Feature design at Torch
A 360° reinvention
Torch’s 360 assessment—used by tens of thousands—is the diagnostic backbone of its platform, built to assess leadership effectiveness and guide a person in coaching. But when the company refreshed its leadership model, the legacy assessment no longer fit. What once delivered clarity now caused confusion, eroding trust and falling short of the insights users needed.
Feature design at Torch
A 360° reinvention
Torch’s 360 assessment—used by tens of thousands—is the diagnostic backbone of its platform, built to assess leadership effectiveness and guide a person in coaching. But when the company refreshed its leadership model, the legacy assessment no longer fit. What once delivered clarity now caused confusion, eroding trust and falling short of the insights users needed.
Problem space
Confusing measurement model
The legacy 5-point scale lacked clarity. Respondents were asked to rate colleagues relative to others, often encountering redundant or irrelevant items leading to confusion, fatigue, and reduced trust in the results.
Time-consuming survey workflow
Participants and raters faced a long, cumbersome process—over 40 questions—which led to 22% survey abandonment and critical gaps in feedback.
Unclear, unactionable results
Reports were dense and required heavy interpretation. Coaches often needed up to three sessions to make sense of the data, and customers rarely acted on aggregate insights due to lack of clarity.
Problem space
Confusing measurement model
The legacy 5-point scale lacked clarity. Respondents were asked to rate colleagues relative to others, often encountering redundant or irrelevant items leading to confusion, fatigue, and reduced trust in the results.
Time-consuming survey workflow
Participants and raters faced a long, cumbersome process—over 40 questions—which led to 22% survey abandonment and critical gaps in feedback.
Unclear, unactionable results
Reports were dense and required heavy interpretation. Coaches often needed up to three sessions to make sense of the data, and customers rarely acted on aggregate insights due to lack of clarity.
Team
I worked on this initiative at Torch Mar–Jun 2025 with
Parker Simon
Lead Product Designer
Susan Falcone
Dir. of Product & Design
Julia Calzonetti
Sr. Product Manager
Heather Conklin
CEO
Meena Bhatia
CTO
Andrew Hawkins
Sr. Engineering Manager
Matt Creenan
Sr. Staff Engineer
Paige Graff
Customer Success
Catherine Allen
Head of Strategy & Operations
Team
I worked on this initiative at Torch Mar–Jun 2025 with
Parker Simon
Lead Product Designer
Susan Falcone
Dir. of Product & Design
Julia Calzonetti
Sr. Product Manager
Heather Conklin
CEO
Meena Bhatia
CTO
Andrew Hawkins
Sr. Engineering Manager
Matt Creenan
Sr. Staff Engineer
Paige Graff
Customer Success
Catherine Allen
Head of Strategy & Operations
Solution
A fully reimagined framework, from measurement to meaning
High-signal measurement model
I replaced the prior 5-point scale with a simpler, behavior-based rating system. It reduced decision fatigue, removed false precision, and aligned with how people naturally observe leadership.
Simplified, personalized survey enhanced with AI
The redesigned experience tailored questions by user type, capturing better feedback in just 4–6 questions. AI prompts nudged users to share more thoughtful, relevant input.
Insightful, intuitive results
The report experience was restructured around user priorities, reducing overwhelm and surfacing what mattered most. Insights became clearer and more actionable.
Solution
A fully reimagined framework, from measurement to meaning
High-signal measurement model
I replaced the prior 5-point scale with a simpler, behavior-based rating system. It reduced decision fatigue, removed false precision, and aligned with how people naturally observe leadership.
Simplified, personalized survey enhanced with AI
The redesigned experience tailored questions by user type, capturing better feedback in just 4–6 questions. AI prompts nudged users to share more thoughtful, relevant input.
Insightful, intuitive results
The report experience was restructured around user priorities, reducing overwhelm and surfacing what mattered most. Insights became clearer and more actionable.
By simplifying this, you’re helping us coaches get to the root of what this feedback is supposed to be telling clients so they can have a better coaching journey. This moves it away from being a performative tool, to being a supportive tool.
Torch coach
By simplifying this, you’re helping us coaches get to the root of what this feedback is supposed to be telling clients so they can have a better coaching journey. This moves it away from being a performative tool, to being a supportive tool.
Torch coach
By simplifying this, you’re helping us coaches get to the root of what this feedback is supposed to be telling clients so they can have a better coaching journey. This moves it away from being a performative tool, to being a supportive tool.
Torch coach
It’s more sophisticated and actionable. In the past, we'd just tell participants to do it, and that’s where it ended. But now, we’re going to be getting all of this insight and valuable feedback.
L&D buyer at a consulting firm
It’s more sophisticated and actionable. In the past, we'd just tell participants to do it, and that’s where it ended. But now, we’re going to be getting all of this insight and valuable feedback.
L&D buyer at a consulting firm
It’s more sophisticated and actionable. In the past, we'd just tell participants to do it, and that’s where it ended. But now, we’re going to be getting all of this insight and valuable feedback.
L&D buyer at a consulting firm
By simplifying this, you’re helping us coaches get to the root of what this feedback is supposed to be telling clients so they can have a better coaching journey. This moves it away from being a performative tool, to being a supportive tool.
Torch coach
It’s more sophisticated and actionable. In the past, we'd just tell participants to do it, and that’s where it ended. But now, we’re going to be getting all of this insight and valuable feedback.
L&D buyer at a consulting firm
My approach
My approach
In-depth evaluation of diagnostic design
I evaluated a range of measurement models, balancing insight clarity with respondent effort. The redesigned approach prioritized surfacing useful, actionable insights, avoiding unnecessary data collection, and serving the needs of clients, coaches, and customers.
In-depth evaluation of diagnostic design
I evaluated a range of measurement models, balancing insight clarity with respondent effort. The redesigned approach prioritized surfacing useful, actionable insights, avoiding unnecessary data collection, and serving the needs of clients, coaches, and customers.
Evaluating various data and interaction formats for measurement
Evaluating various data and interaction formats for measurement
Insight prioritization with customers and coaches
I interviewed key customers to understand which insights mattered most to their business, both qualitative and quantitative. I also conducted research with coaches to uncover what made results easier to facilitate and more impactful for their coaching.
Insight prioritization with customers and coaches
I interviewed key customers to understand which insights mattered most to their business, both qualitative and quantitative. I also conducted research with coaches to uncover what made results easier to facilitate and more impactful for their coaching.
Smarter UX to improve feedback quality
Weak qualitative responses reflected a feedback loop issue: users lacked guidance on how to provide meaningful input. I introduced interaction design elements, including real-time AI feedback, to prompt clearer, more thoughtful responses with less effort.
Smarter UX to improve feedback quality
Weak qualitative responses reflected a feedback loop issue: users lacked guidance on how to provide meaningful input. I introduced interaction design elements, including real-time AI feedback, to prompt clearer, more thoughtful responses with less effort.
Exploring various interaction design concepts to elicit better qualitative feedback
Exploring various interaction design concepts to elicit better qualitative feedback
Impact
Strategic alignment with product direction
The redesign brought Torch’s core diagnostic into alignment with its updated competency model, creating coherence across the product, coaching experience, and go-to-market messaging.
Streamlined user experience and stronger outcomes
With shorter surveys and clearer measurement results, coaches and clients could more quickly identify growth opportunities and take focused action. Aggregated reporting gave company admins clearer visibility into the leadership strengths and growth areas of their staff.
Modernized code
The rebuild leveraged the company’s design system and replaced legacy code, improving consistency, maintainability, and overall UX quality across the platform.
Impact
Strategic alignment with product direction
The redesign brought Torch’s core diagnostic into alignment with its updated competency model, creating coherence across the product, coaching experience, and go-to-market messaging.
Streamlined user experience and stronger outcomes
With shorter surveys and clearer measurement results, coaches and clients could more quickly identify growth opportunities and take focused action. Aggregated reporting gave company admins clearer visibility into the leadership strengths and growth areas of their staff.
Modernized code
The rebuild leveraged the company’s design system and replaced legacy code, improving consistency, maintainability, and overall UX quality across the platform.
Challenges and lessons
Balancing user effort and quality insight
The core design challenge was to reduce survey effort without sacrificing insight depth. I resolved this by working backward from essentialism and usefulness, creating a system that was both efficient and actionable.
Facilitating alignment on a strategic redesign
This redesign reimagined how customers and users measured leadership effectiveness — a foundational element of the product’s value. I led discovery with rigorous research, surfaced key tradeoffs, and aligned cross-functional partners through evidence-based decisions.
Challenges and lessons
Balancing user effort and quality insight
The core design challenge was to reduce survey effort without sacrificing insight depth. I resolved this by working backward from essentialism and usefulness, creating a system that was both efficient and actionable.
Facilitating alignment on a strategic redesign
This redesign reimagined how customers and users measured leadership effectiveness — a foundational element of the product’s value. I led discovery with rigorous research, surfaced key tradeoffs, and aligned cross-functional partners through evidence-based decisions.