The Challenge
Optiplan builds SaaS systems for municipal school administration. These systems bring together numerous rules, roles, and sensitive decisions. A placement must comply with priority rules, be justifiable in the event of an appeal, and reach parents or guardians via a portal, email, or letter. Each municipality also has its own requirements, often set out in procurement documents.
At the same time, municipalities wanted the services to reflect their own brand identity. This could never come at the expense of accessibility, and colors and typefaces needed to meet WCAG standards regardless of the municipality. The products had evolved separately, without a shared design language. Every new feature risked becoming yet another special case.
What we did
The engagement began as a mentorship for Optiplan's UX designer and grew into a full-time product designer role on the projects.
Mapped existing systems
We reviewed the workflows for administrators, guardians, and drivers and developed concepts for new interfaces.
Mapped out the flows in almost architectural detail
We developed technical flowcharts showing how a decision made early in the process affects the entire product. This gave teams and decision-makers a shared understanding before anything was built.
Built the design system from scratch
We created a core-and-component structure and established rules for turning new modules into variants of existing components rather than one-off solutions. This allowed the system to support multiple products.
Made the brand adaptable without compromising accessibility
With locked tokens and clear rules for color and typography, each municipality can use its own identity, while contrast, readability, and WCAG requirements remain built into the system.
Translated the municipalities' requirements into design
We translated procurement requirements, such as retrieving information from the Swedish Tax Agency and handling protected personal data, into concrete workflows and wireframes.
Designed new products for the system
We developed a new parent and guardian portal and UX/UI for the Skolskjuts app.
Revamped the app for bus drivers
We updated the interface in the app that drivers use while on duty.
Built up expertise internally
We led and mentored Optiplan's UX designer throughout the entire project and for a year afterward, providing guidance on processes, design decisions, design systems, and accessibility.