Ended a recurring support problem in a core workflow

Clients kept losing context when moving between processes and frameworks. I redesigned the navigation without rebuilding the underlying table, and the issue stopped recurring in client feedback.

PROCESS	RISK TITLE	CONTROL TITLE
Capitalisation of Assets	Revenue Expenditure Incorrectly Capitalised	Ensure assets meet capitalisation criteria prior to recording in the fixed asset register
Capitalisation of Assets	Assets Capitalised at Incorrect Value	Ensure fixed assets are recorded at cost including all directly attributable expenses
Depreciation	Incorrect Depreciation Rates or Methods Applied	Ensure depreciation is calculated in accordance with approved policy and Ind AS 16
Physical Verification	Fixed Assets Not Physically Present or Unrecorded	Conduct annual physical verification of all fixed assets and reconcile to the fixed asset register
Physical Verification	Impairment of Assets Not Identified Timely	Assess fixed assets for impairment indicators at each reporting date

PROCESS	RISK TITLE	CONTROL TITLE
Cash & Bank Management	Unauthorised Access to Bank Accounts	Restrict bank account access to authorised personnel with role-based access controls
Cash & Bank Management	Bank Reconciliation Not Performed Timely	Ensure bank reconciliations are prepared daily and reviewed by Finance Controller
Investments & Borrowings	Investments or Borrowings Entered Without Board Approval	Ensure all new investments and borrowings are approved by the Board or authorised committee
Cash & Bank Management	Bank Reconciliations Not Prepared or Reviewed	Ensure bank reconciliations are prepared and independently reviewed each month
Forex & Hedging	Unhedged Exposure Beyond Policy	Ensure net currency exposure is measured against policy limits each month

PROCESS	RISK TITLE	CONTROL TITLE
Cash & Bank Management	Unauthorised Access to Bank Accounts	Restrict bank account access to authorised personnel with role-based access controls
Investments & Borrowings	Investments or Borrowings Entered Without Board Approval	Ensure all new investments and borrowings are approved by the Board or authorised committee
Forex & Hedging	Unhedged Exposure Beyond Policy	Ensure net currency exposure is measured against policy limits each month

Overview

Role: Senior Product Designer
Team: 1 PM · 4 engineers
Year: 2025

Problem

With 30 to 40 processes and up to three frameworks each, opening and closing the table's accordion felt jerky and made it easy to lose your place. The issue kept returning in client support queries.

Direction

I replaced the accordion with dependent Process and Framework dropdowns after confirming the existing data model could support the change without rebuilding the table.

Outcome

The issue stopped recurring in client feedback, including from two clients who had repeatedly raised support queries.

01 · PROBLEM + CONTEXT

Nobody expected the old navigation to be the problem

Internal controls teams at large enterprises use the Risk and Control Matrix (RCM) to review risks and controls across business processes. In payroll, for example, a risk could be paying someone twice, with manager approval as a control to prevent it.

The screen we inherited

The RCM table was built by engineers before the team had a designer. It used an accordion to organise risks and controls under each process.

When I first worked on it, the brief was to bring it into the current design language without changing the interaction. So the accordion stayed.

Where the accordion broke down

Opening the Payroll process revealed a long list of risks and controls. Because controls could apply to more than one regulatory framework, the same risk could appear under ICOFR, SOX or IFRS, making the list harder to follow.

Checking another process meant closing Payroll, finding the next process and working through another long list. The jerky interaction made it easy to lose your place.

The problem surfaced through support

The pattern became clear through support. Two clients repeatedly raised the same issue: the navigation felt clunky, people lost track of where they were, and checking controls across multiple risks and processes was harder than it should have been.

02 · DECISION

The better interaction was cheaper than expected

The PM owned the requirements; I owned the interaction layer. Two constraints shaped the work: clients already knew the screen, so changing it carried risk, and engineering was busy, so significant rework would be hard to justify.

Two starting directions

The PM suggested the lower-risk option: keep the accordion and add a Business Process filter above the table. In the product, “Business Process” was the label for framework groups. This let users filter the table without changing the existing interaction.

I wanted to remove the accordion because support issues kept pointing back to it. I first considered combining Process and Framework in one dropdown, but with 30–40 processes and potentially several frameworks for each, it would create a long list mixing two levels of information. I dropped the idea.

Checking the real engineering cost

Before exploring another approach, I sat with the developers to understand what removing the accordion would actually involve.

The accordion already filtered the table by Process, and the backend knew which frameworks belonged to each Process. We didn't need to rebuild the table or backend. We only needed the Framework dropdown to show options for the selected Process. The change was smaller than expected.

Building both versions settled the direction

With the engineering effort clearer, removing the accordion became a practical option. The PM's accordion-and-filter proposal was still valid, so we built both versions to compare them.

PM's approach

My version used two dependent dropdowns instead of the accordion. Users selected a Process first, then the Framework dropdown showed only the frameworks mapped to it. This kept the two levels separate.

My approach

Both versions worked, but comparing them made the choice clearer. The dependent-dropdown approach offered a simpler, more direct way to navigate without the accordion. It also worked with the existing table and backend, so we decided to move forward with it.

03 · INTERACTION MODEL

The dropdowns adapt to what’s available

The Framework dropdown shows only the frameworks linked to the selected Process. If there's just one, it shows that value as confirmed. If there are several, users can choose. Changing the Process also resets the Framework dropdown, so a selection from the previous Process is never carried over.

Since the product is white-labelled, I used its existing active and muted styles to make this difference clear across client themes.

Nothing selected

Before users select a Process, the Framework dropdown stays muted and shows “Select process first.” This makes it clear what they need to do next.

Single framework

When a Process has only one framework, the dropdown shows that framework but stays muted because there are no other options to choose from. The help text confirms which framework applies.

Multiple frameworks

When a Process has several frameworks, the dropdown becomes active and starts with “All” selected. The table shows controls from all linked frameworks. Selecting a specific framework filters the table to that framework.

Full interaction

The three states work together as one flow: choose a Process, then use the available Framework options.

Loading demo

04 · OUTCOME

The support problem stopped coming back

During a walkthrough, a stakeholder from a major sovereign wealth fund pointed out that navigation was clearer than with the old accordion.

That fund was one of the two clients who had repeatedly raised navigation issues with support. After the redesign, neither client reported those issues again.

PROCESS

RISK TITLE

CONTROL TITLE

Capitalisation of Assets

Revenue Expenditure Incorrectly Capitalised

Ensure assets meet capitalisation criteria prior to recording in the fixed asset register

Capitalisation of Assets

Assets Capitalised at Incorrect Value

Ensure fixed assets are recorded at cost including all directly attributable expenses

Depreciation

Incorrect Depreciation Rates or Methods Applied

Ensure depreciation is calculated in accordance with approved policy and Ind AS 16

Physical Verification

Fixed Assets Not Physically Present or Unrecorded

Conduct annual physical verification of all fixed assets and reconcile to the fixed asset register

Physical Verification

Impairment of Assets Not Identified Timely

Assess fixed assets for impairment indicators at each reporting date

PROCESS

RISK TITLE

CONTROL TITLE

Cash & Bank Management

Unauthorised Access to Bank Accounts

Restrict bank account access to authorised personnel with role-based access controls

Cash & Bank Management

Bank Reconciliation Not Performed Timely

Ensure bank reconciliations are prepared daily and reviewed by Finance Controller

Investments & Borrowings

Investments or Borrowings Entered Without Board Approval

Ensure all new investments and borrowings are approved by the Board or authorised committee

Cash & Bank Management

Bank Reconciliations Not Prepared or Reviewed

Ensure bank reconciliations are prepared and independently reviewed each month

Forex & Hedging

Unhedged Exposure Beyond Policy

Ensure net currency exposure is measured against policy limits each month

PROCESS

RISK TITLE

CONTROL TITLE

Cash & Bank Management

Unauthorised Access to Bank Accounts

Restrict bank account access to authorised personnel with role-based access controls

Investments & Borrowings

Investments or Borrowings Entered Without Board Approval

Ensure all new investments and borrowings are approved by the Board or authorised committee

Forex & Hedging

Unhedged Exposure Beyond Policy

Ensure net currency exposure is measured against policy limits each month