That time when we created a user-friendly interface for the Data Preparation tool, simplifying data cleaning and transformation with a clear, guided workflow that empowers users to generate clean data for seamless use in other analytics tools.

Project Context

Problem

The existing data preparation workflow lacked user-friendly tools to clean, organize, and transform data effectively, resulting in inefficiency.

Solution

Designed a UI for the Data Prep tool that streamlined data cleaning and transformation with an intuitive step-by-step process.

Audience

Data analysts and business users preparing datasets for analysis.

Project Type

Full-time Professional Experience

Constraints

Limited backend capabilities initially, requiring close collaboration with developers to align design with technical feasibility.

Time Frame

Dec. 2022 – Present

{CONVERT TO MONTHS}

My Role

User Experience Researcher
UX & User Interface Designer

Team

Interdisciplinary Versium team

Project Breakdown

01

Problem Context

Users struggled with inefficient workflows for cleaning and organizing datasets, a critical step before analysis. The existing system required manual data preparation, increasing time spent on repetitive tasks and reducing productivity.

Figure 1: A side-by-side look at raw input versus its cleaned counterpart, highlighting how the tool transforms disorganized entries into consistent, standardized data ready for further analysis.

02

Research Process

Conducted user interviews with data analysts and business users to identify pain points, observed current workflows, and collected feedback on desired features. Competitive analysis of similar tools helped uncover opportunities for improvement.

Synthesis

Key insights revealed that users needed a guided, flexible, and modular approach to data preparation that accommodated varying dataset complexities without overwhelming the experience.

Figure 2: A focused view of the data prep workspace, where the user selects specific columns—like email addresses—to apply targeted cleaning rules, resulting in validated, reliable outputs for segmentation and beyond.

03

Design
  • Developed a step-by-step UI that simplified the data cleaning process.
  • Included toggles and reusable components for transformations (e.g., merging, splitting, and deduplication).
  • Iterated designs based on user testing feedback to ensure usability and efficiency.
Figure 3:An at-a-glance summary of the dataset’s status, including total records and estimated issue percentages. Bar and donut charts visualize anomalies by column and by error type, guiding users on where to focus their cleaning efforts.

04

Deliverable

A functional, user-friendly Data Prep tool integrated into the platform that streamlined data cleaning, organizing, and transformation.

Outcome

These improvements not only saved users time but also enhanced the overall data quality, enabling more accurate and reliable analysis. By simplifying the transformation process, we empowered analysts to focus on insights rather than data prep.

Figure 4: A final results view illustrating the transformation steps from raw input to cleaned data. The diagram and bar chart highlight what was changed and the overall percentage of cleaned records, giving users immediate insight into the effectiveness of each transformation.
Media credit shared between Lukas and the Versium team.