SaaS, Redesign
An online tool for managing student work-based learning and industrial placements, originally developed in the early 2010s, the tool become outdated both in terms of visual design and user experience. The complexity of its interface led to inefficiencies, workarounds, and a steep learning curve for users.
Placement Management System
“
Our web-based product has been developed over 10 years. As new features have been added to meet customer demand, the overall package has become somewhat inconsistent. It works well once you are familiar with it, but one of the barriers to its adoption is that it’s not as intuitive to new users as we’d like it to be. So rather than continuing to integrate new features, we wanted to rebuild the entire user interface.
Challenges
1
High Learning Curve & Inefficiency
- New users found the system difficult to master due to unintuitive navigation and complex workflows.
- Infrequent tasks, such as annual settings adjustments, required users to memorise intricate pathways.
2
Core Functionality Workarounds
Due to poor usability, users exported data to Excel for filtering and processing before copying results back into the system, significantly reducing efficiency.
3
Technical Constraints
- The client was unwilling to modify the system’s backend architecture, meaning UX/UI improvements had to be implemented within the existing framework.
- A design system needed to be developed for future scalability.
4
Background
PEMS was originally built using ASP.NET WebForms and recently switched to ASP.NET MVC. New features have been developed over time to meet customer demands, with limited scope to fully integrate these features into the core architecture of the platform.
Client presentation
My approach to every project is to undertake an in-depth analysis of the problem. I held lengthy discussions with Oxinet to delve into the rationale behind design and development decisions. I communicated my findings and decisions during the final presentation, before I provide all documentation and final designs
Process & Approach
1
Stakeholder & Developer Workshops
Conducted kick-off sessions with developers and product owners to understand technical limitations and business priorities
2
User Research & Shadowing
- Conducted 4 in-depth interviews with users to identify pain points and workflow inefficiencies.
- Applied shadowing techniques to observe how users interacted with the system in real-life scenarios.
3
UX/UI Review & Solution Proposals
- Developed a comprehensive UX/UI review document outlining key issues and proposed improvements.
- Conducted a stakeholder session to align priorities and feasible solutions.
4
Redesign & Usability Testing
- Introduced streamlined user flows, improving task efficiency.
- Developed an interactive prototype and conducted user testing, demonstrating a 54% increase in task completion speed compared to the old interface.
5
Design System Implementation
- Created the foundation for a scalable design system, ensuring consistency and efficiency for future UI updates.
- Provided guidelines and recommendations for the in-house design team to maintain and expand the system.
Results & Impact
This project successfully modernised an outdated system, enhancing usability while operating within strict technical constraints. The new design improved workflow efficiency, user satisfaction, and long-term scalability of the platform.
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54% improvement in task efficiency, reducing reliance on external tools like Excel. - Simplified user flows, minimising the cognitive load for both new and experienced users.
- Established a scalable design system, improving UI consistency and maintainability.
- UX/UI enhancements within technical constraints, delivering maximum impact without backend modifications.
“
‘We gave specific pages of the site which we thought were problematic and they not only identified solutions, but included these within the style guide. Having the style guide specifically written for us, containing concrete examples of our software was really valuable. It’s become a kind of bible and helped us be much more disciplined when implementing new UI.’