Phase I: Define & Discover

The journey began with a deep dive into Percolate's existing platform, aiming to uncover pain points and carve out a clear path forward. I led an extensive internal audit that examined current features, components, and user flows. What we found was telling: inconsistent use of components and inefficient task flows that bogged down users. These insights set the stage for an impactful redesign.

Understanding the broader landscape was crucial, so we looked beyond our product. Our team researched competitors and top enterprise tools, pulling lessons from their successes and pinpointing best practices. This gave us a clear benchmark and helped shape our strategy for simplifying navigation, crafting a unified visual system, and elevating the platform's usability.

The most illuminating part came when we reached out to the people who mattered most: our users. Partnering with key clients such as EA Games and BP, we conducted interviews with 27 users spanning different roles. These conversations revealed the daily challenges they faced and the workflow obstacles that hindered their efficiency. Their input proved invaluable, shaping the redesign of our information architecture and highlighting where our UI could make a real difference.

Key Insights:

1. Make Percolate Actionable: Users needed clearer visibility into their tasks and team activities, without being buried in complex navigation.

2. Usability Standards: Users expected a consumer-grade experience that was seamless and enjoyable, even in an enterprise setting.

3. Feature Integration: Core functions—comments, tasks, and approvals—needed to be interconnected, simplifying user journeys and eliminating redundant steps.

Guiding Principles:

• Streamline task-related actions.

• Clearly define global, app, and object-level controls.

• Use progressive disclosure to keep users focused without overwhelming them.

Phase II: Design Exploration

Armed with insights, we transitioned into the exploration phase, transforming what we learned into tangible solutions. The first task was a complete overhaul of the information architecture. I took the lead in redesigning the primary navigation, stripping away outdated features and introducing platform-wide search to empower users to find what they needed faster. The user menu was restructured for better access to key settings and account options, solving navigation confusion that users had voiced during our research.

Efficiency was key, so I focused on streamlining task flows. Whether it was setting up a campaign, creating content, or managing approvals, I aimed to cut down the number of steps needed, reducing redundancy and making processes smoother. This shift made marketing tasks faster and more intuitive.

To ensure we were on the right path, I created interactive prototypes and led think-aloud testing sessions where users could navigate new flows and interactions. Their feedback was instrumental in validating our choices and led to fine-tuning of details such as button placement, micro-interactions, and labeling.

Phase III: Detailed Design

As the design exploration solidified, we moved into high-fidelity design. Using Sketch and Zeplin, our team produced detailed assets, applying a consistent visual language across the platform.

I developed a comprehensive visual design system with an accessible color palette, standardized spacing rules, and a type hierarchy that made the interface readable and cohesive. This design system wasn't just for the current project—it was built to be scalable and set a foundation for future work.

The component library I built standardized UI elements like navigation bars, buttons, and data tables. This library allowed engineering to apply our designs efficiently and maintain a consistent experience across the platform.

😎 I wrote this blog post about the design system!

Phase IV: Development Support

Close collaboration with engineering was a constant throughout the project, ensuring no surprises when we reached the build phase. I facilitated a smooth design handoff by uploading high-fidelity designs to Zeplin, where engineers could access specs and guidelines. Regular design reviews kept everyone aligned, and I worked closely with the team to address feedback and adapt components as needed for technical feasibility.

Engineers created demo environments that allowed us to test how the design translated to live code. I meticulously reviewed these implementations, filing bug reports in JIRA with annotated screenshots to help engineering quickly address any discrepancies, ensuring the final product met our high standards.