Kanban-board Redesign

🎯 Case Study: Revamping the Kanban Board for Operations Management

🧭 1. The Call to Adventure

The Kanban board wasn't broken — but it wasn’t whole either. Initially, the project aimed to integrate a long-requested Operations Management (OM) module alongside the existing Incidents and Changes already displayed. Users were vocal: they wanted all their tasks in one unified view.

However, during interviews, we uncovered additional pain points:

• Missing filters
• No pagination (only 50 tasks per column visible)
• A clunky setup/editing experience
• Fragmentation due to outdated UI

At the same time, our design system had matured. It was the perfect moment to rethink the entire Kanban experience, not just plug in OM.

🚧 2. The Challenge

⏳ Constraints:

• Time pressure: We didn't know how long the project would stay alive. We needed impact, fast.
• Legacy tech: The architecture severely limited what we could realistically implement.
• Surprise insights: We assumed OM tasks needed to behave identically on the board. They didn’t — users just needed clarity and task mapping, not perfect behavioral parity.

🧪 Accessibility: While not a stated goal, I championed low-hanging improvements — tabbing order, keyboard shortcuts — to plant the seeds of inclusive design.

🧪 3. The Journey

🔍 Research

• Conducted user interviews on current Kanban use and reactions to OM integration
• Reviewed usage data to identify feature gaps
• Tested mid- and high-fidelity prototypes: task setup, closing tasks, filters, pagination

💡 Key Insights

1. Filters were more critical than expected — users wanted granular task control.
2. Showing more than 50 tasks per column was a top request — but ultimately blocked by backend limits.

🔁 Iteration

• Task closure flows
• Adding OM tasks
• Advanced filter placement
• Pagination patterns
• Task setup wizards

💬 Feedback

• “It feels intuitive.”
• “Finally, OM doesn’t feel like an afterthought.”
• Accessibility tweaks — like tabbing and shortcuts — were positively received.

🧱 Design System Contribution

• A new side panel layout
• Updated Kanban card UI
• A wizard-style stepper for setting up/editing boards

✨ 4. The Transformation

✅ Key Changes

• Full UI refresh using the design system
• Filter bar for task types (Incidents, Changes, OM)
• Keyboard accessibility enhancements
• Ability to toggle closed tasks
• Seamless OM task integration

📈 Outcomes

• ⏱ 23% faster task completion (measured via timed task test pre/post-launch)
• 🌟 9/10 satisfaction (via feedback widget + optional comments)
• This was not just a redesign — it was a strategic UX overhaul delivered under real-world constraints.

🎓 5. The Return

What I Learned

• Design ≠ intent: You can design something great and still lose it to technical limits. Pagination was our toughest letdown — greenlit at first, then blocked during implementation.
• Prioritization is a team sport: We dropped the setup screen redesign due to time — and while it stings, usage data showed users barely touched it. Pragmatism won.
• Stay ahead, but stay nimble: I worked 2 months ahead of development. This buffer gave me time for exploration, visual polish, and design system contributions.

What I’d Improve with More Time

• Full setup wizard redesign
• Advanced filters (multi-level, saved views)
• More robust accessibility options
• True pagination or infinite scroll for dense boards

Biggest Victory?

Turning a feature request into an opportunity for strategic redesign — and pushing through real constraints to deliver a cleaner, smarter, and more unified Kanban experience.