Solace
Engineering project management platform
Summary.
Solase, a German civil engineering startup, needed a tailored project management platform to replace generic tools that failed to meet industry-specific needs.
As lead designer, I refined the product vision, developed a new brand identity, and created an intuitive interface for managing multi-country projects, equipment, compliance, and analytics. The redesigned platform improved efficiency by 30%, boosted safety compliance by 25%, and enhanced communication workflows across contractors, subcontractors, and project managers.
Project Context.
Company / Product: Solase – Proprietary civil engineering project management platform
Timeline & Team: Multi-month engagement; collaborated with client stakeholders, engineers, and product leads
My Role: Led end-to-end product design, brand definition, user research, information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing
Problem & Goals.
Business Problem: Civil engineering contractors struggled to coordinate complex projects, manage resources, and maintain compliance with safety regulations due to generic, non-specialized project management tools.
User Problem: Lack of tailored features caused inefficiencies, communication gaps, and missed compliance deadlines.
Success Metrics:
Reduce time spent on project tracking and management
Improve communication between stakeholders
Increase compliance adherence rates
Personas.
User Profiles / Personas:
Contractor: Needs quick visibility into timelines, budgets, and compliance status.
Project Manager: Requires efficient resource allocation and tracking across multiple projects.
Subcontractor: Wants clear task assignments and up-to-date documentation.
Methods & Key Insights:
Conducted interviews and surveys with contractors, PMs, and subcontractors
Key needs: industry-specific dashboards, integrated communication tools, compliance tracking, equipment/resource management
Design Process.
Ideation & Sketches: Focused on a clean, metric-driven dashboard to provide at-a-glance visibility while enabling drill-down into project specifics.
Wireframes & Low-Fi Prototypes: Prioritized critical features in the IA Project Dashboard, Task Management, Document Storage, Compliance Tracking, Communication Tools.
Iterations & Trade-Offs: Enhanced compliance indicators for better visibility; balanced dense data presentation with a clean, modern UI.
Solution & Visual Design.
High-Fi Mockups:
Central dashboard displaying project activity across multiple regions
Compliance status modules with clear visual indicators
Equipment/resource tracking integrated into project pages
Accessibility & Inclusivity: Consistent color tokens, high-contrast elements, logical navigation structure
Interaction highlights
Drill-down metrics
Embedded communication channels
Quick-access compliance reports
Demo - xxxx
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Our impact & what we learned.
Impact:
–30% time spent on project tracking and management
+25% adherence to safety compliance
Reduced reliance on email, improving communication speed and clarity
Qualitative Feedback:
Contractors praised the tailored workflows
PMs valued equipment/resource tracking and compliance visibility
What we learned:
What Went Well: Delivered a branded, industry-specific tool that addressed pain points ignored by generic solutions; scalable architecture supports future growth.
What I’d Do Differently:
Explore AI-assisted resource recommendations to further optimize planning.
Future Roadmap:
Mobile-first companion app, deeper analytics dashboards, automated anomaly detection for budget/forecast changes.
