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ICA Gruppen
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ICA Gruppen

Intranet
I led UX design for ICA Gruppen’s new intranet, working within the Omnia platform and a rapid two-week sprint
cadence. I restructured the information architecture, designed responsive prototypes for desktop and mobile, and
embedded ICA’s brand identity consistently across templates. Through stakeholder workshops and usability tests at
sprint reviews, we created an intranet that made information easier to find, strengthened internal communication, and
gave employees clearer direction on organisational priorities. The final deliverables were developer-ready prototypes
I led UX design for ICA Gruppen’s new
intranet, working within the Omnia
platform and a rapid two-week sprint
cadence. I restructured the information
architecture, designed responsive
prototypes for desktop and mobile, and
embedded ICA’s brand identity
consistently across templates. Through
validated by users and aligned to both business needs and platform constraints.
stakeholder workshops and usability
tests at sprint reviews, we created an
intranet that made information easier to
find, strengthened internal
communication, and gave employees
clearer direction on organisational
priorities. The final deliverables were
developer-ready prototypes validated
by users and aligned to both business
needs and platform constraints.

My role

Visual / UX Designer

Team

Project Manager
Experience Strategist
UX Designer
Visual Designer

Timeline

12 weeks

Year

2020

Project name

Intranet Redesign

Constraints

  • Strict alignment with Omnia intranet platform capabilities.
  • Brand consistency with ICA.
  • Delivery within a rapid sprint cadence.

Overview

Problem

ICA Gruppen’s existing intranet was fragmented and unintuitive. Employees struggled to:
‍
  • Find relevant information quickly.
  • Understand organisational priorities and personal tasks.
  • Share knowledge effectively across operating companies.
    ‍
At the same time, the intranet had to work within Omnia’s technical configuration limits, meaning the design could not be a blue-sky exercise. It had to be grounded in real platform constraints and shippable within sprints.

Challenge

  • Make the intranet easy to navigate and information easy to find.
  • Provide clear guidance on priorities so employees understand what matters most.
  • Bring ICA’s brand consistency to the intranet, reinforcing identity and cohesion.
  • Deliver developer-ready prototypes aligned with Omnia’s platform constraints.

Solution

  • A simplified, restructured information architecture making knowledge and tools easy to find.
  • Responsive prototypes for desktop and mobile, aligned with Omnia’s platform constraints.
  • Clear, brand-consistent templates supporting ICA’s identity across multiple operating companies.
  • Personalised entry points and priority messages for employees to stay aligned with corporate goals.
  • High-quality, developer-ready design deliverables delivered in a sprint cadence.

Results

  • Employees found it easier to discover and share information, reducing wasted time and frustration.
  • Clearer communication of priorities improved employee alignment and focus.
  • The redesigned intranet delivered a consistent, brand-cohesive experience across ICA Gruppen.
  • Working in two-week cycles, the design team delivered validated prototypes that reduced development rework and improved stakeholder confidence.

Research

Activities

  • Heuristic review of the existing intranet to identify navigation and usability gaps.
  • Stakeholder workshops to capture business objectives and governance needs.
  • User interviews and usability tests at the end of each sprint, validating new prototypes.
  • Competitive scans of modern intranet and employee experience platforms for reference patterns.

Insights

  • Navigation was overloaded, with too many links competing for attention.
  • Inconsistent design and branding across operating companies created friction.
  • Employees wanted personalised, role-relevant entry points.
  • Clearer signposting of organisational priorities would help employees orient their work.

What to track post-launch

  • Search success rate and reduction in “could not find” queries.
  • Time to complete common intranet tasks (finding HR info, corporate updates, documents).
  • Employee satisfaction survey scores related to intranet usability.
  • Intranet adoption/return rate across different business units.
Two screens from the intranet designed for ICA Gruppen.

Process

1. Discover

  • Reviewed existing intranet.
  • Conducted workshops with stakeholders.
  • Identified user and business goals.

2. Define

  • Prioritised requirements.
  • Mapped information architecture.
  • Planned sprints.

3. Design

  • Created prototypes (desktop and mobile) for navigation, content layouts, and key intranet flows.

4. Test

  • Ran usability tests at sprint ends.
  • Gathered feedback.
  • Refined flows and layouts.

5. Deliver

  • Produced high-fidelity prototypes and specifications.
  • Aligned with Omnia’s platform constraints.
Three screens from the intranet designed for ICA Gruppen, sized for a mobile viewport.

Key decisions

Navigation re-architecture

Simplify and consolidate menus into clearer categories and pathways. This reduced navigation noise, improved findability.

Brand alignment

Apply ICA’s brand language consistently across templates, ensuring alignment with the corporate identity. This reinforced ICA’s brand cohesion across all operating companies.

Responsive design

Deliver intranet prototypes optimised for desktop and mobile. This ensured usability for employees in both office and field environments.

Iterative testing

Embed usability testing into each sprint review, making changes immediately where friction was found. This reduced risk of misalignment and validated decisions continuously.

Clarity of purpose

Provide personalised entry points and priority messaging (e.g. “What should I be working on?”). This aligned intranet with employee goals, helping them focus on what mattered most.

Risks and how they were managed

  • Platform constraints (Omnia). Designs were tailored to Omnia’s capabilities. Avoided proposing features that couldn’t be built.
  • Tight sprint cadence. Embedded testing and demos in each sprint to ensure continuous alignment.
  • Diverse operating companies. Aligned through consistent templates and IA, while allowing for local flexibility.
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