Revolutionizing Agricultural Management: Leading UX Design for DEFRA’s B2B SaaS Access Management Platform

DEFRA partnered with a B2B SaaS startup to develop an access management platform aimed at improving data processing efficiency for agricultural professionals. The platform was designed to empower farmers, government professionals, and stakeholders with real-time access to crucial livestock data, enabling better decision-making and ensuring compliance with UK regulations.

Revolutionizing Agricultural Management: Leading UX Design for DEFRA’s B2B SaaS Access Management Platform

DEFRA partnered with a B2B SaaS startup to develop an access management platform aimed at improving data processing efficiency for agricultural professionals. The platform was designed to empower farmers, government professionals, and stakeholders with real-time access to crucial livestock data, enabling better decision-making and ensuring compliance with UK regulations.

Role

Senior Product Designer

Duration

12 months

Jan 2024 -

Jan 2025

Project Type

B2B SaaS Access Management Platform

Industry

Government, Agriculture, AI

My Roles

UX Design

UI Design

UX Research

  • Prioritized accessibility and usability for diverse users in varied, unpredictable conditions. Improving data processing efficiency by 32%, enabling agricultural management professionals to access critical insights faster.

  • This improvement was tracked through performance monitoring tools, resulting in a 21% increase in user engagement and a 13% boost in MRR.

  • Implemented a scalable design system leading to faster iterations, improved responsiveness, and contributed to a 15% increase in customer retention rate (CRR) and a 20% reduction in churn rate.

The challenge

Problem statement

DEFRA required an intuitive, scalable platform that allowed agricultural management professionals to access vital livestock data while improving data processing efficiency and user engagement in varying, often unpredictable conditions.

Key goals

  • Ensure the platform was accessible to a wide range of users with different needs.

  • Facilitate AI-driven optimization for process improvements, especially for government and agricultural professionals.

  • Improve user engagement, adoption, and retention.

  • Develop a flexible design system capable of scaling for future features and products.

Challenges

  • Designing for a diverse user base, ranging from tech-savvy government professionals to agricultural users in the field.

  • Balancing accessibility with AI-driven automation to streamline complex processes without overwhelming users.

The process

  1. User Research & Stakeholder Collaboration

Objective

To gather insights from both government professionals and agricultural workers to understand pain points, workflows, and usability requirements.

The Approach

  • Conducted a mix of user interviews, real-life customer feedback, sales call data analysis, and technical research to uncover both explicit user needs and implicit challenges faced by the users in real-world scenarios.

  • Worked closely with DEFRA stakeholders, including government representatives and technical teams, to prioritize features and user needs based on the combination of customer feedback, sales insights, and data-driven analysis.

  • Mapped user journeys to identify friction points, especially in data-heavy tasks like tracking livestock health and disease outbreaks.

Outcome:

  • Developed personas for key user groups, including government users, field agents, and farmers, which helped guide design decisions and feature prioritization.

  1. UX Design & Prototyping

Objective

Create wireframes and prototypes to visualize and test the new access management platform's user interface and user experience.

The Approach

  • Developed low-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes to explore layout options and interactions.

  • Conducted A/B testing on key features (e.g., dashboard layout, data filters) to ensure that design decisions were backed by real user feedback and data analysis.

  • Focused on simplicity and clarity in the design to cater to users in different environments, from office settings to fieldwork

Outcome:

  • The resulting design enabled quicker access to vital data, with enhanced data visualization and user-friendly interfaces, significantly improving operational efficiency.

  1. AI Integration & Scalable Design System

Objective

Integrate AI to optimize platform features and implement a design system that would allow for future scalability. Designers work 34% faster when they use a design system.


Corporations that have design systems spend 70% less time on design-related responsibilities. Moreover, they experience a full size 50% growth in developer productivity. It allows teams to focus on crafting excellent consumer experiences.

The Approach

  • Collaborated with technical teams to incorporate AI features such as predictive analytics and data-driven insights into the platform’s user interface.

  • Developed a scalable design system, informed by the UK Government Design System, which facilitated faster feature iterations and updates.

  • Ensured AI-driven UI updates were seamlessly integrated without overwhelming users, providing personalized experiences while retaining simplicity.

Outcome

The AI integration allowed for a more streamlined workflow, with automatic data suggestions and insights tailored to the user’s role and needs. The design system streamlined development, reducing the time spent on future updates.

Example components, colours & fonts

  1. Performance Monitoring & Iteration

Objective

Track the platform’s performance and iterate based on real-world usage to improve efficiency, engagement, and retention.

Approach

  • Integrated performance monitoring tools to track user engagement, platform usage, and key metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR).

  • Regularly iterated on the design based on performance data, user feedback, and insights gathered from sales calls and technical teams.

  • Optimized data processing efficiency, resulting in a significant improvement in user engagement and product adoption.

Outcome

  • The design improvements led to a 21% increase in user engagement and a 13% boost in MRR, with the platform gaining positive feedback from users across all sectors.

Images to include:

  • Before-and-after examples of key screens (like dashboards or data views) post-iteration.

  • Performance charts or graphs showing improvements in metrics like NPS, MRR, or user engagement.

Key results & Impact

Key results & Impact

  • Increased user engagement by 21%, improving the platform’s adoption rate.

  • Boosted Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) by 13% through streamlined processes and enhanced usability.

  • Improved customer retention rate (CRR) by 15%, thanks to AI integration and personalization.

  • Reduced churn by 20% by creating an easy-to-navigate, highly accessible interface for both government and agricultural professionals.

Reflections & takeaways

This project was a powerful example of how a user-centered design approach, combined with sales insights, real-life customer feedback, and technical collaboration, can drive significant business outcomes. By fostering cross-team collaboration, maintaining a strong focus on user needs, and developing a scalable design system, we were able to deliver a solution that not only met but exceeded expectations. This project reinforced the importance of aligning design with business goals, ultimately contributing to DEFRA's broader objectives of increasing efficiency and improving data access for government and agricultural professionals.