Client
Performance Pro
Role
UX Researcher, Design Consultant
The intro
<!-- Role -->
Led the research and strategic design direction for modernising the Performance Pro platform. This included conducting competitor analysis, user journey mapping, and interface audits to identify usability gaps. Delivered actionable UX/UI recommendations focused on improving clarity, hierarchy, and engagement, without altering core functionality, ensuring the platform better aligned with HR best practices and user expectations.
<!-- Objective -->
Performance Pro aimed to modernise its performance management platform to align with HR best practices, enhance usability and create a more engaging user experience. The goal was to redesign the interface to eliminate inefficiencies, improve field clarity and ensure a user-friendly and visually appealing experience for appraisers and employees alike.
Conducted an evaluation of Performance Pro’s interface and provided recommendations to enhance usability, reduce clutter and introduce engaging features like a badge system, offering a roadmap for a more intuitive and motivating user experience.
<!-- Key outcomes -->
(Note: Findings based on internal testing with 12–15 agency participants, including HR, managers, and ICs familiar with performance tools.)
Old Design
Recommended Design
<!-- Challenge -->
The primary challenges were rooted in a cluttered and inefficient UI. The interface suffered from significant space wastage due to excessive containers, disconnected field descriptions and an unclear hierarchy that made navigation cumbersome. The rating descriptions and comments sections lacked differentiation, leading to confusion. Additionally, the overall design failed to inspire or engage users, an important factor in a tool aimed at motivating employee performance.
The process
<!-- Analysing the competitive landscape -->
In evaluating leading performance management SaaS platforms, we identified common shortcomings such as cluttered interfaces, poor feature integration and limited customisation options. These insights highlighted the need for a more streamlined, user-centric design in Performance Pro.
<!-- Understanding the user -->
Through user behaviour analytics, we discovered that users faced navigation challenges, a lack of engaging interactive elements and desired more immediate and personalised feedback options within the platform. These findings guided our redesign to focus on intuitive navigation, enhanced interactivity and improved feedback systems.
<!-- Skill - Will Matrix->
To assess and develop employee potential, we also utilised the Skill-Will Matrix, a tool that evaluates individuals based on their skill level and willingness to perform tasks.
<!-- Customer journey-->
By mapping the customer journey, we identified critical touchpoints where users experienced friction, such as during onboarding, performance evaluations and reporting.
<!-- Solution -->
Our recommendations focused on reimagining key aspects of the Performance Pro interface to align with user needs, reduce friction, and create a more engaging experience across critical touchpoints in the performance management flow.
Dashboard Clarity & Hierarchy: We proposed a redesigned dashboard layout that eliminated visual clutter by removing non-essential fields and improving spacing, alignment, and content grouping—enhancing overall usability.
Visual Design Language: Introduced a refreshed colour palette with a vibrant blue that evokes “Exceeded Performance,” building a positive emotional cue around feedback and achievement.
Feedback & Motivation Layer: Added a “Badge” recognition feature, enabling appraisers to deliver personalised, lightweight appreciation, making the review process more human and motivating.
Interactive Rating Mechanism: Redesigned the slider with visual feedback (animated stars, colour shifts) to make scoring more tactile, responsive, and emotionally satisfying.
Information Architecture Improvements: Clearly differentiated field descriptions from input areas and reorganised comment and rating sections to create visual hierarchy and reduce cognitive load.
These proposals were supported by internal usability testing, showing strong improvements in clarity, perceived usability, and user engagement, even within conceptual demos.