Overview

This project focused on redesigning a complex, data-heavy mapping application used to analyze geographic and risk-based information. The existing tool surfaced large volumes of spatial data, but its structure made interpretation slow and unintuitive.

Users weren’t struggling with the data itself — they were struggling with how it was organized.

My role was to restructure the experience so that exploration, filtering, and interpretation felt guided rather than overwhelming.

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My Role

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Challenge

The application had grown organically over time. New data layers, tools, and controls were continuously added without rethinking the overall architecture.

This resulted in:

• Dense, crowded interfaces
• Competing interaction models
• Redundant filtering mechanisms
• Navigation that required prior system knowledge
• Cognitive overload when analyzing layered datasets

The experience was powerful, but not approachable.

The challenge wasn’t visual polish. It was structural clarity.

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Approach

Rather than immediately redesigning screens, I stepped back and reframed the problem as an architectural issue.

Research & Audit

I reviewed existing flows and mapped how users:

• Loaded map layers
• Applied filters
• Switched between views
• Accessed supporting datasets

We identified friction points where users were forced to jump between panels or interpret conflicting UI patterns.

Synthesis

User feedback and workflow analysis revealed consistent themes:

• Important controls were visually equal to secondary tools
• Filtering logic was inconsistent across datasets
• Key insights were buried within expandable menus
• The tool assumed too much system familiarity

From this, I defined three structural goals:

1. Reduce cognitive load
2. Establish a clear hierarchy of actions
3. Make spatial exploration progressive, not overwhelming

Restructure

I reorganized the experience around a clearer hierarchy:

• Primary: Map interaction and core data layers
• Secondary: Filters and view adjustments
• Tertiary: Advanced tools and configuration

Key changes included:

• Consolidating redundant filtering patterns
• Introducing progressive disclosure for advanced controls
• Standardizing panel behavior and interaction logic
• Clarifying state changes and data visibility

The goal was to guide users through analysis, not present everything at once.

Standardize

To ensure scalability across future datasets and features, I:

• Defined repeatable interaction patterns for filters and toggles
• Established consistent panel layouts and spacing systems
• Standardized map tool behaviors and states
• Integrated patterns into the broader design system

This prevented the tool from drifting back into fragmentation as new features were added.