Summary
From zero users to market-ready
When we joined the team, the software worked technically. But it had no real users, no validated use cases, and no shared direction. Over two years, together with the full Scrum team, sales, and operations, we turned it into a user-centered product with a clear market fit.
What we achieved
Design Decision #1
Setting a shared direction with a Design Sprint
User Research
Workshop Facilitation
Design Thinking
Before we could design anything meaningful, we needed alignment. The team was building on instinct and stakeholder requests, without shared goals or a clear picture of who the product was for. A Design Sprint gave us the reset we needed: two provisional personas, a long-term vision, and a guiding principle that stayed with us until the very end. "Freedom for Experts, Simplicity for Novice."
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Design Decision #2
Faster workflows through better navigation
Usability Testing
Information Architecture
In early usability tests, users struggled to to find their way around. They lost time before even starting their actual tasks. We streamlined the navigation based on known user flows and core tasks, reducing six scattered objects across multiple categories to three clear ones.
01 - One unified structure
Two categories based on technical logic, invisible to most users. We merged them into one.
02 - Settings simplified
A complex context menu replaced by a single "Settings" entry. Users explore from there instead of deciding upfront.
Design Decision #3
Redesigning the heart of the software
Usability Testing
Conceptual Modelling
Information Architecture
After improving navigation, users still took long, roundabout paths. Watching them click through report after report, we started asking ourselves: Is this actually what they need? It wasn't. The reports were a product of technical process logic, not of user needs.
We restructured the core information architecture and moved the answer users were looking for one level up – making it the centerpiece of the software. The foundation was conceptual modeling: mapping content by user tasks rather than system logic. When I later encountered Object-Oriented UX, I recognized it as the framework for what we had already been doing intuitively.
01 - Content invetory for the full picture
By mapping everything we could identify connections across the whole system
02 - Objects, not pages
We clustered the individual pieces of Information into core objects users work with and built the structure around them.
03 - From process logic to user logic
The software was structured around how scans work. we looked at what users need to know.
04 - Scalable Foundation
When we added client management months later, the basic architecture held, no major restructuring needed.
Design Decision #4
Making technical data readable
Conceptual Modelling
Information Architecture
UX Writing
UI Design
The Asset Page existed, but its information was organized around technical process logic. Users had to work their way through it rather than getting a clear picture quickly.
We redesigned the page around one goal: give users an immediate understanding of an asset's current state, regardless of their technical background. In later usability tests, users navigated confidently and never asked for the old reports. The most consistent feedback: the overview was clear.
03 - information in context
Every data point comes with guidance on what it means and what to do next.
Design Decision #5
Designing a new feature in a fast-paced workshop
User research
Design Thinking
Information Architecture
Wireframing
Usability Testing
IT service providers wanted to use the software for their own clients. This wasn't just a new feature – it fundamentally changed how the software needed to work. New user group, new touchpoints, and an entirely different mental model.
We started with a single interview with a pilot customer to understand the core needs. A two-day workshop with the team followed, resulting in a UX concept: which functions the feature needed, what it had to deliver for users, and where it would connect to the existing software.
04 — New audience, existing foundation
We extended existing pages instead of replacing them – so nothing broke for current users.
After five usability tests, we had clear findings and concrete next steps. The production stop of the software prevented full implementation – but the concept and test results are ready to go.
Learnings
What I take away