UX as driver for Organizational change
Transforming the Data & Analytics Function at McKinsey
McKinsey’s Data & Analytics (D&A) function plays a critical role in supporting consultants with self-serve analytics tools. However, low adoption rates, inefficient workflows, and a fragmented organizational structure limited impact and usability.
During this time, the availability of data in organizations was rapidly expanding, increasing the need for scalable and efficient data solutions that could support consultants in delivering insights to clients.
As a Senior UX Researcher and Transformation Lead, and part of one of these five teams, I worked closely with senior leadership, data analysts, and technology teams to redesign the consultant analytics journey, streamline workflows, and embed UX into business strategy and decision-making.
This work ultimately led to a large-scale organizational transformation, consolidating five teams into one integrated D&A function.
SECTOR - Data & Analytics / Technology
SETTING - Technology & Digital UX; Cross-functional UX transformation
EXTENDED TEAM – D&A Leadership, Department Leaders, Risk Function, Engineering, Product Management
MY ROLE - UX Research, Transformation Strategy, Change Management, Organizational Design, Team Building
TIMELINE - Research: 1 year | Advocacy & Planning: 9 months | Implementation: 3 months
COMPLEXITY - Very High
The Challenge
A fragmented analytics function
Through UX research and journey mapping, we discovered that the consultant's end-to-end analytics journey was fragmented across five internal teams, each managing separate tools without a unified workflow.
Suboptimal end-to-end journey
Workflow not optimized to help consultants efficiently analyze data for clients
Low adoption of costly self-serve tools
No prior UX research validated whether tools (e.g., Alteryx, Tableau) met user needs
User journey dictated by org structure
Siloed, legacy teams, caused inconsistencies and redundancies
Technical limitations in data processing
On-prem solutions struggled with growing data demands, and clients required on-prem storage
The process was tool-driven rather than insight-driven, leading to inefficiencies, low adoption, and siloed decision-making.
UX research confirmed that fixing usability alone wasn’t enough—the entire analytics workflow needed restructuring to create a seamless, efficient, and strategically aligned experience for consultants and their clients.
"Alteryx is great for automation, but it doesn’t solve our biggest challenge—messy, inconsistent data. We still spend most of our time cleaning and structuring data before we can even run an analysis."
- Analyst
UX strategy
Driving UX and organizational change
To solve these challenges, I co-led an end-to-end UX-driven business transformation, focusing on:
UX Research & Journey Mapping
Internal Buy-In & Cross-Team Alignment
Leadership Alignment & Advocacy
Organizational Re-Design
UX Team building
The Execution
From Research to Organizational Restructure
Over nine months, we executed the transformation through a phased approach:
01
Research & Discovery
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Conducted one year of UX research to understand workflow, user needs and tool requirements
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Conducted 360° customer reviews to uncover adoption barriers
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Consolidated all D&A research conducted by all teams for a holistic picture
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Mapped the full analytics end-to-end journey to identify painpoints and opportunities
02
Internal Buy-In & Cross-Team Alignment
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Engaged multiple teams to establish shared goals and secure support for organizational change
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Addressed concerns, provided research-backed evidence, and aligned key stakeholders on the benefits of restructuring
03
Leadership Buy-in & Change Proposal
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Led workshops and presentations to align cross-functional teams and validate the need for change
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Influenced senior leadership to approve a full-scale restructuring of the analytics function
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Established UX success metrics to track adoption, efficiency, and engagement
04
New org structure execution and implementation
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Designed a new org structure combining five teams into one integrated D&A group
05
D&A UX Team Building
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Created a project backlog defining key UX initiatives and priorities for the restructured team
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Launched UX governance practices to sustain long-term adoption and efficiency
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Developed a feedback loop for ongoing analytics tool optimization and quarterly UX audits to ensure alignment with business needs
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Championed UX advocacy & training across new department
The impact
01
10% increase in client-facing efficiency
Improved end-to-end journey lead time and overall usability
03
Higher tool adoption rates
By focusing on workflow optimization rather than individual tool rollout and team structure
05
Large-Scale Organizational Transformation
Consolidated five analytics teams into a single, aligned department, creating long-term operational efficiency and UX integration.
01
25% reduction in FTE costs
Eliminated duplicate roles and streamlined analytics operations
03
$35M+ in annual savings
By integrating UX into Business decision-making resulting in a streamlined analytics portfolio
"One of our team’s greatest achievements was our initiative to drive a cross-function merger of multiple McKinsey Data & Analytics teams. Marianne’s UX research insights were essential because they revealed opportunities for better alignment of a new, streamlined Data & Analytics organization structure; one that also drove increased internal efficiency."
Brian Bussing, PM, Analytics Team