Summary
As the sole designer working with eight developers, I adapted KendoUI into shared visual and interaction patterns for the platform. I documented behavior, usage, and edge cases, connecting interface decisions with implementation so teams had a common vocabulary across legacy redesigns and new capabilities.
My Role and Team
My contribution
As [role], I owned [specific responsibilities] from [starting point] through [ending point]. I partnered with [roles or teams], who were responsible for [their contributions]. My key decisions included [decision areas].
Role: [Role]
Team: [Collaborators]
Timeline: [Timeframe]
Responsibilities: [Three to five relevant contributions]
Problem, Context & Constraints
Why this problem mattered
[Users] struggled to [task] because [underlying issue]. This led to [user consequence] and [business or operational consequence]. The existing experience relied on [relevant context], so any proposed change needed to account for [technical, regulatory, organizational, or time constraints].
Goals & Success Criteria
What better needed to look like
The goal was to help [users] achieve [desired change] while preserving [important requirement]. We defined success through [measures or observable behaviors], with [guardrail] ensuring that improvements did not compromise [quality, accessibility, compliance, or another priority].
If measurement was not established:
Success criteria were not formally measured during this project. The design goals were [goals], but I cannot confirm their achievement from the available evidence.
Understanding the users
Designing for the realities of [user group]
I used [research methods and sources] to understand how [users] approached [task]. The research highlighted [needs, behaviors, and constraints], which helped distinguish [meaningful differences between user groups].
Persona caption:
[Persona or user group] represents [research-backed pattern]. Their need for [need] informed [design decision].
A day in the life:
For [user], a typical day involves [responsibilities] alongside [interruptions or pressures]. [Task] happens within this broader context, making [design consideration] especially important.
Research Insights
From observations to design priorities
I grouped [research material] into recurring themes using affinity mapping. The most consequential insight was [finding], supported by [observations or sources]. This shifted the focus from [initial assumption] toward [reframed problem].
Current-state journey map caption:
The journey map traces [experience] from [start] to [end]. It highlights friction at [stage or handoff], where [problem] creates [consequence]. This informed the decision to [action].
Prioritization and Scope
Choosing where to focus
Working with [collaborators], I compared opportunities by [impact criteria] and [effort considerations]. We prioritized [scope] because [reason], while deferring [alternative] due to [trade-off]. The impact vs. effort matrix captured [estimates or evidence] and helped make these choices explicit.
Impact vs effort matrix
A qualitative view of likely user value and implementation effort, based on this case study. These are suggested priorities, not measured scores or a record of the original release order.
Impact / Effort | Lower effort | Higher effort |
|---|---|---|
Higher impact | Quick wins: Document recurring component behavior, usage, and error states. | Major investments: Adapt KendoUI into reusable visual and interaction patterns across modules. |
Lower impact | Nice to have: Refine rarely used visual details before recurring patterns. | Deprioritize: Replace the underlying component framework rather than extend shared patterns. |
Information Architecture and Key Flows
Making the experience easier to navigate
I organized [content, features, or tasks] around [user need or mental model]. The proposed structure changed [previous organization] to [new approach], helping users understand [what they need to find or do]. Key flows mapped [important tasks], including [relevant exceptions or dependencies].
