Getting started

A global financial management tool

Before we dive in, I want to note that, in compliance with my non-disclosure agreement, I've ommitted and modified any confidential information from this case studt

Octopus PMI is a cost management and accounting tool specifically designed for the Film and TV industry. It serves high-profile clients such as BBC, Banijay, Warner Bros, and ITV, enabling them to manage large-scale budgets efficiently. Over 50% of the turnover of UK Indie productions is managed by this product.

Given the dynamic nature of production—where costs accumulate rapidly across locations, talent, equipment, and post-production—managing finances in real-time is critical.

My role

UX/UI Designer & Beyond

I was the first in-house UX designer, brought in to modernize a 25-year-old product. My primary objective was to preserve its core functionality while making it intuitive, visually appealing, and future-ready.

Over time, my role expanded beyond UX design to include product strategy, marketing, and user research, given that our team consisted of only two people within a 50-person firm. We had nearly complete creative control over the product's design, content, and user perception.

What makes a complex product?

B2B Accounting & Finance Management 

This product,Octopus PMI, is a sophisticated product, encompassing numerous features that demand specialized expertise for effective design. It integrates over 500 system keys and approximately 50 distinct functions, including Purchase Orders, Purchase Invoices, and Budgeting.

Complex products are often associated with B2B solutions, but B2C products like Amazon, eBay, or even web browsers can also be challenging to design due to their range and complexity.

However, being unfamiliar with a domain doesn't mean it's hard to design—it just means extra time and research are needed to understand it well. I have dedicated significant time to learning about this product to ensure my design work is effective.

Objective 

Project Goals 

Main Project Goal. We are transitioning from a legacy system to a web-based platform to ensure scalability, efficiency, and long-term viability. Here’s why:

1. 

Simplify Workflows & Cutting Costs

Complex workflows cause errors, long training times, and high support costs.

2. 

Faster Growth & Scalability

 Legacy systems struggle to keep up with new features and business expansion.

3. 

Modernizing UI for Better User Experience. 

he outdated interface doesn’t meet new-generation user expectations.

4. 

AP S/4HANA Deadline: Ensuring Future Compatibility

SAP is ending support for our version, impacting our integrations and client operations.

Challenges 

Key Issues

 Here are some Key Issues we have identified before we started redesigning the system.  

User Impact 

Business Alignment

• Clients (producers, accountants, financial advisors) struggled with inefficient workflows.
• Support team resources were stretched thin due to frequent troubleshooting requests.
• Feature requests exceeded 1,000+— showcasing the system's growing complexity.

Next Step 

Painpoints

Through existing data on support calls and interview recordings, I was able to identify main user pain points and these helped me undertsand which flows to narrow down in.

Insights to Reality

Alignment of Design Strategies with Project Goals

Goal 1: Simplifying Workflows & Cutting Costs

#1 User Flows.

This system included numerous workflows - and they're not simple. These are very accounting and finance-specific so a a user without the sufficient knowledge wouldnt be able to use it as much. As someone who's designing this system, I had to make sure I understand and learn it myself.

Userflows allow me to map up the whole user journey, taking into account what the user wants to do, from where they start up until where the task ends. 

Screenshot 1. Paying an Advance Flow

#2 Painpointing.

Evaluated user steps in financial tasks to identify friction, inefficiencies, and areas causing high support calls. See below for using this method on their existing system.

Screenshot. Example of Painpointing One Critical Screen (Budget Version Details)

#3 Wireframes. 

 Low-fidelity Wireframes. Low-Fidelity Prototypes (Balsamiq, InVision Freehand): Quickly visualized simplified workflows for early feedback, reducing complexity and support needs.

Screenshot 2. Low-fidelity wireframes of Importing Budget 

Screenshot 3. Low-fidelity wireframes of Adding a Budget Version from the Wizard

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes. Refined interactions incorporating stakeholder feedback to further reduce training complexity and support overhead. This is where version control and re-iterations mostly happen. 

Goal 2 & 3: Faster Growth & Scalability 

#1 Design System.

I established consistent UI components, colors, and typography, significantly reducing design inconsistencies.
This enhanced scalability, enabling faster and more consistent implementation of future features.

Click here for the full case study on the design system.

#2 Impact Effort Approach.

I prioritized numerous incoming ideas based on their projected business value versus effort, enabling faster, clearer decision-making, optimizing development resources, and aligning directly with strategic growth objectives.

#3 Competitor Analysis.

I conducted extensive benchmarking against industry leaders (Xero, QuickBooks, SAP) to ensure familiarity, reducing the learning curve for new users, and directly improving adoption rates through intuitive interfaces.

#4 Continuous Iteration & Validation.

I performed ongoing design reviews, usability tests, and iterative improvements based on direct user and stakeholder feedback, significantly enhancing the user experience, adoption, and satisfaction - this has resulted in increasing versions. In return, it improved the user satisfaction each time.

Goal 4: SAP S/4HANA Deadline – Ensuring Future Compatibility

#1 Stakeholder Feedback

I held regular sessions with the CEO to deeply understand the business strategy, particularly focusing on scope and its direct impact on design, delivery timelines, and ensuring strategic alignment with long-term business objectives.

#2 Collaboration Across Teams:

I maintained constant communication with product managers, developers, and stakeholders to generate and validate solutions ensuring long-term compatibility and stability

Version Control Diagram. How Design Changes impact other teams 

Outcome

The Final Latest Design

The Lessons

Key Takeaways

The "Finish Line" Is Never Really the End

Post-launch iterations and continuous improvements are essential. Legacy Systems are tough. Refactoring old infrastructure required innovative problem-solving. Design is a Journey, Not a Checklist: Every solution needed constant refinement.

What Worked Well
Scalable Design System: Allowed for rapid iterations when new features were requested.

User-Centric Approach: Engaging directly with production accountants led to practical, impactful design decisions.

Cross-Team Collaboration: Working closely with developers ensured smooth implementation.

Final Thoughts

The redesign of Octopus PMI was more than just a UI upgrade—it was a transformation of user experience, functionality, and business impact. By prioritizing usability, scalability, and design thinking, we successfully modernized a legacy system while maintaining its core strengths.

As the Film & TV industry evolves, so must the tools that support it. This project was a step toward redefining financial management in production, and there’s still much more to innovate.

"Good design is invisible. Great design is intuitive."

Interested in working together? Get in touch!

Krisha Angeli Pardillo
+447947948622
krishaangelipardillo@gmail.com