Notes for Supplier Onboarding
At Capital One, I set out to improve how associates capture and manage notes during supplier interactions. Instead of simply replicating the legacy platform in Elevate, I focused on designing a more integrated, secure, and flexible experience that aligned with real workflows and eliminated the need for external tools like paper notes and Google Docs.
From our discovery research, it became clear that the existing legacy platform wasn’t designed to handle data effectively—leading to significant frustration for our commercial associates.
”Can’t save info when trying to exit out of case” - An associate
“No formatting for many fields, can put 2 emails in one box, can add more than 9 numbers for phone numbers” - An associate
”Need to have data input validation for cleaner data” - An associate
My areas of focus within the design process:
Establishing the need for notes
When associates engage with customers, they input a significant amount of information into the fields shown on the right. However, there are additional details they often want to capture that don't have a designated place in the system. As a result, many associates resort to workarounds such as paper notes or Google Docs.
This not only creates a frustrating experience, but also raises security and fraud concerns due to sensitive information being stored on external platforms.
An example note
ref 12XXXX- incomplete phone # on file. Googled (xxx)xxx-xxxx NIS. Unable to locate alt #10/21/22 REF: 15XXX - google search: also found (abc)def-ghij, NIS, unable to locate other alt numb
The initial approach
Associates often use their own abbreviations and personal methods for capturing notes. While reviewing recordings of associates interacting with the legacy tool, I began to consider a few key questions: Should there be character limits for the notes they enter? Should anyone be allowed to edit notes? And how should we log notes over time to ensure continuity and traceability?
My initial approach was to design a modal that utilized available screen real estate. This solution addressed key needs: reverse chronological ordering of notes, the ability to edit and input free-form text, and visibility into when and by whom a note was written.
However, despite meeting these requirements, the modal proved to be an inefficient solution.
Feedback and iteration
I revisited videos of agents using the legacy tool—this time with greater intention and focus. I noticed that much of the information captured in their notes referenced content already visible on the screen. The modal I had originally designed was covering that content, disrupting their workflow and limiting efficiency. Realizing this, I pivoted to a notes component that sits alongside the main workflow—allowing agents to reference information and take notes seamlessly.
Stakeholder feedback
I conducted a session with stakeholders to review the proposed designs and gather feedback. I annotated and organized the designs to clearly explain the different stages of the notes experience.
One key takeaway from the session was that, while notes typically don’t exceed 400 characters, agents felt strongly that they shouldn’t be limited in their ability to capture all necessary details. Based on this feedback, we decided to remove the character limit—choosing to trust our agents to use their judgment.
