UX Study | Desktop UI
A UX Transformation for the Construction Industry
*Previous app
BACKGROUND
Outbuild was formerly known as ProPlanner, a construction management app that originally used a blue color palette and borrowed heavily from Notion’s 2020-style interface. While functional, it lacked the usability and clarity that construction teams needed for their day-to-day planning.
THE CHALLENGE
Industry professionals were still relying on Excel, MS Project, and Primavera P6.
ProPlanner’s early version didn’t fully solve their pain points—it was too close to a generic productivity tool, and not tailored enough to construction workflows.
REDESIGN GOALS
Our mission was to evolve ProPlanner into Outbuild, focusing on usability, scalability, and a design language that felt professional yet approachable.
The aim was to simplify complex workflows while enhancing collaboration across teams.
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
Through user interviews and workflow analysis, we identified key frustrations:
- Overly generic navigation inspired by productivity apps.
- Difficulty handling large amounts of project data.
- Lack of visual clarity in Gantt views and reports.
USER RESEARCH
Project Executive
A Project Executive in construction oversees multiple projects or a major project, ensuring profitability, client satisfaction, risk management, and strategic alignment while supporting project managers and senior leadership
Project Engineer
A project manager in construction oversees planning, budgeting, scheduling, and coordination of a project from start to finish, ensuring it meets quality, safety, and contractual requirements. The project manager works with all project stakeholders to address any issues and complete all tasks relation to project completion from start to finish.
Project Manager
A project manager in construction oversees planning, budgeting, scheduling, and coordination of a project from start to finish, ensuring it meets quality, safety, and contractual requirements. The project manager works with all project stakeholders to address any issues and complete all tasks relation to project completion from start to finish.
General Contractor
The owner of a subcontractor firm/ general contractor firm oversees business operations, financial management, client relations, and project execution while ensuring profitability, workforce management, and strategic growth.
Superintendent
A superintendent working for a general contractor oversees daily construction site operations, ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget, and according to plans and safety regulations.
Subcontractor
A foreman for a subcontractor supervises and coordinates the work of tradespeople and laborers on-site, ensuring tasks are completed safely, efficiently, and according to project specifications.
A GLIPSE OF THE DESIGN SYSTEM
As the product evolved, I established and refined reusable design foundations to create consistency across the experience and make future product development more efficient.
PRODUCT DESIGN
The redesign introduced:
A fresh color system with neutral tones and strong accents to prioritize information.
Typographic hierarchy for dense project data.
A more intuitive design language that balanced familiarity with innovation.
IMPACT
The redesign transformed ProPlanner into Outbuild — a tool purpose-built for construction teams. With improved usability and a more intuitive UX, Outbuild helps users work faster, collaborate better, and finally replace outdated tools like Excel and MS Project with confidence.
LinkedIn
mikeimantado@gmail.com
