Redesigning a government portal to support school attendance officers.
I worked with the City of Amsterdam to modernize an outdated attendance tracking platform alongside another UX designer, a product owner, and real users. Together we led the creation of a new design system and conducted usability tests to ensure the redesigned flows and features aligned with the officers’ daily work, bringing clarity, structure, and efficiency to a critical government tool.
Renate Schwarzler
Sr. UX Designer at the City of Amsterdam
“Working with Han has been an absolute pleasure and honestly, a bit of an adventure. They have this incredible ability to learn so much in such a short time, and they don’t just follow the design process, they seriously elevate it. The quality of the work and the final deliverables always level up when Han’s involved. On top of that, their drive, high energy, and fun mindset are totally contagious. You can’t help but get pulled along for the ride.”
Challenge
The existing attendance portal was outdated and lacked many essential features that attendance officers needed to do their work efficiently. The platform’s flows were incomplete and confusing, resulting in time-consuming processes and frustration. Our challenge was to redesign the portal from the ground up to incorporate new features and improve usability while ensuring it met the real needs of attendance officers.
Approach
We collaborated closely with attendance officers, the product owner, and stakeholders to understand daily workflows and pain points. Together, we mapped out missing flows and prioritized features. We created a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency and scalability throughout the redesign. We iteratively tested prototypes with real users, gathering feedback to refine interactions and visuals for maximum clarity and ease of use.
What we found
- Officers needed clear guidance and feedback throughout complex processes
- Missing flows caused delays and confusion, impacting attendance tracking accuracy
- Consistency in design and interaction patterns was essential to reduce cognitive load
- Real users valued simplicity and quick access to key information
- The portal had to support a wide variety of tasks without overwhelming the user
Result
- A fully redesigned portal with streamlined, complete flows that reflect real work scenarios
- New components integrated into the existing design system, accompanied by clear guidelines for consistent use
- The portal now supports attendance officers with clear, intuitive interfaces and helpful feedback
- Easier task management with better prioritization and clearer next steps
- Usability testing confirmed increased user satisfaction and reduced errors
- Positive feedback from users highlighted improved efficiency and confidence in completing tasks