Redesigning a Complex Web-Based Platform to Improve Workflow Efficiency and System Adoption

Context

A legacy web-based platform was used internally to manage big and official event organization process. Despite being business-critical, the system had:

Fragmented workflows across multiple tools
High cognitive load due to dense data structures
Low usability, leading to inefficiencies and workarounds
Outdated UI design and inconsitant with organization design identity

This reflects a common issue in complex systems where tools fail to meet business needs, leading to inefficiency and poor adoption

Problem

The existing system slowed down expert users instead of supporting them.

Key issues:

Users needed to switch between multiple systems to complete a single task
Information architecture did not reflect real workflows
Critical actions were buried in complex interfaces
High error risk in multi-step processes

Impact:

Increased time-on-task
Frustration among internal users
Reduced efficiency in high-stakes operations

My role

Senior UX Designer responsible for:

End-to-end UX (research → design → validation)
Framing the UX strategy
Structuring workflows and system architecture
Prototyping & UX reviews
Testing and iterative design

Approach

Understanding the real workflow

Instead of relying on documentation, I worked with stakeholders and users to map actual behavior:

Conducted stakeholder interviews
Analyzed existing workflows and dependencies
Identified gaps between system logic and user mental models

Reframing the system

I shifted the design from system-centric to user workflow-centric, This meant:

Grouping information around user goals
Reducing unnecessary steps
Making critical actions visible and predictable

Designing scalable structure

I redesigned information architecture, user flows and interaction patterns, with special attention was given to:

Multi-role usage
Data-heavy interfaces
Edge cases in workflows

Iteration and validation

Created wireframes and interactive prototypes
Validated flows with stakeholders and users
Iterated based on feedback and technical constraints

Key decisions

Prioritize task-based navigation over data structure

Instead of exposing the system’s complexity, I reorganized navigation around user goals. Therefore, it lead to more efficiency for users

Reduce flexibility to increase usability

The original system allowed too many paths, creating confusion. There I introduced clearer flows and constrained actions. It lead to higher clarity and fewer errors

Standardize interaction patterns

Different parts of the system behaved inconsistently. I aligned:

components
interactions
layout logic