• Qualitative Research / User Interviews: The process began with in-depth, one-on-one interviews with users to gain an empathetic understanding of their goals, daily workflows, and specific frustrations with the current portal.

• Card Sorting: To translate the qualitative insights into a logical structure, I led card sorting sessions. This foundational activity helped us build an information architecture that matched our users' mental models, not our internal assumptions.

• Competitive Analysis: I analyzed other B2B client portals to understand industry best practices, identify common navigation patterns, and discover opportunities for us to create a best-in-class experience.

With a solid research foundation, I moved into a rapid-prototyping phase. I created sketches and low-fidelity wireframes to explore various navigation styles (e.g., hover menus vs. expandable sidebars). These were then tested with users to quickly validate which architectural patterns were the most intuitive before investing in detailed visual design. 

Once a clear direction was validated through low-fidelity testing, I developed a comprehensive high-fidelity prototype in Figma. This interactive prototype simulated the final look, feel, and functionality of the new portal.

The high-fidelity prototype was then used for a crucial validation phase. I presented it to key business stakeholders for strategic alignment and final approval. It was also used for another round of user testing to confirm that the detailed solution was intuitive and met all user needs before committing to development

I facilitated a smooth handover to the development team by providing detailed design specifications, access to the complete Figma design system (including all component variants), and the validated prototype. This ensured the design intent was translated into code with precision.

After the new navigation was implemented, I conducted final testing to validate that the solution worked as intended in a live environment. This allowed us to measure the success of the redesign and gather real-world feedback for any final tweaks and future iterations.

Previously, the portal had no secondary navigation like a tab bar. To navigate deeper into a topic, users had to click through a series of tiles. Reaching a final destination could take up to seven clicks, with a full page reload at every single step. This process was highly inefficient, disorienting, and created a frustrating user journey.

I introduced a Tab Bar to completely flatten this convoluted structure. Now, once a user enters a main section, all second-level destinations are immediately visible and accessible in a single click. This eliminates unnecessary page loads, drastically reduces the time to complete tasks, and gives users a constant, clear sense of context within the portal.

While tiles were inefficient for deep navigation, they are excellent as entry points on a dashboard. I redesigned the top-level tiles to be more scannable and action-oriented. By incorporating icons, a clear title, and a brief description, the new tiles allow users to understand the purpose of each major section at a glance and navigate with confidence.

The previous side menu was a flat, single-level list. This forced users to click into a section and load a new page to just to discover its contents. 

Crucially, we implemented the second-level items after expanding. This allows for a "fast scan" of a section's contents without committing to a click or waiting for a page to load, dramatically improving discoverability and the user's ability to navigate quickly and efficiently.

To ensure help is always within reach, I designed a persistent "Support & Services" panel that is globally accessible from anywhere in the portal. This panel provides users with immediate, one-click access to critical resources like 'Contact', 'System Status', and 'Onboarding' without forcing them to navigate away from their current task. This ever-present safety net is crucial for building user confidence and reducing frustration.

All together the new User Interface Design offered a clean and fast to scan experience.