Overview
This project demonstrates my ability to navigate complex regulatory environments, design at massive scale, and balance competing stakeholder needs while maintaining user-centered design principles under extreme time pressure.
Scope: 1+ million global Amazon employees, iOS/Android native applications, ML processing pipeline, enterprise design system overhaul
Timeline: 6 months (May-October 2021) with 3 major release phases plus parallel design system development
Tools: Native mobile development, Machine learning image analysis pipeline, Amazon internal systems integration, Design system component library
Constraints: Federal OSHA compliance deadlines, varying state regulations, global facility integration requirements, privacy and ethical considerations, parallel app redesign timeline
The Challenge
Amazon faced unprecedented regulatory pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring rapid development of a comprehensive vaccination tracking and compliance system for all employees worldwide. The company needed to balance federal OSHA requirements, state regulations, ethical considerations, and operational efficiency across diverse global workforces.
The Problem
- Regulatory Compliance: OSHA requirements mandated businesses with 1,000+ employees to require vaccines or testing, with Amazon needing immediate compliance across all facilities
- Scale and Complexity: Solution needed to serve 1+ million Amazonians globally with varying local regulations, facility access requirements, and accommodation needs
- Operational Bottlenecks: Manual processes would create significant delays in facility access and workforce management during critical business periods
- Ethical and Privacy Concerns: Balancing mandatory health reporting with employee privacy rights and creating transparent, trustworthy user experience around sensitive personal data
My Approach
Discovery: Understanding Stakeholder Ecosystem and Regulatory Landscape
Working directly with SVP leadership and legal teams, I conducted comprehensive stakeholder mapping to understand the complex intersection of government regulations, company policies, and employee needs. The discovery phase revealed critical dependencies between facilities management, HR policies, compliance tracking, and individual employee workflows.
Key findings revealed 5 critical needs:
- Government Compliance across Executive Orders, Emergency Standards, OSHA requirements, and State Regulations
- Facility Operations including gate building access, scheduling systems, and workforce capacity planning
- Employee Support covering accommodations, reporting mechanisms, exceptions handling, and paid time off policies
- Compliance Tracking with real-time status monitoring, testing result integration, and historical reporting capabilities
- Scalable Processing to handle millions of submissions with automated validation and human review workflows
Strategy: Phased Rollout with Machine Learning Integration
The strategy centered on rapid MVP delivery followed by iterative improvements, balancing immediate compliance needs with long-term scalability. I developed a three-phase approach that prioritized regulatory compliance while building sustainable systems for ongoing operations.
The strategy centered on 3 pillars:
Immediate Compliance
- MVP launch within one month of project kickoff
- Focus on core vaccination reporting and certificate generation
- Integration with existing Amazon employee systems and facility access
Scalable Operations
- Machine learning framework for automated submission processing
- Workflow standardization across global facilities
- Real-time analytics and error reduction mechanisms
Employee Experience
- Transparent communication about data usage and privacy
- Comprehensive support resources and accommodation processes
- Mobile-first design for frontline worker accessibility
Key Deliverables
Mobile-First COVID Compliance Platform
A comprehensive native mobile application enabling vaccination reporting, certificate management, and compliance tracking for all Amazon employees globally.
Automated Submission Processing System
Machine learning-powered backend system to automatically process, validate, and approve vaccination submissions at scale while flagging edge cases for human review.
- Automated validation of vaccination records and documentation
- Real-time compliance status tracking and certificate generation
- Integration with facility access systems and workforce management tools
Workflow Framework for Enterprise Submissions
Standardized UX framework for submission-based workflows that could be applied across other Amazon internal tools and compliance requirements.
- Reusable component library for form-based workflows
- Error handling and validation patterns
- Mobile-optimized interaction patterns for frontline workers
Impact & Results
Quantified Improvements
- Vaccine Submissions: 40,000+ submissions on day one → 100k+ total vaccines reported
- Usability Improvement: 63% improvement in task completion rates
- Error Reduction: 5% → 1% submission error rate through iterative design improvements
- User Adoption: 1+ million Amazonians actively using the platform
- Processing Efficiency: 3 successful product launches within 5-month timeline
Qualitative Outcomes
- Eliminated physical lines and manual verification processes at Amazon facilities worldwide
- Created transparent, trustworthy experience for sensitive health data collection during crisis period
- Established scalable framework for future compliance and submission-based workflows
- Enabled Amazon to maintain operational continuity while meeting all regulatory requirements
- Built cross-functional collaboration model between design, legal, policy, and operations teams
Key Learnings
Designing for Crisis and Regulatory Constraints
Working within extremely tight regulatory timelines taught me the importance of balancing user needs with legal requirements. The most successful solutions emerged when I could translate complex OSHA regulations into clear user scenarios and workflows, making compliance feel supportive rather than punitive.
Scale Amplifies Small UX Issues
At Amazon's scale, a 5% error rate translated to 5,000-7,000 support cases per week. This project reinforced how critical it is to identify and address even minor usability friction points before they compound into operational bottlenecks. Small improvements in form design and error messaging had massive downstream effects.
Ethics and Transparency in Sensitive Data Collection
Building trust around mandatory health data collection required explicit transparency about data usage, clear communication about employee rights, and comprehensive accommodation processes. The most effective approach was acknowledging the sensitivity upfront rather than minimizing concerns.