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 validated by users and aligned to both business needs and platform constraints.
Client
ICA Gruppen
Sector
Finance
Project team
Andrew Pierce
Mylene Prieur
Mira Bergsell
Anna Mikelsson
Johan Lundgren
Timeline
12 weeks
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.
My process
Research activities
Heuristic review of the existing intranet to identify navigation and usability gaps. Stakeholder workshops to capture business objectives and governance needs. Competitive scans of modern intranet and employee experience platforms for reference patterns. Identified user and business goals.
Definition activities
Prioritised requirements. Mapped information architecture. Planned sprints.
Design activities
Created prototypes (desktop and mobile) for navigation, content layouts, and key intranet flows.
Testing activities
User interviews and usability tests at the end of each sprint, validating new prototypes.
Iteration activities
Refined flows and layouts.
Handoff activities
Produced high-fidelity prototypes and specifications. Aligned with Omnia’s platform constraints.
Research
Insights in the beginning
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 we would 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.
Key decisions
Navigation re-architecture
Simplify and consolidate menus into clearer categories and pathways — this was to reduce navigation noise and improve findability.
Brand alignment
Apply ICA’s brand language consistently across templates, ensuring alignment with the corporate identity — this was to reinforce ICA’s brand cohesion across all operating companies.
Responsive design
Deliver intranet prototypes optimised for desktop and mobile — this was to ensure 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 was to reduce risk of misalignment and validate decisions continuously.
Clarity of purpose
Provide personalised entry points and priority messaging (e.g. “What should I be working on?”) — this was to align 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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