Payton Houden

TrustCloud: In-Product Guidance for Compliance Teams

In-product help for a compliance platform people only open when something is due.

4 min read

TrustCloud’s risk form on a laptop, with the Help Mode switch on and a tooltip explaining how Help Mode works.
  • 10% fewer support tickets
  • 20% more users found support on their own

Overview

CompanyTrustCloud, a compliance automation SaaS platform
RoleUX/UI Designer, the primary designer on a team of five. Research, concept exploration, UI and testing, working with product and engineering.
Timeline2023

The Problem

TrustCloud users mostly came back when a compliance task was due. Between visits they forgot key workflows and terminology, and the only way to get help was to leave the platform.

Two pain points stood out:

  • 01

    New users struggled to find their way around in their first few weeks.

  • 02

    Returning users forgot compliance terms, and there was no help inside the product.

Users

The core user was a compliance admin, often a head of security at a small company, carrying compliance on top of a full job.

  • A typical example

    “Amber,” Head of Security at a 150-person startup

    • Responsible for: keeping the company compliant and showing leadership a clear picture of progress

    • Struggles with: a small team, too many responsibilities and no clear starting point for a new certification

    • Needs: help on demand, without being overwhelmed by features, since she isn’t in the platform daily

Discovery

I gathered feedback from users and internal stakeholders on what happened after onboarding ended. Onboarding itself scored well. Once it was over, users weren’t sure what to do next, compliance terms confused them and getting help meant leaving the platform.

Bar chart of how users feel at each stage. Onboarding scores highest; forgetting terminology, the post-onboarding experience and general help score lowest; knowing what to do next sits in the middle.
How users felt at each stage, from onboarding to finding help on their own.

Key Decisions

1. Focus on two features and set the chatbot aside

I explored three concepts: a “Help Mode” for on-demand help, a guided tour, and a chatbot. A cross-functional review found the tour useful for returning users and Help Mode valuable because it didn’t interrupt work. The chatbot raised implementation concerns, and testers worried it would give inaccurate answers, so we deprioritized it.

Shipping two features well mattered more than shipping three halfway.

Hand-drawn mind map for getting around the platform, with “guided platform tour” circled and starred.
Hand-drawn mind map for forgotten terms, with “a help mode that shows tooltips on hover” circled and starred.
Hand-drawn mind map for in-product help, with “an AI chatbot users can ask for help” circled and starred.
Three early concepts. The chatbot was deprioritized after review and testing.

2. Make help easy to notice

In testing, some users never noticed Help Mode. I added a first-time prompt that introduces it the first time someone needs it.

Before

Before: the Help Mode switch sits in the page header with nothing pointing it out.

After

After: a first-time pop-up points to the Help Mode switch and explains what it does.
Testers missed Help Mode, so I added a first-time prompt.

3. Let users control the tour

Testers wanted control over the guided tour rather than having it forced on them. I made it optional, with a clear choice to start or skip.

Before

Before: the guided tour starts on its own and dims the dashboard.

After

After: a welcome message asks whether to take the tour now or later.
The tour became optional after testers asked for control.

Results

Help Mode and the guided tour launched together as one onboarding and support experience for new and returning users.

  • 10% fewer support tickets
  • 20% more users found support on their own
The final experience: Help Mode and the guided tour working together inside TrustCloud.

Reflection

  • Testing changed the design twice

    Both the Help Mode prompt and the optional tour came straight from watching people use early versions.

  • Knowing what not to build is a design decision

    Deprioritizing the chatbot kept the team focused on what users could trust.