Vidhisha KediaPrioritize the working context
Group information around the task rather than treating every detail as equally prominent.
TEKION · ENTERPRISE SAAS
Designing for clarity in complex workflows
My work as a Senior Product Designer in automotive software.
- YEAR
- 2022 to 2023
- ROLE
- Senior Product Designer
- PLATFORM
- Enterprise SaaS
THE BRIEF
Make complex work feel familiar
Dealership teams work with detailed information and time sensitive tasks. A major part of the challenge was designing for an older user group accustomed to straightforward, established software patterns.
The goal was not to make the product look novel. It was to make the work easier to understand and complete, using the familiarity of classic Microsoft Office style layouts as a reference.
MY APPROACH
Build on familiar ways of working
I worked with product and engineering to understand workflow requirements, organize information and explore clearer interactions. I prioritized explicit labels, readable hierarchy and predictable controls over unfamiliar interaction patterns.
Familiarity was a design constraint, not an assumption about age. The aim was to respect existing habits while reducing unnecessary effort.
THE USER
User persona
Mark Bennett
About
An experienced parts professional balancing customer requests, stock information and accurate order preparation. Values familiar, straightforward software patterns.
Goals
- Find relevant information quickly.
- Complete routine work efficiently and accurately.
- Use clear controls without relearning established habits.
Frustrations
- Information scattered across the task.
- Unclear labels or unexpected control behaviour.
- Unfamiliar interactions that interrupt routine work.
DESIGN PRIORITIES
Familiarity, clarity and continuity
Familiarity
Build on recognizable desktop software patterns.
Use explicit labels and predictable controls.
Clarity
Make the information hierarchy easy to scan.
Keep related details and actions together.
Continuity
Keep relevant task context within reach.
Support efficient repetition without surprises.
INTERACTION PRINCIPLE
Keep the task connected
- UnderstandEstablish the task and its context.
- ActKeep relevant information available during the work.
- ReviewMake the next action and completion state clear.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Clarity comes from structure
Respect experienced users
Balance discoverability with efficient repetition and predictable interactions.
Design beyond the main path
Consider states, exceptions and documentation alongside the core interaction.
ACCESSIBLE INTERACTION
Support clarity without slowing experienced users
Readable hierarchy
Use explicit labels, clear grouping and strong visual hierarchy so dense information remains easier to scan.
Keyboard efficiency
Support repeat tasks with keyboard shortcuts while keeping visible controls available for discovery.
Predictable behaviour
Use familiar patterns and consistent actions to reduce memory load and unexpected interaction changes.
DESIGN SYSTEM CONTRIBUTION
Turn recurring decisions into reusable patterns
I expanded shared Figma components and documented interaction behaviour so product and engineering teams could reuse the same logic across dense dealership workflows.
Component structure
Defined reusable controls and patterns around the information and actions dealership teams used repeatedly.
Interaction states
Specified focus, error, disabled and completion states so behaviour remained clear beyond the main path.
Delivery guidance
Connected design intent to implementation through annotations, keyboard behaviour and engineering handoff.
Generalized state model
DefaultHoverFocusErrorDisabled
This generalized system view explains the contribution without exposing confidential product screens.
OUTCOME
Faster navigation and stronger adoption
Faster navigation
The redesigned workflow helped dealership users reach the information and actions they needed more quickly.
Higher feature adoption
Clearer structure and familiar interactions supported greater use of the redesigned experience.
Connected workspace
Dense task information and important actions stayed together to reduce unnecessary movement through the workflow.
HOW I LED
Carry the intent into implementation
I connected workflow decisions with product and engineering requirements, documented the interaction details and explained why familiar patterns mattered for the dealership audience. I also supported junior designers while keeping the experience consistent across the work.
LEARNINGS
Simplify the effort, not the expertise
Complex products do not always need less information. They need a clearer structure that helps people find what matters at the right moment.
This work reinforced the importance of balancing visual clarity with operational depth, and involving product and engineering in the decisions that shape both.