Salesforce Customization
UHN Expense Transfer Module:
How might we streamline the Expense Transfer Process for a national health research network?
Tools
Figma
Miro
SLDS
Pen & Paper
The Project
United Health Network (UHN), the largest health research network in Canada, faced significant challenges managing expense transfers across multiple financial centers. The system in place was decentralized and disorganized, creating a high risk of human error and inefficiency. Each transfer required multiple layers of approval and often took several days to complete, despite the fact that hundreds of requests were being submitted each week. This not only slowed down financial operations but also placed unnecessary strain on staff. UHN needed a streamlined, flexible solution that would reduce risk, improve efficiency, and dramatically shorten the time required to process each request.
The Goal
Create a Custom Lightning Web Component that would centralize the Expense Transfer process, streamline the approval process, and allow users the ability to select different transfer types, amounts, and split transfers to multiple financial centers in a single request
Research
To design an effective solution, it was essential to first gain a complete understanding of UHN’s expense transfer process. Our team held regular sessions with key stakeholders to clarify every step of the workflow—who initiates a transfer, who approves it, where funds are routed, and which types of expenses qualify for transfer. We then conducted interviews with employees who regularly initiated these requests, focusing on their process, requirements, pain points, and aspirations for an improved system. The insights gathered from these sessions allowed us to clearly define the core problems, shape potential solutions, and ultimately guide the direction of our final design.
Decide and Design
Recognizing that UHN planned to house the expense transfer module within their existing Salesforce ecosystem, we anchored our design in the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) to ensure a seamless, familiar experience for users. By leveraging SLDS’s standardized iconography, typography, sizing, and color principles, we were able to align our component’s look and feel with the broader Salesforce interface—minimizing cognitive friction and reinforcing visual consistency.
Prototype
The finalized product took the form of a custom Lightning Web Component with a three-step tabular process: users could select specific expenses, route them to designated cost centers, and even split single expenses across multiple cost centers. The final step allowed them to select the appropriate approver—or assign themselves as the approver—to streamline approvals and reduce delays.
To address the unique complexity of salaries and benefits, we introduced a dedicated secondary view. This view leveraged a grid-based system that displayed monthly salary amounts grouped by employee, allowing each individual to be managed as their own case. By treating salary transfers in this structured way, we simplified a historically cumbersome process and made it more intuitive, transparent, and efficient for end users.
Outcomes
The release of the new expense transfer module exceeded expectations. Users reported high satisfaction, while the solution reduced approval times by nearly 20 hours per week and boosted user retention on UHN’s Salesforce portal by 60%.
This project highlighted the value of grounding design in user research, stakeholder collaboration, and established design systems. By aligning the solution with both user needs and UHN’s strategic goals, we delivered an intuitive and impactful tool that streamlined workflows and improved engagement.
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