Salkku Whistleblower faced challenges in user adoption and sales due to a cluttered information architecture and a confusing user experience. Reports were difficult to submit, key features were hard to discover, and the sales team struggled to convert leads. To drive growth, the platform needed a streamlined IA and an improved UX to enhance usability, increase engagement, and boost direct sales.

I began the process with usability testing and interviews with existing users and sales representatives to identify friction points in the current IA and UX. This competitive analysis helped me gather best practices for feature discovery, reporting flows, and sales conversions. I concluded that the platform’s navigation and hierarchy need to be restructured to simplify reporting and enhance feature visibility. The submission process needed optimisaiton, key interactions streamlining, and the visual design redefinition. I created and validated interactive prototypes before implementation.

In industries like banking and finance, whistleblower reports are essential for maintaining ethical standards, protecting both organizations and customers from fraud, corruption, and regulatory violations. These industries are highly regulated, and employees often face difficult decisions when they witness unethical behavior - especially when speaking up could lead to personal or professional risks.

I created two personas - Anna Korhonen and Jari Laine. They represent the kind of individuals who might submit a whistleblower report within the banking and insurance sectors. Both are committed to doing what’s right, but their fear of retaliation prevents them from speaking out without the security of anonymity.

Creating both personas and empathy maps was essential to deeply understand the needs, frustrations, and behaviors of the two key users - whistleblowers and investigators. The personas helped define their backgrounds, motivations, and challenges at a high level, while the empathy maps allowed me to break down their thoughts, feelings, and pain points in more detail.

For this project, I decided to conduct a Nielsen Norman heuristic evaluation to identify usability issues early in the design process. By using this method, I was able to assess the interface against established usability principles, which helped highlight areas for improvement in user experience. This approach ensured that we addressed key issues in the design before moving forward, allowing us to create a more intuitive and efficient product.

The branding for Salkku Whistleblower is designed to feel modern, trustworthy, and professional. The blue logo establishes a sense of reliability, while the AI-inspired abstract imagery adds a forward-thinking, tech-driven feel. A hint of green subtly reinforces growth and transparency, while a light blue and white color palette keeps the interface clean and approachable. Dark gray text ensures readability and contrast without feeling too harsh. To maintain consistency and scalability, I built a design system that the frontend developers can easily reuse, making future updates more efficient and ensuring a cohesive visual identity across the platform.

Creating both personas and empathy maps was essential to deeply understand the needs, frustrations, and behaviors of the two key users - whistleblowers and investigators. The personas helped define their backgrounds, motivations, and challenges at a high level, while the empathy maps allowed me to break down their thoughts, feelings, and pain points in more detail.