Adaptive Onboarding,
Confident Contractors.
Agentic AI | Mobile | Product | UX
The Product
An AI-assisted mobile onboarding experience that guides independent contractors through identity verification, compliance, contracts, and payment setup. The platform adapts to each company's unique onboarding workflow while providing contextual support throughout the journey.
The Problem
Every contractor onboarding journey was different. Over-customized client workflows, rigid onboarding logic, and little visibility into required documentation created confusing experiences that often led to frustration, abandoned onboarding, and unnecessary support.
The Project
(1) Designed a scalable, workflow-driven onboarding system that adapts to each client's unique compliance requirements.
(2) Reduced uncertainty through contextual AI guidance, helping contractors navigate onboarding with confidence.
(3) Simplified complex verification and compliance workflows to create a faster, more intuitive mobile experience.
Tools | Figma, Adobe Suite, Miro, JIRA
Duration | December 2025 - March 2026
Team | Soul of the Machine Design & Engineering (2 UX, 2 Front-end, 2 RAG, 2 Backend, SotM Leadership) & Openforce Product Team, Engineers + Executive Leadership (14+)
My Role | Design Director
Background
Where Business Needs Meet Humans Needs
Why the Previous Experiences Was Broken
Designing a Configurable Framework
Finding the 'Right' First Experience
Designing for Momentum - Meet VIA
Reducing Friction
Designing for Trust
Outcomes
Reflection
Responsible AI by Design
The Process | TOC
Notable Impacts & Outcomes
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Exceeded initial launch goal: Achieved a user rating above 4.0 within the first year (2022), meeting key business objectives.
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Sustained high user satisfaction: Currently rated 4.5/5 on app stores with over 1,800 user reviews (as of May 2025).
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Boosted engagement: Increased Daily Active Users (DAU) by 40% within the first year of release.
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Influenced broader product strategy: Mobile design patterns introduced in this project are now used across 7+ BARBRI learning products, shaping the student journey holistically.
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Laid groundwork for future innovation: Established a scalable foundation for ongoing mobile optimization and accessibility, including features like accessible digital scantrons for test-takers with limited mobility and a digital bookshelf for on-the-go access to case law.
Background
Openforce, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, provides onboarding, compliance, insurance, and payment solutions for independent contractors across the transportation industry. Soul of the Machine was brought in to redesign the mobile onboarding experience, introducing agentic AI while helping position Openforce as the first-to-market with an intelligent onboarding platform.
During kickoff and discovery, I traveled with Soul of the Machine's leadership team to map existing workflows and uncover the challenges facing both the business and its contractors. As Openforce's CTO put it:
"If we don't innovate, our competitors will—and then we lose."
The urgency was clear. The existing onboarding experience had bounce rates exceeding 80%, with contractors often abandoning the process due to confusing workflows, limited visibility into required documentation, and the inability to pause and resume without losing progress.
We also uncovered a larger product challenge. Years of highly customized client workflows had created a fragmented experience that was difficult to scale and maintain. Rather than continuing to build one-off solutions, our opportunity was to create a configurable onboarding framework that met diverse business needs while delivering a consistent, intuitive experience for every contractor.
As Design Director, I led the UX strategy and design team that transformed Openforce's fragmented onboarding experience into a scalable, AI-assisted, human-centered platform.
Where Business Needs Meet Human Needs
Openforce's challenge extended beyond redesigning a mobile experience—it required balancing complex business requirements with the expectations of the contractors and businesses using it. Years of customer-specific customization had created fragmented workflows and an onboarding experience that no longer scaled.
Contractors needed clarity, flexibility, and confidence—not rigid workflows that punished mistakes or forced them to start over. Our opportunity was to create a configurable onboarding framework that delivered a consistent, human-centered experience without sacrificing business flexibility.
To elevate the BARBRI mobile experience, we strategically integrated both new and proven mobile features aimed at improving usability, accessibility, and overall user satisfaction. Each feature was designed to support students' daily routines and learning preferences while enhancing the overall value of the mobile platform.
Designing a Configurable Framework
This feature allows students to automatically queue and launch their daily assignments, streamlining their study sessions and saving time—especially valuable for learners balancing busy schedules.
Designing a Configurable Framework
In the early stages of the project, I partnered closely with my Product Owner using MIRO as our central planning and collaboration tool. Together, we defined key product requirements, brainstormed new feature ideas, and scoped the technical feasibility in close consultation with our mobile development team. Our planning sessions were highly iterative and transparent, ensuring that both user needs and technical constraints were thoughtfully balanced.
To maintain alignment across the organization, we held regular work sessions with business stakeholders. These conversations helped clarify expectations, refine goals, and establish measurable KPIs to track the impact of the upcoming mobile release.
The broader team’s enthusiasm for launching a fresh, user-friendly mobile experience gave us the freedom—and support—to be creative and bold in our thinking. I took this opportunity to explore multiple UI variations, experimenting with layout, interaction patterns, and content prioritization. However, throughout the exploration phase, out team remained intentional about maintaining design consistency with the existing desktop experience. The goal was to ensure a seamless cross-platform journey, reinforcing brand cohesion and reducing friction for users familiar with the desktop product.
Enhancing Accessibility
Accessibility was a core consideration throughout the design and development of the BARBRI mobile application. Building on the foundation of the desktop experience, the mobile app leveraged components and design patterns from BARBRI’s design system—originally crafted with WCAG 2.0+ compliance standards in mind—and thoughtfully adapted them for a responsive, mobile-first environment.
Finding the 'Right' First Experience
To elevate the BARBRI mobile experience, we strategically integrated both new and proven mobile features aimed at improving usability, accessibility, and overall user satisfaction. Each feature was designed to support students' daily routines and learning preferences while enhancing the overall value of the mobile platform.
Dashboard Design & Iteration
This feature allows students to automatically queue and launch their daily assignments, streamlining their study sessions and saving time—especially valuable for learners balancing busy schedules.
We digitized familiar study aids to support a range of learning styles. Students can flag challenging questions, mask answers to encourage recall, and highlight key content—all from within the app.
Understanding the Issues
The original mobile app suffered from several critical usability and accessibility issues. Performing UX audit revealed problems such as:
(1) Non-compliant touch targets – Navigation elements featured buttons and tap areas that were too small, negatively impacting usability and falling short of accessibility standards.
(2) Insufficient contrast and text scalability – Poor color contrast and undersized text compromised readability and failed to meet WCAG accessibility guidelines.
(3) Overwhelming course layout – The course structure was cluttered and difficult to scan, offering minimal visual hierarchy or organizational support for students.
(4) Lack of core accessibility and support features – The absence of accessibility settings, performance insights, and learning tools resulted in a disjointed, hard-to-navigate experience for many users.
Accessibility Settings
Customization features like adjustable color modes and font sizing offer users greater control over how they consume content, promoting usability and inclusivity for diverse learning needs.
To support this, we tailored visual and interactive elements in accordance with each platform’s standards—Human Interface Guidelines for iOS and Material Design for Android. This approach allowed us to strike a careful balance between cross-platform consistency and native usability, ensuring the mobile app felt intuitive and familiar to users regardless of their device.
Bringing the BARBRI mobile learning experience to life was a highly collaborative and rewarding effort. By aligning closely with product, development, and business stakeholders, we delivered a mobile application that not only complements the desktop LMS but also meets the evolving needs of our users—everywhere.
To support this, we tailored visual and interactive elements in accordance with each platform’s standards—Human Interface Guidelines for iOS and Material Design for Android. This approach allowed us to strike a careful balance between cross-platform consistency and native usability, ensuring the mobile app felt intuitive and familiar to users regardless of their device.
Bringing the BARBRI mobile learning experience to life was a highly collaborative and rewarding effort. By aligning closely with product, development, and business stakeholders, we delivered a mobile application that not only complements the desktop LMS but also meets the evolving needs of our users—everywhere.
To ensure a more inclusive and user-friendly experience, several accessibility-focused enhancements were implemented:
(1) Larger touch targets – Interactive elements were redesigned with a minimum size of 48px, improving usability for all users, including those with motor impairments.
(2) Mobile-optimized features – Tools like Auto-Playing Assignments and Performance Analytics were designed to be easily accessible and intuitive on smaller screens, minimizing cognitive load.
(3) Streamlined course layout – Assignments were organized in a clear, structured format, enabling quicker navigation and reducing the effort required to find relevant content.
(4) Accessible colors and typography – Color palettes and font selections were evaluated for contrast compliance, with text sizes set for maximum legibility across a range of device sizes.
To ensure a more inclusive and user-friendly experience, several accessibility-focused enhancements were implemented:
(1) Larger touch targets – Interactive elements were redesigned with a minimum size of 48px, improving usability for all users, including those with motor impairments.
(2) Mobile-optimized features – Tools like Auto-Playing Assignments and Performance Analytics were designed to be easily accessible and intuitive on smaller screens, minimizing cognitive load.
(3) Streamlined course layout – Assignments were organized in a clear, structured format, enabling quicker navigation and reducing the effort required to find relevant content.
(4) Accessible colors and typography – Color palettes and font selections were evaluated for contrast compliance, with text sizes set for maximum legibility across a range of device sizes.
To ensure a more inclusive and user-friendly experience, several accessibility-focused enhancements were implemented:
(1) Larger touch targets – Interactive elements were redesigned with a minimum size of 48px, improving usability for all users, including those with motor impairments.
(2) Mobile-optimized features – Tools like Auto-Playing Assignments and Performance Analytics were designed to be easily accessible and intuitive on smaller screens, minimizing cognitive load.
(3) Streamlined course layout – Assignments were organized in a clear, structured format, enabling quicker navigation and reducing the effort required to find relevant content.
(4) Accessible colors and typography – Color palettes and font selections were evaluated for contrast compliance, with text sizes set for maximum legibility across a range of device sizes.
Native Considerations
While our goal was to maintain visual and functional cohesion between the desktop LMS and the new mobile experience, we remained equally attentive to platform-specific guidelines to ensure a truly native feel on both iOS and Android. Core functionality remained consistent, but we thoughtfully accounted for differences in navigation patterns, gesture interactions, and system UI behaviors.
Mobile-Optimized Analytics
With enhanced performance metrics built for smaller screens, students can easily track progress, review subject mastery, and make data-informed decisions—anytime, anywhere.
To support this, we tailored visual and interactive elements in accordance with each platform’s standards—Human Interface Guidelines for iOS and Material Design for Android. This approach allowed us to strike a careful balance between cross-platform consistency and native usability, ensuring the mobile app felt intuitive and familiar to users regardless of their device.
Bringing the BARBRI mobile learning experience to life was a highly collaborative and rewarding effort. By aligning closely with product, development, and business stakeholders, we delivered a mobile application that not only complements the desktop LMS but also meets the evolving needs of our users—everywhere.
Reflection / What I learned...
Designing Champion AI reinforced my belief that the most effective AI doesn't replace human expertise—it amplifies it. Throughout the project, I worked alongside ERP consultants, engineers, and AI leaders to simplify one of the most complex workflows in enterprise software while preserving the judgment and experience that make successful implementations possible.
This experience shaped how I think about designing intelligent products. Great AI isn't defined by how autonomous it becomes, but by how confidently it helps people navigate complexity, make informed decisions, and do their best work.
Responsible AI by Design
Champion AI was designed to simplify ERP migration while keeping experienced consultants in control of every critical decision.
Human Expertise First
AI provided recommendations, while experienced consultants retained final decision-making authority.
Context-Aware Advice
Recommendations were tailored to each project's workflow, dependencies, and migration progress.
Transparent Decisions
Validation issues, dependencies, and suggested actions were clearly explained to build confidence and trust.
Accelerating Expertise
AI reduced repetitive work
so consultants could focus on higher-value decisions.
Applied to Champion AI
From onboarding and validation to dependency mapping, Champion AI accelerated ERP migration while keeping human expertise at the center of every implementation.