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Problem
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) faced inefficiencies in translating crash test data from labs into publicly accessible safety ratings. The process was fragmented, relying on outdated software and email communication, causing multi-month delays. With multiple stakeholders—program analysts, crash test engineers, and database engineers—no single source of truth existed to manage this complex workflow.
Outcome
I designed a centralized portal that allowed NHTSA and crash test labs to collaboratively manage the end-to-end workflow for crash test data publication.
- Reduce crash test processing time by an estimated 10-30%, significantly shortening the delay in publishing safety ratings.
- Increase transparency and accountability for all stakeholders.
- Enhanced user efficiency by reducing data submission time for crash test engineers by an estimated 15%.
Identifying gaps in the data publishing process
During research I used interviews and process mapping to identify gaps in the current workflow:
- Lack of Transparency: No one had a full picture of the steps required to process and publish crash test data.
- Communication Silos: Email chains buried critical updates, causing delays. There was no way to process and communicate about crash test data in the same system.
- Outdated Tools: Engineers manually uploaded crash test data using outdated software, which was time-consuming and error-prone.
Mapping the current workflow provided a reference point and communication aid between the stakeholders, users, and myself. Seeing the process visually allowed us to communicate more effectively and collectively identify the most important issues in the process.
The Solution
I designed a centralized portal that allowed NHTSA and crash test labs to collaboratively manage the end-to-end workflow for crash test data publication.
Key features:
- Status tracker dashboard
Displays the current phase of each test, required next steps, and associated files and users. Provides an overview of all tests, with drill-down functionality for detailed views. - All test items contained in one place
All details about each test including testing organization, people involved, attachments, communication and tasks are grouped with each test. - Integrated communication
all correspondence directly to the relevant test to eliminate email reliance.
I also designed an interface for automated data uploads to simplify and accelerates data submission, reducing the manual workload for engineers by an estimated 15%.
Iterating and testing
Throughout the project I:
- Shared iterative updates with users to gather feedback and refine features.
- Prioritized seamless communication and transparency on the stage in the process the crash test was at based on user input.
- Held weekly engineering Q&A sessions to overcome the challenges of working with a team unfamiliar with user experience
Final Thoughts
This work demonstrates the power of clearly defining and communicating the problem in order to create effective solutions. Because of my work to align stakeholders, users and my team we were able to transform an outdated and inefficient process into a streamlined, modernized workflow. By design portal to act as a single source of truth, integrating communication, and automating data uploading, the product addressed critical pain points for all stakeholders and users.
Although I recruited to another team before the portal's launch, the design was poised to make a significant impact on how NHTSA manages and publishes crash test data. This work not only set a new standard for efficiency and collaboration but also underscored the role of UX in driving meaningful operational change—ultimately supporting safer, more informed car purchasing decisions for the public.