Satisfaction
3.78/5
Initial satisfaction survey results indicated that the new Payroll Summary met expectations for early payroll customers.
User Satisfaction
3.78/5
Initial satisfaction survey results indicated that the new Payroll Summary met expectations for early payroll customers.
Expectation Alignment
75%
A majority of respondents reported the new report addressed their core payroll reporting needs.
Expectation Alignment
75%
A majority of respondents reported the new report addressed their core payroll reporting needs.
Reporting Capability
Parity Achieved
The Payroll Summary aligned Workforce.com’s reporting with industry-standard payroll platforms.
Reporting Capability
Parity Achieved
The Payroll Summary aligned Workforce.com’s reporting with industry-standard payroll platforms.
UX Researcher & Designer
2026 Designed by Emma Blackwell. All rights reserved.
2026 Designed by Emma Blackwell. All rights reserved.