ROLE Product Strategy · Research · Ideation · Content · UX · UI
TEAM 2 Engineers · 2 Designers · CEO
METHODOLOGY Hybrid, Scrum+Kanban (full-time remote team)
TOOLS Figma · Notion
TIMELINE 3 weeks (Q3 2023)
BACKGROUND
As the company transitioned online communities from B2C to B2B, evolving into a SAAS platform for diverse business needs in LATAM, a critical gap emerged in community administration autonomy. While most changes initially relied on engineering, and then the first designed admin panel was introduced, it fell short as demands escalated. Seizing the initiative, I took charge and led the admin panel redesign to enhance navigation and user experience, addressing business and user pain points for long-term success.
CHALLENGE
NAVIGATING THROUGH B2B LIMITATIONS
NAVIGATING THROUGH B2B LIMITATIONS
During the company's shift from B2C to B2B, administrators needed a tool for autonomous information management, evolving from engineering reliance to introducing the admin panel.
With rapid business strategy changes, new needs emerged within the company, and community admins expressed their need for tailored improvements. The admin panel was falling behind, struggling to keep up with escalating demands, impacting both B2B offerings and the admin experience.GOAL
REDESIGNING THE ADMIN PANEL
REDESIGNING THE ADMIN PANEL
This project aims to improve our admin panel for immediate and long-term needs, ensuring scalable growth with clear navigation, enhanced information organization, and streamlined functionality. The goal is a comprehensive, intuitive redesign that addresses current issues and accommodates future enhancements seamlessly.
RESEARCH
USERS WHO MANAGE COMMUNITIES
I led the research team, conducting interviews with admins from different communities. The process involved creating an Affinity map and a Customer journey, focusing on the admin's experience from onboarding to using the admin panel and managing the community.
USERS WHO MANAGE COMMUNITIES
I led the research team, conducting interviews with admins from different communities. The process involved creating an Affinity map and a Customer journey, focusing on the admin's experience from onboarding to using the admin panel and managing the community.
To emphasize the results, I crafted a user persona and highlighted key insights:
1 • The primary users of the admin panel, predominantly from Latin America, are community admins who use it as an administration tool to manage, monitor, and facilitate interactions within their communities.
2 • Every community has a different purpose, ranging from internal communication with employees to engaging with clients or subgroups within their organizations.
3 • All designated community managers express low or poor knowledge of community management and administration tools. Their ultimate goal is to enhance site retention and engagement strategically.
4 • All participants use the admin panel on their desktop; they find it intuitive, but its limitations impede effective customization.
1 • The primary users of the admin panel, predominantly from Latin America, are community admins who use it as an administration tool to manage, monitor, and facilitate interactions within their communities.
2 • Every community has a different purpose, ranging from internal communication with employees to engaging with clients or subgroups within their organizations.
3 • All designated community managers express low or poor knowledge of community management and administration tools. Their ultimate goal is to enhance site retention and engagement strategically.
4 • All participants use the admin panel on their desktop; they find it intuitive, but its limitations impede effective customization.
PROCESS
STRUCTURE MATTERS
After detecting and presenting the challenge to the team, I explored strategies to enhance the user experience and evaluated the admin panel's navigation. Through benchmarking to observe how other platforms tackle similar issues and collaborative efforts, we addressed technical constraints by recognizing challenges in potential structures, ultimately arriving at the final admin panel design.
STRUCTURE MATTERS
After detecting and presenting the challenge to the team, I explored strategies to enhance the user experience and evaluated the admin panel's navigation. Through benchmarking to observe how other platforms tackle similar issues and collaborative efforts, we addressed technical constraints by recognizing challenges in potential structures, ultimately arriving at the final admin panel design.
1 • Current state: Has central navigation tabs, with the sidebar dedicated to community sections. Adding more levels or categories in the central column may clutter the interface or hinder clear information display.
2 • Suggestion: Integrate a sidebar into the central column for admin sections, allowing potential space for multi-level navigation, but the space would be reduced, impacting user experience.
3 • Final proposal: Separate the community environment from the admin panel, implement a sidebar for navigation, and enhance user flexibility, improving overall admin usability.
2 • Suggestion: Integrate a sidebar into the central column for admin sections, allowing potential space for multi-level navigation, but the space would be reduced, impacting user experience.
3 • Final proposal: Separate the community environment from the admin panel, implement a sidebar for navigation, and enhance user flexibility, improving overall admin usability.
The access to the admin panel was also examined:
1 • Current state: Positioned at the top of the central column within the feed section, access to the admin panel requires administrators to leave their current page each time, resulting in an inconvenient process.
2 • Improvement: Relocate the access to the sidebar under the community sections for quicker, direct access from any page they navigate.
During user testing, all admins accessed and navigated without issues, commenting:
2 • Improvement: Relocate the access to the sidebar under the community sections for quicker, direct access from any page they navigate.
During user testing, all admins accessed and navigated without issues, commenting:
IMPROVING EXISTING CONTENT
PANEL ADMIN SECTIONS
I prioritized content auditing, addressed pain points in its 4 sections, and introduced a new category, incorporating key functionalities and restructured information architecture for short and long-term strategic planning. By facilitating different levels of navigation, the user experience was improved by organizing information and eliminating content clutter, frustration, and infinite scrolling. This aimed to enhance usability not only for primary users but also to meet business needs.
PANEL ADMIN SECTIONS
I prioritized content auditing, addressed pain points in its 4 sections, and introduced a new category, incorporating key functionalities and restructured information architecture for short and long-term strategic planning. By facilitating different levels of navigation, the user experience was improved by organizing information and eliminating content clutter, frustration, and infinite scrolling. This aimed to enhance usability not only for primary users but also to meet business needs.
SECTION: GENERAL
This section was merely adapted to the new information architecture. As a single-page and straightforward form for general community information, it covers details like name, description, social media links, website, and more, and it still has room for growth.
This section was merely adapted to the new information architecture. As a single-page and straightforward form for general community information, it covers details like name, description, social media links, website, and more, and it still has room for growth.
SECTION: MEMBERS
Same as the General section, there weren't substantial alterations to this section, but the experience was improved by adding a filter, allowing categorization of invitation statuses like Accepted, Sent, Forwarded, and Rejected, and the search bar now lets community administrators search by email or name.
SECTION: SPACES
The new multi-navigation structure addressed customer requests for cover images and descriptions for each space, enhancing customization and administrative experience compared to the limitations of the previous version.
SECTION: TEAMS
In this section, default teams have been distinguished from teams created by administrators. Each team list now includes a search bar, allowing administrators to search for specific members conveniently by email or name.
In this section, default teams have been distinguished from teams created by administrators. Each team list now includes a search bar, allowing administrators to search for specific members conveniently by email or name.
SECTION: CATALOGS
This new section, driven by user needs, empowers businesses to offer enhanced features. It enables the creation of diverse lists, including company perks, discounts, and member birthdays. Each catalog supports an unlimited number of items with crucial details. Admins can control visibility and add descriptions and icons for a personalized and accessible community experience, delivering seamless user satisfaction.
This new section, driven by user needs, empowers businesses to offer enhanced features. It enables the creation of diverse lists, including company perks, discounts, and member birthdays. Each catalog supports an unlimited number of items with crucial details. Admins can control visibility and add descriptions and icons for a personalized and accessible community experience, delivering seamless user satisfaction.
VALIDATION
TESTING WITH ADMINS
TESTING WITH ADMINS
All users successfully navigated through various sections and completed tasks. Admins recognized the benefits of centralizing information and expressed that navigating through the system was straightforward. They also collaborated by expressing their needs and suggestions for improvements, which were considered and successfully implemented in the redesigns shown above. The admin panel received positive evaluations, such as:
LAST THOUGHTS
CONCLUSION
In recognizing critical gaps in community administration, I took charge of addressing them, leading an end-to-end initiative in a small team that has completely transformed the admin panel. This redesign strategically positioned the platform for future enhancements, ensuring sustained growth in the B2B environment, not only contributing to improved user experiences but also having the potential to increase revenue with our B2B clients.
CONCLUSION
In recognizing critical gaps in community administration, I took charge of addressing them, leading an end-to-end initiative in a small team that has completely transformed the admin panel. This redesign strategically positioned the platform for future enhancements, ensuring sustained growth in the B2B environment, not only contributing to improved user experiences but also having the potential to increase revenue with our B2B clients.
