NGA: Map of the World Modernization
Enterprise geospatial platform modernization in a highly constrained environment. Re-architected navigation, governance, and a closed-loop user feedback system that turned global signals into roadmap decisions.
Overview
Before
Fragmented navigation and inconsistent UX patterns across legacy modules
Limited ability to translate user/stakeholder feedback into prioritized, testable backlog work
High compliance + delivery friction (air-gapped constraints, accessibility, ATO realities)
Developer friction: unclear UX standards, inconsistent handoffs, rework risk
After
Implemented a durable closed-loop feedback system: signals → coded inputs → backlog → roadmap → release → telemetry → next sprint
Re-architected IA and navigation around analyst/admin task models
Shipped scalable component framework (tokens, patterns, accessibility rules)
Embedded UX into Agile + DevSecOps pipelines (2–4 sprints ahead)
Established UX SOPs, RACI, cadence, and governance for continuous improvement
Team
My Scope (Solo UX, Manager-Level)
Product + Ops Ownership
- Product planning, backlog shaping, and roadmap framing from user/stakeholder signals
- Stakeholder management, expectation-setting, and risk/feasibility tradeoffs
- Working 2–4 sprints ahead to keep design/dev aligned and reduce rework
Research + Signal Design
- Designed data-call + questionnaire instruments to convert anecdotal input into structured signals
- Conducted SME interviews, heuristic evaluations, and gap analyses
- Built personas, journey strips, and service blueprints (on- and off-computer)
IA + UX Execution
- Re-architected navigation and IA around analyst/admin task models
- Designed high-fidelity flows (analyst + admin) and onboarding wizard using progressive disclosure
- Created data visualization guidance for mission-speed interpretation
Design Systems + Accessibility
- Defined component framework, themes, design tokens, and accessibility rules (508/WCAG)
- Established UX standards that engineering could implement consistently
Agile + DevSecOps Integration
- Wrote user stories, Definition of Done, and acceptance criteria tied to measurable KPIs
- Integrated UX into DevSecOps workflows (including automation hooks and quality gates)
- Improved developer experience via clearer standards, repeatable handoffs, and validation steps
User Feedback Loop + Continuous Improvement
- Designed and operationalized closed-loop feedback system converting signals to roadmap decisions
- Established governance, SOPs, and cadence so improvement continued without heroics
- Routed telemetry and usage patterns back into sprint planning and backlog prioritization
Collaboration Map
Discovery
User Story Quantification
Mapped 847 user stories across 12 analyst workflows to prioritize high-impact improvements.
Integration & Dependency
Documented system interdependencies to identify modernization sequence.
Strategy Principles Applied
Define
Define Components
Sitemap
User Flows
Design
Deliver
Evidence-Based Prioritization
RTF Collaboration Notes
KPI Implementation Steps
Closed-Loop Continuous Improvement
Operational Mechanics
- Data-call + questionnaire instruments to standardize input quality
- Governance: SOPs, policies, RACI, and cadence (so the process outlived any one person)
- Scorecards to track outcomes and keep stakeholders aligned
- Developer hooks: definition of done, accessibility gates, token usage rules, regression checks
Telemetry + Measurement
- Measurement strategy designed for constrained environments
- Advanced Matomo integration for detailed user behavior analytics
- Usage patterns and friction signals routed back to backlog
- Recurring review cycles and backlog health checks
Results
Shipped Outcomes
- •Expert-user UX consistency: unified patterns across modules to improve proficiency, workflow efficiency, sharing, and productivity
- •Data import wizard: broke complex ingestion into a five-step workflow with clearer requirements and field mapping guidance, improving data awareness and reducing manual data grooming
- •Export + reporting support: enabled exports in formats users needed for downstream work (e.g., PDF/DOCX/CSV/SHP/KML), improving record handling and continuity for analysis/reporting
- •Advanced analysis support: designed workflows that made sophisticated analytics more approachable (e.g., clustering configuration and saving results for comparison)
- •Improved access to critical data and enrichment: supported interfaces that made bulk enrichment and data access feasible for expert users without requiring scripts
What We Measured
- •Task success and friction points (top workflows)
- •Onboarding completion + time-to-first-success
- •Support tickets / repeat issues and time-to-triage
- •Signal-to-roadmap match rate (how often user signals translated into shipped work)
- •Adoption of standardized components/tokens (design system coverage proxy)
Stakeholder Outcome
Client/stakeholders supported continued investment because the program created a durable, measurable mechanism for continuous improvement under constraints.