Project Snapshot
My role: Senior UX/UI Designer
Ownership: Scaling and integrating the design system into legacy clinical software, defining migration patterns and safeguarding behavioural consistency
Platforms: Desktop, device-mounted displays, web, native mobile
Constraints: Regulatory validation (ISO, MDR), hardware limits, legacy UX, distributed product teams
Primary goal: Enable consistent and compliant workflows across fragmented products
Overview
Beyond Product is the ZEISS design system governing all company software.
The challenge was not building a new system. It was evolving mature, legacy multi device products toward Beyond Product without disrupting critical medical workflows.
This required structured migration, behavioural alignment, and careful system adaptation across long-standing products.
The project
Many older products were stable and widely adopted, but built on outdated UI patterns and inconsistent interaction logic. Replacing everything was not viable due to:
• Regulatory constraints
• Technical debt
• Long product lifecycles
• High user familiarity
The objective was to introduce system consistency progressively while preserving operational stability.
My Role & Responsibilities
Defined UX integration strategy for introducing atomic components into legacy B2B architectures, enabling scalable cloud transition without disrupting existing workflows.
Scoped UX requirements with product, engineering, and architecture stakeholders, aligning migration priorities with technical feasibility.
Produced system-aware wireframes and interaction specifications to support complex, high-load applications.
Collaborated cross-functionally with design system teams, developers, and product leads to ensure seamless implementation.
Established governance principles to prevent hybrid inconsistencies during phased migration.
Created structured migration documentation for long lifecycle products and distributed UX teams.
The approach
1. Audit and prioritisation
We analysed legacy interfaces to identify high-impact inconsistencies, focusing on components central to safety and frequent workflows.
2. Progressive component migration
Instead of full redesigns, we replaced critical components incrementally with Beyond Product equivalents, ensuring backward compatibility.
3. Behavioural alignment
We aligned validation logic, error messaging, and feedback timing to match system standards, even when visual updates were minimal.
4. Documentation and governance
Migration guidelines documented how to adapt legacy patterns without breaking regulatory or technical constraints.
Before
Legacy products exhibited:
• Custom-built components with duplicated logic
• Inconsistent feedback patterns
• Divergent spacing, typography, and interaction states
• Limited accessibility standardisation
Although functional, these interfaces increased cognitive load when users moved between newer and older ZEISS tools.
After
Through phased integration of Beyond Product:
• Core tokens standardised visual language
• Shared interaction states unified feedback and validation
• Reusable components reduced duplication
• Accessibility standards were embedded at system level
Users experienced more predictable workflows across products. Engineering teams benefited from reduced maintenance overhead and clearer implementation guidance.
Impact
• Reduced UI fragmentation across product generations
• Improved accessibility compliance in legacy software
• Lowered long-term maintenance complexity
• Increased cross-product usability consistency
• Improved Brand Maturity
