IC Control Dashboard

Designing a unified, consistent UI that simplifies and standardises multiple IC-specific interfaces, reducing user learning curves and improving usability.

IC Manufacturer

Indpenedent UX/UI Designer

Dec '24 - Feb '25

Problem Statement

The company had multiple GUIs for controlling different integrated circuits (ICs). Each IC team developed its own GUI independently, resulting in -

Steep Learning Curves

Technicians had to familiarise themselves with multiple softwares.

Resistance to merge solutions

Stakeholders had doubts a single platform could meet all needs.

Inconsistent usability

Due to varied design approaches by different dev teams.

Users

Technicians & Engineers

To monitor & modify IC registers.

R&D Teams

To develop & test new configurations.

Sales & Marketing

For demonstrations & customer interactions.

Process

View Summary

Step 1

Understanding the existing system and identifying user requirements.

Week 1 & 2

System Study

Read user manuals & logged startup time to gauge the learning curve.

Observations

User manuals were inconsistent and sometimes incomplete or outdated.

System lacked feedback, and error messages were unclear

UI needed improvements and better content organization.

Stakeholder Interviews

Interviewed developers & stakeholders to understand design decisions of the existing softwares.

Learnings

Devs assumed users would “figure it out” despite incomplete manuals and cryptic feedbacks.

Common workflows across softwares to determine overlaps and unique needs.

Step 1

Understanding the existing system and identifying user requirements.

Week 1 & 2

System Study

Read user manuals & logged startup time to gauge the learning curve.

Observations

User manuals were inconsistent and sometimes incomplete or outdated.

System lacked feedback, and error messages were unclear

UI needed improvements and better content organization.

Stakeholder Interviews

Interviewed developers & stakeholders to understand design decisions of the existing softwares.

Learnings

Devs assumed users would “figure it out” despite incomplete manuals and cryptic feedbacks.

Common workflows across softwares to determine overlaps and unique needs.

Step 2

Brainstorming & Wireframing with all IC teams

Week 3, 4, 5

Sketching Low Fidelity Wireframes

Sketched the LoFi wireframes on a whiteboard & discussed it with developers.

HiFi Wireframe Demos

After each demo, we logged the task completion times for some key workflows.

Learnings

1st draft: Struggled with navigation and couldn’t complete the task.

2nd draft: Briefly distracted by new information but completed the task ~25% faster.

3rd draft: Tasks were completed ~50% faster.

Step 2

Brainstorming & Wireframing with all IC teams

Week 3, 4, 5

Sketching Low Fidelity Wireframes

Sketched the LoFi wireframes on a whiteboard & discussed it with developers.

HiFi Wireframe Demos

After each demo, we logged the task completion times for some key workflows.

Learnings

1st draft: Struggled with navigation and couldn’t complete the task.

2nd draft: Briefly distracted by new information but completed the task ~25% faster.

3rd draft: Tasks were completed ~50% faster.

Step 3

Designing & Refining the UIs

Week 6 & 7

Updating the Design System

While crafting the screens using the existing design system, new UI elements were designed to address the user requirements. Examples of some new UI elements & new states -

The focus was to make every interaction intuitive & informative enough that the user never has to refer to a manual.

Iterative Testing & Refinements

We conducted Usability testing & A/B Testing internally with engineers, sales, and marketing teams & went through 4 iterations.

Step 3

Designing & Refining the UIs

Week 6 & 7

Updating the Design System

While crafting the screens using the existing design system, new UI elements were designed to address the user requirements. Examples of some new UI elements & new states -

The focus was to make every interaction intuitive & informative enough that the user never has to refer to a manual.

Iterative Testing & Refinements

We conducted Usability testing & A/B Testing internally with engineers, sales, and marketing teams & went through 4 iterations.

Step 4

Handover to Dev Team

Week 8

Walkthroughs with the Dev Team

Maintained a collaborative approach, working closely with developers to address technical feasibility concerns.

Materials Provided to the Dev Team

Detailed UI specifications and component documentation.

Interaction guidelines for implementation of transitions, animations, and user flows.

Design tokens built using CSS.

Step 4

Handover to Dev Team

Week 8

Walkthroughs with the Dev Team

Maintained a collaborative approach, working closely with developers to address technical feasibility concerns.

Materials Provided to the Dev Team

Detailed UI specifications and component documentation.

Interaction guidelines for implementation of transitions, animations, and user flows.

Design tokens built using CSS.

Outcomes

Simplified Learning Curve

A significant decrease of ~60% in the amount of time it took for a user to perform key tasks.

Improved User Guidance

With dynamic feedbacks & relevant prompts integrated in UI elements.

Scalability for future ICs

With the updated design system, devs can now integrate new IC categories.

As the project is under NDA, specific details cannot be shared publicly. However, if you'd like to discuss the design process and outcomes, feel free to reach out.

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