INDUSTRY:
E-COMMERCE
CLIENT:
NILE AFRICA TECHNOLOGIES
FOCUS
Simplifying dashboard navigation to reduce friction
opening
This project focused on improving navigation in an e-commerce dashboard used by merchants to manage sales, products, and payouts.
The goal was to reduce friction, simplify how users move through the product, and make onboarding easier for new and existing users.
the problem
Navigation in the dashboard made it harder for users to complete tasks efficiently.
Key issues:
Features were stacked without clear hierarchy
New users struggled to know where to start
No clear separation between setup and daily operations
Navigation became harder to use as more features were added
This created friction, especially during onboarding and early product use.
what i found (audit thinking)
After reviewing the flow, a few patterns stood out:
Users hesitated when trying to locate key features
Important actions were buried under unclear groupings
The navigation lacked structure, making scanning difficult
As the product grew, complexity increased without a system to support it
The issue wasn’t missing features, it was how those features were organized and accessed.
what i changed
The redesign focused on making navigation clearer, faster, and scalable:
Grouped related features into clear sections (e.g. Sales, Customers, Transactions, Settings)
Introduced icon + label combinations to improve scanning speed
Created a more structured sidebar to separate setup from daily tasks
Designed the navigation system to scale as new features are added
Each decision aimed to reduce cognitive load and help users find what they need quickly.
outcome
The new navigation system made the dashboard easier to use and reduced friction across key flows.
Results:
Faster access to important features
Improved onboarding experience for new users
Better scalability as the product continues to grow
The new navigation system made the dashboard easier to use and reduced friction across key flows.
Results:
Faster access to important features
Improved onboarding experience for new users
Better scalability as the product continues to grow
key impact
Reduced navigation complexity
Improved feature discoverability
Smoother onboarding experience
Reduced navigation complexity
Improved feature discoverability
Smoother onboarding experience
