Transforming McKinsey’s analytics function through user insights
Consulting | Analytics
McKinsey’s internal analytics function was fragmented across five legacy teams, each operating with their own tools and workflows. This created inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and poor adoption of self-serve analytics tools. Our UX-led transformation unified the function, streamlined tooling, and contributed to $50M+ in annual savings—while significantly improving the consultant experience.
In my role as Senior Manager, UX Research & Transformation, I led the research and discovery work, co-authored the case for change, and partnered with leadership to design the new organizational model, operational workflows, and UX strategy.
CLIENT
McKinsey & Company
01. Situation
Consultants struggled with complex, inconsistent data workflows. Tools like Alteryx and Tableau were underutilized, while five analytics teams managed different steps of the process without alignment. It was also difficult to locate key people, documentation, and training resources—slowing down the consultant workflow and weakening tool adoption.
02. Task
Redesign the analytics function using UX research to:
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Map the end-to-end user journey (from data access to modeling)
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Identify friction in tooling, support, and team coordination
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Create clarity across roles, content, and ownership
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Build alignment and readiness for structural transformation
03. Action
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Conducted one year of foundational UX research across teams and roles
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Mapped consultant workflows, from data ingestion and cleaning to insight delivery
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Created a 360° view of adoption barriers, workflow inefficiencies, and redundancies across teams
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Led journey mapping and persona work to center the consultant experience
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Facilitated leadership workshops and co-designed new org structure
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Consolidated five teams into one analytics function with unified roadmap
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Embedded research governance, backlog, and tooling enhancements for long-term UX maturity
04. Result
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Unified five legacy teams into one integrated analytics org
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Delivered $50M+ in annual savings and 20% FTE reduction
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Improved discoverability of key tools, people, and documentation
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Enabled smoother end-to-end data workflows for consultants
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Reframed UX as a driver of organizational strategy—not just product design
Illustrating the process
Key artifacts from the transformation—highlighting how user insights, team alignment, and structural redesign came together to reshape McKinsey’s internal analytics function.
End-to-end analytics journey
Mapping workflows to reveal barriers and inefficiencies
We visualized the complete data-to-decision journey—from ingestion and transformation to modeling and insight delivery. The collaborative journey mapping exercise exposed friction points in tooling, role clarity, and access, helping teams see the cumulative impact of disconnected processes.
Before the redesign
Visualizing fragmentation across teams and touchpoints
Before the redesign, the end-to-end journey—from raw data to insight delivery—was fragmented across five separate analytics teams. Each owned a different segment, with overlapping tools, unclear handoffs, and inconsistent support. This visualization made the inefficiencies visible and created urgency for change by showing how much cognitive and coordination overhead was placed on consultants.
Cross-team alignment workshops
Optimizing the consultant experience through collaboration
A series of workshops and monthly backlog meetings with representatives from all five analytics teams brought critical alignment around user needs, duplication of effort, and missed opportunities. This session surfaced shared pain points and laid the groundwork for a unified transformation roadmap.
New organizational structure
Redesigning the function to enable efficiency and scale
We co-created a new operating model that consolidated five legacy teams into a single analytics function with clear roles, governance, and roadmap ownership. This org redesign was grounded in research insights and delivered measurable impact—from cost savings to UX maturity.
Key takeaway
This transformation improved tooling, streamlined workflows, and clarified internal coordination and ownership. It positioned UX as a business catalyst—enhancing consultant productivity and reshaping how data & analytics scaled internally.
Navigator methods & frameworks used
Design & Research Foundations
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Design Thinking Model – for framing problem spaces and centering user needs
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Lean UX Principles – for rapid iteration and continuous learning
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Agile Practices – for aligning delivery with evolving user and business requirements
Organizational Transformation Models
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McKinsey’s Influence Model – for shaping mindset and behavior change at scale
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McKinsey’s 5 Pillars of Change – for structuring sustainable organizational transformation
This was the first time we truly centered the consultant experience in how we structure data and analytics. It changed how we think about value delivery.
– Director of Data Risk, McKinsey & Company