Product Design

• ▪ Industry / Branch
• Government (Police)
• ▪ Role
• Senior Product Designer
• ▪ Services
• Concept · Consulting · Analysis · UX Research · UX Design · UI Design · Web Design · Engineering · Prototyping · Web Development · Usability · Optimization · Project Management

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• ▪ Client
• The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, overseeing the Police Top Divers project, a sustainable anchor of diversity within the Dutch Police. The initiative required a digital platform that reflected its mission of inclusivity and professional excellence.
• ▪ Challenge
• At the Ministry's request, the never-finished website was evaluated. Thorough audience research revealed a critical diagnosis:
  - outdated, fragmented across standalone pages, and lacking coherent structure or intuitive navigation. The digital home for this vital diversity initiative was failing its purpose.

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• ▪ Role summary
• As the Senior Product Designer engaged by the Ministry, I led research, strategy, design, and engineering - from evaluation to full product delivery. Collaborating with agency Barlock on initial visuals, I drove design refinement, technical execution and UX architecture.

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• ▪ Comprehensive evaluation
• A deep audit of the site architecture confirmed that content was scattered across disconnected pages, making it nearly impossible for users, police personnel or the public, to quickly find relevant diversity program information.
• ▪ Understanding the audience
• The audience, internal police stakeholders, diverse recruits, and government officials - shared a common frustration:
  - the website was illogical to navigate and obscured the program's scope and impact.
• ▪ The goal
• 1. - Redesign the website with a clear, logical navigation structure
  2. - Consolidate standalone pages into a cohesive, intuitive information architecture
  3. - Deliver a user-friendly custom CMS, free of unnecessary complexity, empowering the Ministry to maintain content effortlessly

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• ▪ The struggle
• Users were lost in a digital labyrinth, forced to guess the right page from an unstructured menu just to find basic program details. The fragmented experience undermined credibility and discouraged engagement.
• ▪ The expectation
• Government stakeholders and the public expect clarity, transparency, and ease of access. A police diversity initiative deserved a digital presence that was welcoming, professional and logically organized to communicate its value.

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Persona

• ▪ The Program Officer
• • Role: Ministry Staff or Police Diversity Coordinator
  • Goal: Easily update content and share program successes without technical hurdles
  • Pain Point: An outdated, fragmented site that is difficult to manage and reflects poorly on the program
• ▪ The Prospective Candidate
• • Role: Individual from a diverse background considering a police career
  • Goal: Understand the support and opportunities available through Top Divers
  • Pain Point: Inability to find clear, structured information; a confusing site that suggests disorganization
• ▪ The Journalist
• • Role: Investigative Reporter or News Correspondent covering government and social affairs
  • Goal: Quickly locate accurate statistics, official statements, and program background on diversity efforts within the police and Ministry.
  • Pain Point: Disorganized, outdated information that requires piecing together from multiple sources, slowing down reporting and increasing the risk of inaccuracy.
  • Quote: "I need facts, fast. If I can't find them on the official site, the story becomes about the lack of transparency."

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• ▪ Proposal
• Based on the research findings, a complete redesign was proposed. The solution centered on a logical navigation structure that consolidated scattered content into clear, thematic sections. The goal was to make information discovery intuitive for all user groups.
• ▪ Collaboration
• The project was realized in collaboration with agency Barlock, who provided the initial graphic design concept. I was responsible for translating that visual direction into a fully functional digital product, including the development of a custom, user-friendly CMS.
• ▪ Lean CMS
• A custom Content Management System was built with a strict philosophy: no unnecessary additions. The interface was stripped down to essential controls, allowing Ministry staff to update text, images, and program news without navigating complex menus or risking the integrity of the design.

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• ▪ Prototyping
• Interactive prototypes were developed to test the proposed navigation hierarchy and page consolidation. These were shared with Ministry stakeholders to validate that the new structure made sense and that key information was now reachable within a minimal number of clicks.
• ▪ User acceptance
• The custom CMS was validated directly with the intended users at the Ministry. Feedback confirmed that the simplified, purpose-built interface significantly lowered the barrier to content management, enabling the team to keep the site fresh and relevant without external help.

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• ▪ The renewed platform
• The new Police Top Divers website is a model of clarity and structure. The never-finished & outdated, fragmented pages have been replaced by a cohesive, intuitive navigation system that guides users effortlessly to the information they need. The visual identity, developed in partnership with Barlock, communicates professionalism and inclusivity, while the custom CMS ensures the platform remains a sustainable asset for the Ministry.

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• ▪ Information Architecture
• A complete restructuring of content, moving from a disconnected collection of pages to a logical, user-centric hierarchy.
• ▪ Custom CMS
• Purpose-built to be lean and user-friendly, empowering non-technical government staff to manage the site autonomously.

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• ▪ Impact
• The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations now operates a digital platform that truly supports the Police Top Divers initiative. The clear structure and intuitive CMS have transformed the website from an outdated burden into a valuable communication and recruitment tool.
• ▪ Key takeaways
• • - Structure is accessibility: In government communications, a logical navigation structure is as critical as the content itself.
  • - Collaboration amplifies value: Partnering with a design agency for visuals while leading UX and technical execution delivers a cohesive, high-quality result.
  • - Simplicity empowers: A CMS devoid of unnecessary features is the most sustainable tool for government teams with limited technical resources.

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