Chloe Ju Portfolio

Redesigning the UI to improve usability and workflow

Optimizing AI-Powered Semiconductor
Process Analysis

DK Techin Leave management system redesign

DK Techin had relied on an external leave management tool, but it lacked usability and could not support real workflows.  
We designed and developed a new in-house system for about 100 employees, tailored to organisational needs.  
I led the UI/UX redesign to simplify the end-to-end flow from request to approval to history process while improving usability and maintainability.
The system was later adopted by a Kakao subsidiary, validating its effectiveness and scalability.

DK Techin had relied on an external leave management tool, but it lacked usability and could not support real workflows.  We designed and developed a new in-house system for about 100 employees, tailored to organisational needs.  
I led the UI/UX redesign to simplify the end-to-end flow from request to approval to history process while improving usability and maintainability. The system was later adopted by a Kakao subsidiary, validating its effectiveness and scalability.

Role

UI/UX Designer

Tools

Sketch

Team

1 Designer, 1 PMs, 2 Developers

1 Designer, 2 PMs,
2 Developers

Duration

April 2018 – June 2018

Problem & Approach

The original system had a disconnected flow for requests, approvals, and history, with a non-intuitive UI that frustrated employees.
The operations team faced repetitive approvals and inquiries that could not be solved with simple screen fixes.
Using a Lean UX approach, I applied short validation cycles and redesigned the flow from a user-centered perspective.
Key functions were streamlined for faster use, and complex logic was simplified through condition-based UI.

The original system had a disconnected flow for requests, approvals, and history, with a non-intuitive UI that frustrated employees.  The operations team faced repetitive approvals and inquiries that simple screen fixes could not resolve.Using a Lean UX approach, I applied short validation cycles and redesigned the flow from a user-centered perspective.  Key functions were streamlined for faster use, and complex logics were simplified with condition-based UI.

User flow:
Challenge & Approach

Disconnected flow

Request, approval, and history were fragmented

Disconnected flow

Request, approval, and history were fragmente

Disconnected flow

Request, approval, and history were fragmente

Consistent flow

Redesigned the process into one connected journey

Consistent flow

Redesigned the process into one connected journey

Consistent flow

Redesigned the process into one connected journey

Information access:
Challenge & Approach

Operational Efficiency:
Challenge & Approach

Poor information access

Hard to check key info like remaining leave or team schedules

Poor information access

Hard to check key info like remaining leave or team schedules

Operational overload

Excessive approvals and inquiries overloaded the support team

My Page hub

Centralised requests, approvals, and history in My Page

My Page hub

Centralised requests, approvals, and history in My Page

Operator-focused UX

Reduced repetitive tasks with status visualisation and auto-filtering

Operational efficiency:
Challenge & Approach

Information Access:
Challenge & Approach

Operational overload

Excessive approvals and inquiries overloaded the support team

Operational overload

Excessive approvals and inquiries overloaded the support team

Poor information access

Hard to check key info like remaining leave or team schedules

Operator-focused UX

Reduced repetitive tasks with status visualisation and auto-filtering

Operator-focused UX

Reduced repetitive tasks with status visualisation and auto-filtering

My Page hub

Centralised requests, approvals, and history in My Page

Time Constraints:
Challenge & Approach

Tight timeline

Required rapid validation and improvement within a limited schedule

Tight timeline

Required rapid validation and improvement within a limited schedule

Tight timeline

Required rapid validation and improvement within a limited schedule

Lean UX & UCD

Short validation cycles with user-centred design

Lean UX & UCD

Short validation cycles with user-centred design

Lean UX & UCD

Short validation cycles with user-centred design

UI Consistency:
Challenge & Approach

UI inconsistency

External tool lacked brand alignment and adaptability

UI inconsistency

External tool lacked brand alignment and adaptability

UI inconsistency

External tool lacked brand alignment and adaptability

Design system

Standardised UI elements for consistency and scalability

Design system

Standardised UI elements for consistency and scalability

Design system

Standardised UI elements for consistency and scalability

Research & Validation

How might we?

How might we connect fragmented processes across request, approval, and history into one seamless flow?

How might we help employees and managers easily access key information such as remaining leave and team schedules?

How might we reduce repetitive approvals and inquiries for the operations team through smarter UI logic?

How might we help users explore and filter complex data in a unified way?

User Research & Validation

Research

I interviewed 2 employees, 2 managers, and 1 operations staff member to identify pain points in the existing leave system.

• Fragmented process: Employees had to move between multiple screens to request, check, or track leave.
• Information gaps: Managers couldn’t easily see team availability or remaining balances.
• Operational overload: HR staff faced frequent manual approvals and inquiries.

• Single- step canvas couldn’t scale for multi-recipe flows or new equipment (EQP) types.
• Frequent context switching between canvas, panels, and modals created significant setup fatigue
• Only 2 of 10 users adopted filters due to a disconnected UI most preferred direct search.

Validation

Stakeholder reviews confirmed the redesign addressed core issues. Post-launch, user satisfaction improved significantly based on internal feedback.

Role-Based content organisation

I simplified the flow by reorganizing the previously cluttered request, approval, and history processes around a centralized 'My Page'.
By clearly defining user roles and permissions, I reduced unnecessary page switching and made the workflow more intuitive—allowing each user type to access the information they need efficiently.

All Employees

Team Manager

Administrator

My Page-centred leave request Flow

Users previously had to switch between multiple screens to check leave balances, request history, and start a new request.
To address this, I designed a unified “My Page” where users could review all relevant information and directly move to the request page.
Automatic date calculation by leave type was introduced to reduce input effort and errors.
The flow was designed to connect information checking and request submission in a simple and intuitive way.

Manager approval workflow

The original approval process was repetitive and fragmented, making it tiring and error-prone for managers.
To address this, I designed status-based colour coding, filters, and a simplified modal displaying key details available days, leave period, and type so that requests could be reviewed at a glance.
The workflow was restructured to make approvals faster, less tiring, and more accurate.

Designing admin workflows for efficient Leave management

Leave utilisation

Previously, administrators had to manually identify employees, send notifications, and manage records for annual leave utilisation a process that was time-consuming and error-prone.
To solve this, I designed a new feature to automate the process with automatic identification, team-based filtering, and staged notifications.
All results were stored in the system with exportable Excel logs, ensuring transparency while reducing repetitive effort.

The Consumer App was designed to connect the flow from delivery tracking to return requests intuitively, encouraging eco-friendly actions and repeat engagement.  
Real-time route, temperature, and status data were visualised on a map to build trust in the cold chain process.  
Reward experiences were considered to naturally motivate ongoing participation in the system.  Custom isometric illustrations were applied across key screens to strengthen the brand experience.

※ In Korea, labour law encourages employers to promote the use of annual leave to protect employees’ right to rest and to reduce disputes over unused leave.

Customisable approval workflow

The old approval flow was rigid and couldn’t reflect different rules across organisations or leave types, causing confusion and additional setup work.
To address this, I designed an approval-line screen where admins could flexibly set steps based on policy.
Approvers were auto-filtered from the organisation chart, roles could be assigned via a modal, and flows could be saved as templates for reuse reducing repetition and giving admins greater control.

The Consumer App was designed to connect the flow from delivery tracking to return requests intuitively, encouraging eco-friendly actions and repeat engagement.  
Real-time route, temperature, and status data were visualised on a map to build trust in the cold chain process.  
Reward experiences were considered to naturally motivate ongoing participation in the system.  Custom isometric illustrations were applied across key screens to strengthen the brand experience.

Organisation-wide Leave schedule visualisation

To help managers and team leaders prevent overlapping leave and coordinate scheduling at the organisational level, I designed both calendar and list views with department- and organisation-based filters.
This view was created to display daily leave counts and statuses on a single screen, reducing manual coordination and enabling more efficient collaboration.

Establishing a design system for UI consistency and scalability

To ensure consistency, I aligned frequently used UI elements such as buttons, input fields, and calendars, with Kakao’s brand guidelines, and built reusable components into a design system.
This system was developed to maintain visual consistency across pages, improve collaboration between designers and developers, and flexibly support future maintenance and feature expansion.

Key results & insights

This project applied a Lean UX and user-centred design (UCD) approach, using short validation cycles aimed at achieving a three-month release.
Working closely with PMs, developers, and operators, I rapidly incorporated user feedback and streamlined the entire flow around “My Page.”
Complex logic was restructured with condition-based UI to make it more intuitive, improving both usability and operational efficiency.
Through this process, I learned the importance of short-cycle collaboration and user-centred design — beyond simply delivering results.

In the PaaS project, I designed the UI/UX and app structures to reflect different user roles and operational scenarios.  
Through this process, I recognised the importance of considering user flows across the entire service journey,  and learned that building a design system from the early stage of UI components is critical for long-term maintainability.

Key results

01

Integrated requests, approvals, and history into My Page