Check out this digital illustration sample I made for a
hypothetical HR software company. The prompt:

  1. Context

    1. For the sake of this exercise, we are a company that offers an API that connects to HR systems. We want to communicate how the product works. In HR, there are systems like ADP, Gusto, etc. Those integrations come pre-built, with an API any application can embed into their experience and allow for quick and easy connections for consumers and companies to see their data in different applications.

    2. For example, as a consumer, I may want to share my payroll information with a bank that is going to assess whether to give me a loan. A direct API connection between Chase and ADP can validate the data provided, and can happen instantly, instead of emailing PDFs.

    3. Additionally, as a company, when trying to automate some of our financial planning, I can connect our payroll tool directly into financial forecasting software for accountants. This means the work doesn’t have to be replicated from the original system, and instead syncs automatically with each new payroll run, cutting down on time.

  2. Key concepts to illustrate, with associated actions as deliverables.

    • Integrations (hard work, plumbing metaphor from HR systems, with pipes, to individual locations, apps.)

      • Icon

        • Plumbing Pipes

    • 3-way relationship between Bank / Consumer and the HR systems with the data they need.

      • Before (painful, long process, manual, PDFs, email, time consuming, inaccurate)

        • Image for blog: Someone tangled up in a bunch of cords trying to connect into the right systems

      • After (everything’s perfect, completely organized, no chaos, peace restored, very complex but taken care of)

        • Image for blog: Perfectly organized set of wires in containers to 3 different places, with the character happy, in peace, and proud.

      • Summary Icon of 3-way relationship

        • Bank meets person, with some element of validation or verification.

      • Summary Pictogram of architecture

        • The software’s function would be to consolidate the communication and data exchange between 3 parties: an HR department, its payroll, and the bank.