Project Overview
The client, a leading maritime service provider operating across multiple international ports, needed a centralized ERP system to streamline critical business functions like Finance, Inventory, Sales, Procurement, and HR, each with complex workflows and interdependencies.
Designing this modular, role-based ERP system simplifies complex operations, enhances visibility across departments, and improves user efficiency. The goal was to replace fragmented legacy tools with a unified, user-centered platform tailored to the unique demands of the maritime industry.
Industry
Maritime (2023-2024)
Target Users
Operations, Inventory, Finance, Sales, HR and Admin users
Role
As the Lead UX Designer, I was responsible for driving the end-to-end user experience strategy and execution for a custom-built ERP system tailored to a shipyard service provider. My responsibilities include stakeholder collaboration and requirements gathering, end-to-end UX workflow ownership, leading UX/UI Design, cross-functional leadership & support, usability testing & iteration.
The client relied on a mix of legacy software, spreadsheets, and manual coordination to manage shipyard operations across multiple departments and geographic locations. This fragmented system led to:
--- Inefficient workflows and frequent duplication of effort
--- Lack of real-time visibility into operational, financial, and HR data
--- Inconsistent user experiences across modules and departments
--- Limited scalability to accommodate evolving compliance regulations and global expansion
--- High training overhead due to non-intuitive interfaces and siloed tools
These issues not only reduced productivity but also increased the risk of errors in mission-critical processes like inventory tracking, job costing, procurement, and payroll. To solve this, the organization required a centralized, modular ERP system designed around real user needs—one that could streamline operations, unify data, and support complex workflows across multiple ports and departments.
DISCOVER
User Interviews
Our core team—consisting of a Project Manager, Business Analyst, Solution Architect, and myself as the UX Designer—visited the client site at Khalifa Port to gain firsthand insight into their operations and conduct in-depth stakeholder interviews. This on-site engagement allowed us to observe real workflows, build rapport with key users, and gather critical context that shaped the foundation of our ERP design strategy. We engaged 10 key stakeholders across different departments and roles within the shipyard service provider, including:
Sales & Operations Managers – responsible for sales order workflows, job scheduling and tracking
Procurement Officers – handled material requisitions, vendor interactions, and purchase order workflows.
Inventory Supervisors – tracked supplies, equipment, and stock movements.
Finance Managers – monitored project budgets, billing, and cost allocations.
Interview questions and Insights
The insights from stakeholder interviews led to critical UX decisions, including:
Designing role-based dashboards to surface relevant information quickly.
Creating linked workflows between departments (e.g., job → material request → inventory → procurement).
Simplifying the approval process with clear statuses, audit trails, and automated notifications.
Introducing real-time inventory visibility to reduce duplicate requisitions.
Designing a unified GRN (Goods Receipt Note) tracking workflow that streamlined the handling of both product and service-based purchase orders.
DEFINE
Affinity Mapping
Based on the stakeholder interviews, issues/pain points were grouped into themes with relevant observation and quotes. These grouped insights help us to identify the opportunity areas and prioritise the features.
IDEATE
Workflow Planning
To translate ideas into actionable solutions, we expanded the identified opportunity areas and systematically broke down the workflows into logical, goal-driven stages—ensuring clarity, traceability, and alignment with user expectations across departments. Workflow maps the key processes, departments involved, and how the ERP system will streamline each flow.
Based on the defined opportunities, I collaborated with the business analyst to sketch and map out the following system-wide UX features:
-- Role-specific dashboards (e.g., Operations, Finance, Procurement)
-- Approval hierarchies with audit trails
-- Real-time inventory status and alerts
-- Linked workflows (e.g., Job → PO → GRN → Invoice)
-- Timesheet tracking and project-based cost centers
-- Budget monitoring dashboards
-- Integrated leave and attendance system
-- Centralized document repository (SOs, POs, GRNs, Invoices)
-- Approval hierarchies with audit trails
-- Real-time inventory status and alerts
-- Linked workflows (e.g., Job → PO → GRN → Invoice)
-- Timesheet tracking and project-based cost centers
-- Budget monitoring dashboards
-- Integrated leave and attendance system
-- Centralized document repository (SOs, POs, GRNs, Invoices)
These features were mapped using task flows and service blueprints to ensure alignment between back-end processes and front-end interactions
DESIGN
Building on the insights from stakeholder interviews and workflow planning, we initiated the design process by rapidly sketching screens. To foster collaboration and save time, we used traditional paper sketches to visualize ideas and explore multiple UI approaches. These sketches served as discussion tool with internal teams, enabling quick feedback and iteration. Once the workflows and layouts were finalized, we transitioned to high-fidelity UI design in Figma. Each screen was crafted to balance complexity with clarity, using progressive disclosure, visual grouping, and iconography to support task efficiency and to align with their identity and industry tone. Below are selected screens from key ERP modules that illustrate how the system came together visually and functionally.
Finance Module
Finance Dashboard
Vouchers Listing
Accounts Receivables
Customer Ledger
Chart of Accounts
Fixed Asset Details
Jobs Management
Jobs Dashboard
Worlist
Tasks Listing
Costing Summary
Timesheet
Purchase & Operations
Purchase & Inventory Dashboard
Inventory Movement of an Item/Material
Purchase Orders
Add Goods Received Note
Issue Items/Materials
TESTING & ITERATION
To ensure the ERP system was not only functional but intuitive and efficient, we adopted a multi-layered testing strategy throughout the design process.
Internal Design Reviews
-- We conducted weekly design reviews with the project manager, business analyst, and solution architect to validate design decisions against business logic and technical constraints. These cross-functional reviews helped us:
-- Identify mismatches between proposed UI behavior and backend workflows
-- Validate field-level requirements and dependencies in forms and data tables
-- Align on system-wide UI consistency and reusable components
Role-Based Walkthroughs
To mimic real usage scenarios, we conducted task-based walkthroughs tailored to each persona (e.g., Inventory Supervisor, Finance Manager). Each session involved:
-- A predefined set of representative tasks (e.g., raising a purchase request, reviewing budget consumption)
-- Observing how users navigated through linked screens and processes
-- Identifying cognitive load, friction points, and navigation bottlenecks
These sessions surfaced issues such as:
-- Overloaded dashboards for first-time users
-- Confusion around action statuses and approval hierarchies
-- Lack of visual feedback for completed tasks
Rapid Iteration based on feedback
Using feedback from above testing stages, we entered 2 major refinement cycles:
-- Simplified the information architecture by reducing steps in complex flows
-- Introduced Reports section where important reports can be accessed and exported
-- Improved dashboard prioritization using visual hierarchy and role-specific defaults
-- A central dashboard for admin users to switch between modules and edit the organisation setup
-- Optimized form usability by introducing dynamic field visibility based on context and removing unwanted fields
All feedback was logged, prioritized using a UX issue severity matrix, and tracked via a shared design backlog.
The ERP system was successfully deployed across multiple departments, replacing disjointed legacy tools with a seamless digital experience. Key results included:
-- 40% reduction in time spent on inventory requisitions
-- 60% increase in inter-departmental visibility for key workflows
-- Reduction in training time due to improved UI consistency and onboarding flows
-- Real-time monitoring of budget and procurement workflows, significantly reducing manual reconciliation efforts
This project reinforced the value of immersive research and real-world observation—especially for complex enterprise systems. By collaborating closely with stakeholders and validating continuously, we ensured the solution was both usable and scalable.
Key Learnings:
-- Designing ERP systems requires balancing business logic with usability for non-technical users
-- Stakeholder alignment is critical in enterprise UX—especially across siloed departments
-- Simplifying complex workflows doesn’t mean dumbing them down; it means designing with clarity and intention
