Client
Several concrete manufacturers
Timeline
Apr - Sept 2021
My Role
Product designer
Design System
Current Status
Online
BACKGROUND
The need to redesign…
SANY Smart Factory is a pioneering ERP solution designed to digitalise the concrete manufacturing industry as it faces stricter government regulations demanding safer, environmentally friendly production. Digitalisation provides clients with efficiency and automation advantages.
When our team assumed responsibility, version 1.0 was already in use, but client feedback was disappointing. Users reported that the system was overly complex and offered not much improvement over their previous Microsoft Excel-based processes.
ANALYSIS
Identify the Challenges
After analysing collected feedback, we identified two critical priorities:
Prioritise efficiency: With multiple features planned for future releases, simplicity and efficiency must be foundational as this product evolves into a complex hub.
Build a design system: Creating SANY's first comprehensive design system will establish consistent standards for this web application and future digital initiatives.
NAVIGATION
A comprehensive and clear navigation
Navigation complexity presented a significant challenge, with over 11 major features planned as level-1 items and more than 50 sub-categories. A single navigation bar would become unwieldy and confusing.
Our solution was a dual-tier navigation system that significantly reduces visual complexity. The primary navigation uses a dark background, creating strong visual hierarchy and allowing users to focus on the main content while maintaining access to all necessary functions.
HOMEPAGE
Homepage: a personalised workspace
To enhance product efficiency, we overhauled the homepage. Version 1.0 featured a company-wide data dashboard that wasn't relevant to all users. We completely redesigned the homepage to be customisable, adding components that improve efficiency and allow users to manage their work and notifications more easily.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Design system & guidelines
While redesigning SANY Smart Factory, we simultaneously developed SANY's first company-wide design system. Built on atomic design principles, we progressed from basic styles and icons to complete page templates. To bridge the gap between designers and developers while ensuring design consistency, we crafted a comprehensive design guideline document.
IMPACT
Reflections on the redesign journey
Following our redesign process, user satisfaction regarding efficiency increased by over 20%. Additionally, we established a foundational design system applicable to future updates across all SANY web products.
However, due to the limits on time and developers, we were unable to make further redesign to improve the charts and dashboard. In addition, the design system still need more test to check its ability to apply to many other products.
