Calian's Microsite for their ITCS Business Unit

Working on UX at Calian gave me a chance to apply both my technical skills and my sensitivity to how people actually interact with digital tools. Here’s a breakdown of the approach I took during the design process—rooted in empathy, clarity, and real collaboration.

1. Understanding the Problem

Before diving into design, I took time to really understand what needed fixing. I had conversations with the team, asked questions, and listened closely.

As you can see in the images below, the main issue was that the website didn’t look modern, and more importantly, it wasn’t doing a good job of showcasing the different industries Calian served. Users couldn’t intuitively tell where to click or how to explore the range of services. The layout and structure weren’t guiding them effectively.

To get a better grasp of this, I sketched out workflows and mapped user journeys to spot where things were getting lost or ignored. This step wasn’t about visuals yet—it was about seeing the experience from the user’s perspective.

1. Understanding the Problem

Before diving into design, I took time to really understand what needed fixing. I had conversations with the team, asked questions, and listened closely.

1. Understanding the Problem

Before diving into design, I took time to really understand what needed fixing. I had conversations with the team, asked questions, and listened closely.

2. Research & Discovery

Once I had a grasp on the problem, I moved into research mode. Depending on the scope, I’d look into similar platforms, audit competitors, or gather user feedback directly. I was especially interested in finding patterns—what users kept running into, and what they expected based on past experiences.

At Calian, where some projects were more technical or specialized, I made sure the language and layout spoke to both the users' needs and the business goals.

2. Research & Discovery

At Calian, where some projects were more technical or specialized, I made sure the language and layout spoke to both the users' needs and the business goals.

2. Research & Discovery

At Calian, where some projects were more technical or specialized, I made sure the language and layout spoke to both the users' needs and the business goals.

3. Sketching and Wireframing

I explored a range of layout options in Figma, focusing on how to present Calian’s information clearly and effectively. These early sketches were shared with the stakeholders to get a sense of what tone and structure resonated most with them. Their feedback helped shape the direction of the final design.

4. Prototyping the Experience

This is the part where I start bringing shape to ideas. I usually start rough—paper sketches, quick figma wireframes—just enough to test layout and flow without getting lost in the details. I shared these early with developers and product managers to make sure we were aligned on functionality.

5. Iterating Based on Insights

After testing, I made adjustments—sometimes small, like rewording a button, and other times reworking a layout that just wasn’t clicking. If something didn’t feel right or wasn’t clear to users, I was open to changing it. I also worked closely with developers during this phase to make sure the updates were realistic to build.