Excel Trace Enhancer.
In collaboration with Microsoft.

The problem.

Trace Dependents and Trace Precedents are core to Excel's formula auditing experience, the features power users rely on to debug complex models. They're also notoriously hard to use: arrows clutter the canvas, relationships are hard to follow across sheets, and the visual model breaks down quickly in spreadsheets with hundreds of formulas.

I led a 4-person team partnering with Microsoft to identify what was actually broken about the experience and prototype solutions, with research grounded in real Excel power users rather than assumed personas.

What we did.

Mixed-methods research with 32 Excel power users. A combination of contextual interviews, task-based usability sessions, and a quantitative survey to triangulate findings. The research uncovered three critical pain points across the auditing workflow.

Translated insights into PRDs and Figma prototypes. I owned the requirements artifacts and worked with the team to design redesign variants targeting each of the three pain points.

A/B testing and iterative usability testing. Tested redesign variants against the existing experience, iterated based on findings, and refined the final recommendation through multiple rounds of feedback.

Impact at a glance

• 32 Users in mixed-methods research uncovering 3 critical pain points.
• ~20 min Projected time saved per model debug for power users in financial analysis and consulting workflows.
• 30-40% Projected reduction in formula error tracing time based on usability testing benchmarks.
• 4 Person team led across discovery, design, and validation phases.

The project taught me how to structure rigorous user research at scale, translate qualitative findings into testable design hypotheses, and present recommendations to senior Microsoft stakeholders.