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[Case 02]

Cut approval times by 90% and automated access for 2,700+ students with zero export errors.

Higher Education

Maseeh Access Control System

Modernizing Room Access Across an Entire College

[Project Overview]

The Maseeh Access Control System (MACS) is a centralized web app that replaced outdated, manual access workflows with a streamlined, role-based system.

As Team Lead and Product Designer, I led a six-person team through research, design, and development. I worked closely with stakeholders to align technical decisions with real user needs across students, faculty, and administrators. We built custom dashboards, added bulk request tools, integrated PSU SSO, and automated CSV exports to CPSO. The system improved speed, accuracy, and coordination.

[Problem Statement]

Students and staff relied on emails, spreadsheets, and inconsistent workflows to manage access requests. This caused delays, errors, and a lack of transparency. CPSO often received files that were incomplete or improperly formatted, slowing down the badge approval process. Departments had no shared system, and staff were overwhelmed.

We needed a unified, secure platform that could handle both individual and bulk requests, reduce manual work, and give users clear status visibility.

[Industry]

Higher Education

[My Role]

Team Lead

Product Designer

[Platforms]

Web-based application

[Timeline]

January 2025 – June 2025

🔐PROTECTED

🔐PROTECTED

[Process]

[01] Research & Scoping

Interviewed stakeholders from EPL, CPSO, and CAT to understand pain points and institutional constraints

Audited existing access request workflows across departments to find inconsistencies and redundancies

Mapped key user roles and approval hierarchies to define scope and system requirements

[01] Research & Scoping

Interviewed stakeholders from EPL, CPSO, and CAT to understand pain points and institutional constraints

Audited existing access request workflows across departments to find inconsistencies and redundancies

Mapped key user roles and approval hierarchies to define scope and system requirements

[01] Research & Scoping

Interviewed stakeholders from EPL, CPSO, and CAT to understand pain points and institutional constraints

Audited existing access request workflows across departments to find inconsistencies and redundancies

Mapped key user roles and approval hierarchies to define scope and system requirements

[02] UX Strategy

Designed role-specific dashboards and approval flows for students, approvers, and admins

Used Figma to prototype core flows including bulk uploads, manual overrides, and badge editing

Conducted informal feedback sessions with sponsors to align interface decisions with real needs

[02] UX Strategy

Designed role-specific dashboards and approval flows for students, approvers, and admins

Used Figma to prototype core flows including bulk uploads, manual overrides, and badge editing

Conducted informal feedback sessions with sponsors to align interface decisions with real needs

[02] UX Strategy

Designed role-specific dashboards and approval flows for students, approvers, and admins

Used Figma to prototype core flows including bulk uploads, manual overrides, and badge editing

Conducted informal feedback sessions with sponsors to align interface decisions with real needs

[03] Team Coordination

Managed a 6-person engineering team across frontend and backend tracks

Ran weekly sprints with Jira backlog grooming and async status check-ins

Balanced scope vs timeline by setting clear MVP boundaries and pushing deferred features into backlog

[03] Team Coordination

Managed a 6-person engineering team across frontend and backend tracks

Ran weekly sprints with Jira backlog grooming and async status check-ins

Balanced scope vs timeline by setting clear MVP boundaries and pushing deferred features into backlog

[03] Team Coordination

Managed a 6-person engineering team across frontend and backend tracks

Ran weekly sprints with Jira backlog grooming and async status check-ins

Balanced scope vs timeline by setting clear MVP boundaries and pushing deferred features into backlog

[04] Build & Validate

Integrated PSU SSO and implemented backend logic for CSV formatting, routing, and status tracking

Personally reviewed edge cases like COGNOS file errors and mismatched student data

Conducted live stakeholder demos and QA walkthroughs to test end-to-end functionality

[04] Build & Validate

Integrated PSU SSO and implemented backend logic for CSV formatting, routing, and status tracking

Personally reviewed edge cases like COGNOS file errors and mismatched student data

Conducted live stakeholder demos and QA walkthroughs to test end-to-end functionality

[04] Build & Validate

Integrated PSU SSO and implemented backend logic for CSV formatting, routing, and status tracking

Personally reviewed edge cases like COGNOS file errors and mismatched student data

Conducted live stakeholder demos and QA walkthroughs to test end-to-end functionality

[Outcome]

Cut approval delays by 90% through automated routing and role-based dashboards
Sponsors praised the system’s usability and are considering it for long-term adoption across campus
Led 6-person team from kickoff to delivery, shipping a full-stack scalable system in under 6 months

[Key Learning]

01 Leadership Requires Unblocking, Not Just Direction

I learned that leading a team means creating momentum by removing roadblocks and making sure everyone has what they need to move forward.

01 Leadership Requires Unblocking, Not Just Direction

I learned that leading a team means creating momentum by removing roadblocks and making sure everyone has what they need to move forward.

01 Leadership Requires Unblocking, Not Just Direction

I learned that leading a team means creating momentum by removing roadblocks and making sure everyone has what they need to move forward.

02 Simplicity is key when users are under pressure

Working with staff who manage hundreds of student requests showed me that simple, predictable design beats anything flashy or complex.

02 Simplicity is key when users are under pressure

Working with staff who manage hundreds of student requests showed me that simple, predictable design beats anything flashy or complex.

02 Simplicity is key when users are under pressure

Working with staff who manage hundreds of student requests showed me that simple, predictable design beats anything flashy or complex.

03 Early feedback prevents wasted work

User walkthroughs revealed gaps we hadn’t considered. Catching them early helped us avoid building features that didn’t match real needs.

03 Early feedback prevents wasted work

User walkthroughs revealed gaps we hadn’t considered. Catching them early helped us avoid building features that didn’t match real needs.

03 Early feedback prevents wasted work

User walkthroughs revealed gaps we hadn’t considered. Catching them early helped us avoid building features that didn’t match real needs.

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