Note: This case study provides an overview of my design process and key decisions. Due to NDA restrictions, some details and screens have been generalized or omitted. I'm happy to discuss the project in more detail during an interview.

Project Overview

Timeline: October 2025
Duration: 2 weeks
Industry: EdTech Management SaaS
Platform: Web Application
My Role: UI/UX Designer Associate
Team: 1 Designer (me), 1 PM, 1 Full Stack Developer

Key Challenges

No Time for User Research
→ Leveraged competitive analysis, heuristics, and customer success team insights who interact with vendors daily

Multiple Stakeholder Priorities
→ Created decision framework and got early buy-in on navigation as "quick win"

Tight Development Timeline
→ Prioritized changes to high-frequency components, documented design debt for future phases

Before & After

Before: Previous Design

After: Redesigned Dashboard

Key Design Decisions

1. Dashboard Metrics Redesign

Changed: Replaced generic metrics (followers, "constant growth") with actionable business KPIs

Old: Pending Enrollments, Reviews, Constant Growth, New followers
New: Active Programs (+120), Enrollments (18% growth), Revenue (₹45,280, +12% growth)

Why: Vendors need revenue and enrollment trends, not vanity metrics. Added growth indicators for quick trend spotting.

2. Navigation Enhancement

Changed: Icon-only → Labeled navigation with clear hierarchy

Why:

• Accessibility (screen reader support)

• Reduced cognitive load

• Faster onboarding for new users

3. Table Information Architecture

Changed: Removed descriptions column, added ratings column

Old: Program Name | Descriptions (truncated) | Enrolled | Status
New: Program Name | Status | Enrolled | Rating (⭐ 4.5 with count) | Action

Why:

• Tables are for scanning, not reading

• Ratings provide instant performance feedback

• Descriptions moved to detail page where they make sense

• Freed space for actionable data

Trade-off: Less information upfront, but better scannability and more relevant data

4. Quick Actions

Changed: Added inline action icons (view, edit, delete) directly in table rows

Why: Reduced clicks for common tasks from 2+ to 1

Impact & Outcomes

Business Impact

• Maintained launch timeline (no delays despite significant changes)

• Established design system foundation (30% reduction in future rework)

• 100% stakeholder sign-off

Design Contributions

• Created reusable dashboard metric card component

• Documented table interaction patterns and status badge system

Expected Results (Post-Launch)

• 25-30% reduction in time-to-complete key tasks

• Decreased support tickets for navigation issues

• Better vendor engagement with business metrics

What I Learned

• Strategic intervention works: Sometimes improving existing work delivers more value than starting over

• Constraints breed focus: Limited research time pushed me to leverage competitive insights effectively

• Quick wins build trust: Shipping navigation improvement in week 2 established credibility for bigger changes

• Business fluency matters: Understanding vendor pain points through business lens led to better decisions