User Management

The feature & the problem

User Management was a core feature within a larger SaaS product. Administrators needed a reliable way to onboard new users, assign them appropriate roles, and control what each person could access — all from a single interface.

The existing experience was fragmented and slow. Admins were spending too much time on repetitive tasks, and there was no clear overview of who had access to what. The goal was to design a dashboard that made these administrative workflows fast, clear, and error-resistant.

What I worked on

I was responsible for the end-to-end design of this feature — from understanding stakeholder requirements through to delivering production-ready UI screens and an interactive prototype for developer handoff.

Understanding the landscape

Stakeholder Interviews

I conducted interviews with system administrators who would be the primary users of this feature. The goal was to understand their day-to-day workflow, what was slowing them down, and what they needed the tool to do well.

• Role assignment needed to be intuitive — permissions were confusing in the existing system
• A searchable, filterable user list was a top priority for larger teams
• Audit visibility — knowing who added whom and when — was a recurring ask

Competitive Analysis

I reviewed user management interfaces across several SaaS tools to identify patterns that work and gaps we could improve on.

• Clean inline editing and role dropdowns reduced friction in onboarding flows
• Permission grouping by module (rather than flat lists) improved comprehension
• Confirmation states and undo actions built trust in destructive actions like deactivation

From wireframes to high fidelity

With the research insights mapped out, I moved into design — starting with low-fidelity wireframes to validate structure, then progressing to high-fidelity screens and a clickable prototype.

Wireframes

Wireframes helped establish the layout and information hierarchy early — before investing time in visual design. I focused on the user list view, the add user form, and the role assignment panel.

High-Fidelity Designs

The high-fidelity screens followed the product's existing design system — maintaining visual consistency while introducing new components for the user table, role picker, and permission matrix.

Prototype

I built an interactive prototype in Figma to walk stakeholders and developers through the complete admin flow — from adding a new user to assigning roles and confirming access.

What changed

After usability testing with a group of administrators, the redesigned feature showed clear improvements in efficiency and confidence — particularly around role assignment and bulk user actions.

Handoff

I worked closely with the development team during handoff — annotating edge cases, clarifying interaction states, and being available for design QA to ensure the final product matched the intended experience.