1. Project overview
The Waste Group approached us to overhaul their internal management platform—a complex, custom-built tool that had grown organically over several years. The platform was mission-critical, used across all departments including admins, site managers, weighbridge officers, administrative staff, and sales. I was the lead designer on the project, working alongside two developers, a strategist, an external project manager, and two legacy developers who originally built the system. Our goal was to completely redesign the platform within five months, making it intuitive, scalable, and aligned with their brand.
2. Problems/Challenge
The original system was a patchwork of features built over time, making it nearly impossible for new users to navigate.
- Platform was self-built with no design foundation, evolved into a messy, inconsistent experience
- Heavily reliant on deep internal knowledge — not scalable for new hires
- Navigation lacked logic, user flows were broken or unclear
- Weighbridge data was entered manually, prone to human error
- Inconsistent and outdated interface made daily work frustrating
3. Research & Discovery
With all users available in-house, we leaned on interviews and expert input instead of formal research cycles.
- No external research needed — users were internal and available daily
- Interviewed stakeholders and legacy devs to fully understand current pain points
- Created a complete site map of the existing platform
- Conducted a UX audit to identify bottlenecks and opportunities
- Prioritized automation, clarity, and error reduction
- Conducted a UI Audit and compiled a brand identity for their digital platrofms.
4. Strategy & Process
To meet the tight deadline, I focused on clarity, speed, and strong alignment with development.
- Selected Untitled UI design system to speed up delivery without sacrificing quality
- Worked 1–2 sprints ahead of development to maintain delivery momentum
- Structured UX around task clarity and ease of onboarding
- Maintained close collaboration with the external PM and developers
- Delivered flows and components in a modular, scalable way
5. Design & Iteration
I rebuilt the experience from the ground up with modern patterns, automation, and a visual overhaul.
- Introduced clear structure and visual hierarchy for all user roles
- Designed an automated weighbridge input feature to eliminate manual data entry
- Streamlined key workflows and removed unnecessary complexity
- Delivered high-fidelity screens using a consistent design language
- Iterated continuously based on feedback from real users in real-time sessions
6. Final Outcome
The relaunch was a huge success — not only for internal adoption, but also for its business impact.
- Platform relaunched with a clean, modern interface and improved UX
- Improved productivity and reduced onboarding time for new employees
- Weighbridge errors dropped due to automation
- Client upgraded from a design-only retainer to a full design + development subscription (rare for clients to sign both after initial test subscription)
- Retained post-launch for ongoing feature development
- Widely regarded as a successful transformation by stakeholders and leadership
