Reviving a 12+ year old desktop tool into a vessel tracking and analytics powerhouse.
PROCESS
Ideation Phase
Brief analysis
I begin each project with an ideation phase to analyse the brief, align with stakeholders, and establish a clear value proposition for a strong design foundation.
Research
In this phase I focused on understanding user needs, pain points, and constraints to ensure alignment and clarity through focus groups, user interviews and HMW workshops.
Competitive analysis
To create a standout design, I completed a heuristic evaluation of the existing solutions, identified gaps, and prioritised impactful features. This research ensured our product was both distinctive and aligned with user needs.
User Journeys
Crafting user journeys brought the experience to life. Mapping multiple paths and interactions helped me explore solutions from different perspectives. Amongst multiple solutions we identified the simplest ones.
Wireframes
Ideas took shape through wireframes. Collaboration with devs, led to the right prioritisation of requirements considering technical feasibility. Presenting options to users and stakeholders allowed me to refine the designs while balancing needs and constraints.
Quick prototyping
Prototypes brought designs to life, even if only conceptually. Using our design system, I quickly created interactive models to align ideas, gain stakeholder buy-in, raise funds, and ensure a unified vision before moving forward.
Requirements and design
Requirement
I collaborated with Product Managers and Business analyst on the requirement gathering. In this case a majority of the requirements came from a heuristic evaluation of the former Azimuth app.
Information Architecture
I crafted an Information Architecture to guide the roadmap, balancing user and business needs. While business priorities sometimes overshadowed user needs, this revealed areas for iterative improvements.
User flows
I worked with the Business Analyst to focus user flows on happy paths first, balancing time and budget constraints while leaving room for future iterations.
Wireframes
I collaborated with the team to design wireframes, balancing user preferences with fast technical delivery. While compromises were necessary, the process ensured failing and succeeding fast.
Prototypes
When wireframes lacked detail, I created prototypes for testing. Using our design system, I quickly built interactive models that engaged users and improved collaboration.
Documentation
Clear documentation supported the designs, with annotations for user actions and detailed notes on prototypes. Guidelines in Zeroheight and Jira ensured seamless team communication.
Testing and data analysis
User testing
We used two testing approaches: a low-engagement bi-weekly "show and tell," and Datadog analytics paired with qualitative sessions to identify and address user frustrations through follow-up interviews.
Metrics
I suggested conducting usability tests, such as the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Net Promoter Score (NPS), to evaluate the system. However, the Product Owner decided against using these metrics, fearing they might impact budget decisions.
Product showreel
HOW TO DEAL WITH CHALLENGES 101
Unstable team setup 🚣
Frequent team changes were creating chaos: knowledge gaps, delays, you name it, designers covering for BAs, developers improvising creative outbursts…
What I did:
Built a RACI matrix (because clarity = speed) to nail down roles and responsibilities.
Set up backups for critical positions so the machine kept running, no matter what.
Impact:
We turned confusion into clarity, minimized downtime, and kept momentum.
Misaligned priorities 🎯
Stakeholders were chasing shiny objectives that didn’t align with what users actually needed.
The fix:
Mapped out an Information Architecture and a phased roadmap to bridge the gap.
Became the voice of the user, pushing for user-driven priorities and reshaping budgets and timelines.
Outcome:
Stakeholders and users got on the same page. It’s not magic, it's a dialogue that should always be there. We started also developing features in the right logical order.
Derailed meetings 🚊
Meetings were a mess: ideas flying in every direction, no structure, no focus. Every meeting seemed like starting from scratch everything.
My move:
Drew some hard boundaries to keep discussions laser-focused.
Launched collaborative workshops to channel that energy into structured ideation.
Locked in a clear design process to protect user-validated solutions from “shortcut syndrome.”
Result:
Meetings became a well-oiled machine, with aligned teams cranking out real progress.
Canvas apps without support 🪂
The platform was a wild west of icons and cursors. Chaos is bad design. Same icons used for different functionalities and different icons used with the same intent.
My move:
Worked on icon spring cleaning: standardized every pixel, trading-business style.
Documented it all on Zeroheight to keep it future-proof.
Result:A unified, polished design with the right documentation and recommendations for icon usage with Do-s and Don't-s.
First time working on canvas apps, and guess what? No components. Total bottleneck.
Solution:
Built the Azimuth Design Pattern Library as an interim fix and partnered with the Design System team to design for the long haul.
Impact:
We shipped fast without cutting corners and laid the groundwork for future scalability.
“Azimuth proved team stability and clear roles are key to impactful, user-friendly design. Took the hits, fixed the problems, and made things better. That’s how you go from chaos to progress.”