Shaping the redesign:
Discovery and validation
The main flow — completing a project's tasks — was the most complex, so that's where we started. Multiple rounds of validation with the client helped surface not just the obvious pain points, but missed opportunities that only became visible once we mapped how each role actually moved through the platform. Once the core flow was solid, applying the new visual language across the rest of the platform came naturally. The UI was built on Microsoft Fluent UI, aligned with the client's existing ecosystem, which meant working within a defined system while still pushing for clarity and hierarchy.
Project statuses
On this platform, inconsistent use of color had led teams to read statuses as "good" or "bad" rather than as signals for action, creating friction and, sometimes, unnecessary alarm. Redefining the status framework around what needs to happen next rather than how things are going shifted how teams used the tool.
Email notifications
Emails were a high-traffic touchpoint that the client had largely ignored due the previous design. I restructured them to support quick scanning: clear subject, immediate context, one action.
Since emails were limited to plain HTML/CSS (without images, icons or logos), I relied on text-based hierarchy alone, using headings, spacing, and emphasis to maximize readability.
Outcome
The redesigned platform launched in early 2020, the client was satisfied, adoption improved, reduce training time and the clarity of the new interface mattered more than anyone had anticipated going into a pandemic.
One of my design challenges of this project was working within Fluent UI's constraints while still solving for dense, complex information. The system gave us a solid foundation, but making it work for this specific context required careful decisions about hierarchy and structure that the component library alone couldn't make for us. Also, there wasn't as much documentation available about the UI framework as today.
Project Details
Team
Team Leader, Technical Lead, 2 Business Analysts, Brand Designer, UX/UI Designer (me), UI Developer and 2 Developers.
Duration
~4 months (design phase only), launched Q1 2020
My Role
Sole UX/UI designer, responsible for research, flows, UI design and developer handoff.
