The $100,000 UX of ... Bulls?
Showing the value of user-centred design by turning a manual workflow into a structured digital system that helps save hundreds of thousands of dollars.
2024
Year
12 weeks
Duration
Figma
Stack
UX Designer Intern
Role
Alta Genetics
Company
5-10 minutes
Reading Time
Quick Summary
Problem
Manual, handwritten production processes led to inefficiencies, limited accountability, and accuracy errors, all of which carried heavy financial costs. The workflow relied on expert intuition rather than reliable systems, making mistakes both difficult to detect and hard to rectify.
Solution
I designed a digital, scanner-integrated system that replaced the manual steps with a structured and traceable workflow. The interface mirrored existing habits to simplify adoption while improving speed, accuracy, and consistency. What was once fragile and error-prone became a reliable, data-driven process.
My Role
As the sole UX designer, I led research, testing, prototyping, and documentation. I worked closely with developers, production staff, and leadership to align technical, operational, and strategic perspectives into a cohesive solution.
Challenges
Unlike typical UX contexts, our users were workers with low digital literacy in a rural environment, not exactly what is taught in class. Every detail had to be rethought for simplicity, clarity, and resilience. Oh, and did I mention I was the sole UX designer on the project?
No NDAs Were Harmed
Everything in this case study comes from real project material, with a few small tweaks for translation, privacy, and clarity. All content was reviewed and approved before publishing.
(Yes, you aren't going crazy, some images are blurry for this very reason)
Complete Process
Who is Alta Genetics?
Alta Genetics is a multinational dedicated to helping cattle producers improve herd genetics. Their innovations support the global meat and dairy supply, ultimately putting food on the table for millions. Beyond genetics, Alta also develops software: tools for farmers and vets managing herds and internal systems that streamline daily operations.
Learning by the Book (Literally)
Being the UX team of one meant a lot of self-teaching, and thankfully, Leah Buley had already written the playbook. But it wasn’t the only source I turned to.
Lean UX reframed practices I was already familiar with in a way that fit this fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Meanwhile, Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction was a solid refresher on research and HCI principles from past classes.
Not a bad combo for someone running field studies with a notebook in one hand and a factory schedule in the other.
Where are the Personas?
They didn’t make an appearance this time, and that says a lot about how we worked. With a small, specialized user base already in close contact with the team, we could move fast and focus on learning by doing. The process leaned on quick validation, constant feedback, and visible progress instead of lengthy documentation. It was a practical, fast-moving way of working that fit Alta’s pace perfectly.
The Case of The Invisible Button
The "invisible" quit button went through more redesigns than anything else. The first versions used icons, which only about 20% of users recognized. Switching to written labels doubled that number, which was an improvement but still not ideal for something that needed to be obvious.
The breakthrough came from something right in front of my face. No, literally. It was a huge red exit sign hanging above the production floor, right where I ran every test. Most of our users were Brazilian farm workers, so low digital literacy wasn't surprising. What I hadn't considered was something that I already knew: around half of that population is classified as functionally illiterate by first-world standards. They simply did not recognize the words we were using. But once we used the same word from that sign instead of a term common in digital environments, recognition jumped to 100%.
It was a humbling reminder of where I come from. My formal training in Canada had given me assumptions that clouded my view of things that should have been obvious to me. Since then, I've learned to take five steps back and always question whether things are truly as universal as they seem.
Finallized Core Principles
Intuitive Design. The interface had to make sense instantly, even for users unfamiliar with the process or digital tools. If someone needed instructions, the design had already failed.
Error Prevention. Mistakes in production are expensive, which is quite literally why this system is being made. Every interaction included built-in safeguards to help users avoid errors before they happened.
Built for Real Use. Every decision was tested, challenged, and adjusted in the field. It wasn’t about designing for perfection, but for people doing real work.
Usability Over Aesthetics. Visual polish mattered less than practical clarity. High contrast visuals, large touch areas, and simple designs made the system much easier to use in practice.
Documentation being preserved
While a lot of material was created, they still leave safe and sound in the green pasture of Alta's servers, so sadly there won't be any examples that I can showcase here.
The Book Stack Strikes Back
Did you think I was done listing books that helped me through all of this? Oh, far from it. I need to do justice to my saviours. During this project, I had one pile in my backpack for work and another waiting for me at home.
Beyond the ones already mentioned, there were many others, such as About Face, Articulating Design Decisions, Atomic Design, Refactoring UI, and Laws of UX. Each one was ready to answer the next question that came up: from improving research to explaining design choices to people who don't spend their lives in Figma.
But of course, that still wasn't enough. When I wasn't flipping pages, I was buried in NN Group and IxDF articles, sometimes to figure out what I even needed to search for, and other times to dive deeper into what the books had skipped. I cannot overstate the impact these authors and educators had on me throughout this process.
During: Learning Through the Work
Everyone sees the system differently. Although bringing those perspectives together wasn't always easy, it was essential for design.
Plans change constantly. So, I must stay flexible and adjust quickly while keeping the user's needs at the center of every decision.
Communication is as important as design. Translating research and decisions for different teams was half the job. If people don’t understand the “why,” the “what” doesn’t matter.
The real world rewrites the rules. What makes sense on a whiteboard doesn't always survive the production floor. Testing in context was what kept us in the right path.
Iteration drove progress. Each round of feedback, every small tweak, and even the failed attempts made the final result stronger than anything I could have planned from the start.
The Project That Made Me Certain
This was the best possible project for a first co-op. It pushed me in every direction and showed what UX and product design can really do when done with care.
I owe a huge thanks to Alta and everyone I worked with for trusting me and giving me the space to learn, experiment, and make mistakes. It’s the project that made me certain this is the kind of work I want to keep doing.