Bimeister
Year
2021 – 2024
Industry
BIM, ERP
Role
Design manager
Services
Design system
UX-research
Design delivery
Process refining
About the project
As a fast-growing startup, Bimeister was rapidly expanding, but the product itself was still in early stages of maturity. Previous design iterations had only been partially implemented, which created inconsistencies across the platform and limited our ability to scale effectively. The product’s complexity introduced additional challenges: we needed a cohesive vision that could support multiple nonlinear user scenarios while unifying the user experience. At the same time, building a team, developing a design culture, and instilling a shared vision became essential for aligning our work with the company’s rapid pace of change.
Creating the
design system
Atomic
approach
To handle the complexity of Bimeister’s rich, non-linear functionality, we created a flexible design system. By using an atomic design approach, we broke the interface down into simple, reusable parts, ensuring a seamless and consistent user experience across the platform. This approach kept our design system scalable and easy to maintain – perfectly aligned with our core principles.
Smart
components
Our design system in Figma and code includes versatile components that adapt to almost any need. Each component’s settings are fully synced with the code, so you can quickly see and adjust its capabilities without extra steps or consulting documentation.
Unified
Component
Guidelines
Our design system comes with straightforward guides that cover when and how to use each component, how they behave on the frontend, and any do’s and don’ts. Each guide dives into use cases and customization options, so you know exactly what’s possible. Plus, you’ll see where each component is already in use, making it easy to grasp their full potential in the design.
We achieved full sync between design and frontend by creating design tokens in both Figma and code. This unified setup ensures that styles, spacing, and typography stay consistent across the platform, giving the design a polished, reliable feel. With tokens shared across both environments, updates became seamless—no redundant adjustments or alignment issues. This approach allowed designers and developers to focus on building new features, confident that the foundation remains perfectly aligned.
4d-model
As part of our comprehensive BIM system, we developed a 4D model feature that integrates construction scheduling and real-time progress tracking. Through an interactive Gantt chart, users can monitor planned tasks against actual progress, spotting any deviations instantly. Each task is also visualized within an integrated 3D scene, allowing users to see the spatial impact of each activity in context. This cohesive setup provides an intuitive and streamlined user experience, making it easier to navigate complex construction data and focus on critical project milestones and deadlines.
Documents
The Documents section of our BIM system is a flexible archive designed to bring structure and meaning to project documentation. Here, objects can be intuitively linked to each other, creating a web of interconnected information that adds semantic value. This setup allows users to establish relationships between files, drawings, and other assets, so they’re not just managing documents but building context. By connecting related documents, teams can easily track dependencies, find relevant files faster, and understand the purpose behind each piece of documentation, making the archive a powerful tool for coordinated, informed decision-making.
Within the archive, users can tag, categorize, and cross-reference documents to maintain clarity even as the volume of information grows. Every file is easily searchable and can be linked to specific project milestones, phases, or teams, making it simple to retrieve exactly what’s needed. Permissions and access settings provide added control, so teams can collaborate confidently without losing track of crucial details. This intelligent organization transforms the archive into a living, evolving source of project knowledge.
Collaboration on document approvals is streamlined, allowing multiple team members to review, comment on, and finalize project documentation in one place. With clear version histories and assigned approval stages, it’s easy to track progress and ensure that everyone is aligned. This unified workflow for document approvals reduces delays, minimizes misunderstandings, and keeps the entire team moving forward together.
Root-сause
analisys
The RCA (Root Cause Analysis) module is built to help teams identify issues and address them quickly and accurately. The module streamlines complex workflows, making it easy to track analysis steps, document findings, and maintain a clear structure in even the most detailed investigations. The interface reduces clutter and focuses users on the essential actions, minimizing the effort required to navigate through analysis tasks and ensuring every insight is captured effectively.
A key feature of this module is the detailed analysis card, which centralizes all critical information in one place. Each card highlights key participants, ensuring that all relevant team members are involved, and includes automated loss calculations to give a clear picture of the impact. This layout allows teams to assess root causes without needing to switch between multiple tools, keeping the process clear and efficient.
The RCA module also offers two built-in analysis methods: the «5 Whys» and the Ishikawa Diagram. These methods are presented as ready-to-use, visualized frameworks that guide users step-by-step through the analysis. By eliminating the need for manual setup, the module enables teams to dive straight into root cause investigation, helping them stay focused on uncovering actionable insights and preventing future issues.
Reliability-сenterd
maintenance
The RCM module streamlines asset management and maintenance planning, with UX designed to tackle specific user challenges. A key pain point for maintenance teams is quickly identifying which assets need attention and what actions should be prioritized. By visually prioritizing assets based on criticality and real-time data, UX ensures that users can immediately focus on the most important maintenance tasks, preventing downtime and minimizing costly repairs.
Another major challenge UX addresses is the complexity of choosing the right maintenance strategy for each asset. The RCM module simplifies this by providing clear, visual cues for preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance strategies. Users can easily compare the effectiveness of each strategy based on real-time performance data, ensuring that time and resources are spent where they will have the most impact—on assets that are critical to operations.
Finally, UX addresses the challenge of managing maintenance workflows and tracking performance over time. The RCM module offers a simple and efficient interface that allows users to quickly view the status of assets, track progress on ongoing tasks, and assess the effectiveness of past maintenance actions. With intuitive dashboards and task management tools, users can easily stay on top of deadlines, monitor asset health, and adjust maintenance plans as needed, without losing track of critical information.
Risk-based
inspections
The RBI module enables teams to prioritize inspections based on asset risk, ensuring maintenance efforts are focused where they are needed most. By evaluating risk factors such as asset age, condition, and criticality, the module helps users direct their attention to the highest-risk assets, reducing downtime and preventing failures before they occur. The intuitive UX simplifies this process by presenting complex risk data in a clear, digestible format, making it easy to understand and act on the findings.
The RBI module also provides automated inspection plans, suggesting optimal frequencies and focus areas based on real-time asset data and risk assessments. The UX is designed to guide users smoothly through the inspection planning process, allowing them to quickly adjust schedules and priorities without getting bogged down by unnecessary steps. By making the risk-based inspection process efficient and straightforward, the module helps extend asset lifecycles and ensures that the most critical maintenance tasks are always addressed on time.
3D Scene
The 3D-scene offers a detailed, interactive representation of the entire project, allowing users to navigate through the design and construction phases in 3D. This immersive view makes it easier for teams to understand complex spatial relationships and visualize how different elements interact with each other. The UX is optimized to provide intuitive controls for exploring the model, enabling users to quickly locate and focus on specific areas of interest, making it easier to track project progress and spot potential issues early on.
Clash detection within the 3D Scene is one of the key features that helps teams identify and resolve conflicts between different components of the design or construction plan. UX simplifies this by highlighting clashes in real time, allowing users to click on the conflicts and directly navigate to the affected areas. The interactive nature of the 3D model means users can visualize the problem within the context of the entire project, adjust the design instantly, and make faster, more informed decisions, all within the same interface.
Admin
Panel
Our Admin Panel brings the most essential tools into one clear, accessible place. Admins often struggle with scattered settings and complex permissions, but here, they can manage everything that counts—system security, user access, and activity monitoring— without the usual clutter. By centralizing these critical controls, we’ve created a workspace that lets admins focus on what matters most: keeping the platform organized, secure, and running smoothly.
Navigating permissions can be a headache when the stakes are high. Our Admin Panel addresses this by laying out roles and permissions in a way that’s easy to understand, eliminating the risk of accidental access issues. With permissions logically grouped and labeled, admins can quickly make the right calls about who sees what, without needing to cross-check or second-guess. It’s all about ensuring the right people have the right access, cutting down on confusion and errors.
Managing a growing user base can be overwhelming, especially when you need to update roles or track access across the team. The Admin Panel offers instant insights into user status with clear indicators and real-time updates, so admins are always aware of access levels and changes. This setup helps admins avoid the risks of outdated permissions or missed updates, keeping the platform secure and organized, even as the user base scales.
Team
structure
Our design team is embedded within the broader Scrum teams, working across multiple product areas to deliver cohesive user experiences. Each team member brings specialized expertise into a specific area. Which allows us to approach each project with the right skill set while working as an integrated part of the development process. This structure allows us to stay aligned with product goals and maintain a consistent design vision across all our product teams.
Product
teams
13
Product designers
15
UX
writers
3
Unified
Workflow
Structure
By standardizing our processes, we’ve created a workflow that’s both efficient and adaptable. It’s not about sacrificing creativity for speed—it’s about making the most of our resources to solve problems effectively. Clear methodologies cut down on unnecessary steps and keep everyone aligned, so we can focus on what really matters.
Our documentation does more than outline tasks—it sets us up for success. Every step, from task evaluation to handoff, is defined and accessible, answering most questions before they’re even asked. This clarity reduces mistakes and keeps everyone moving confidently in the same direction. With well-structured guidelines in place, the team spends less time guessing and more time executing.
Design isn’t a side project; it’s fully woven into our product development process. From day one, we make sure design decisions support the overall goals, staying tightly aligned with development and business objectives. This approach means design isn’t a bottleneck—it’s a driving force, helping projects move forward without missing a beat. By integrating design into every phase, we maintain momentum and keep the bigger picture in view.
Clear communication is the backbone of our workflow. Regular 1:1s, standups, retros, and meetups aren’t just boxes to tick—they’re essential touchpoints that keep everyone aligned and engaged. These conversations are how we stay connected, address any blockers, and ensure we’re all moving toward the same goals. It’s about building a team that’s not just productive but genuinely collaborative and unified.
Research
approach
approach
Given the unique nature of our product, we faced challenges in gathering data through typical online research tools. Instead, we relied on tried-and-true, in-person methods: direct meetings, interviews, and hands-on usability testing. This approach allowed us to capture authentic, nuanced insights directly from users, providing a depth of understanding that online tools simply couldn’t offer. By bringing users into our process face-to-face, we gained valuable insights that informed every step of our design decisions.
One of our biggest achievements was demonstrating the clear advantages of research to the company. Through well-documented findings and actionable recommendations, we showed how user research directly impacts product quality and usability. We established research as a key component of the design process, which led to stronger buy-in from stakeholders and ensured that user insights were consistently factored into decision-making.
Our research activities included creating User Story Maps (USM) and detailed flowcharts to better understand and visualize user journeys. These artifacts helped us break down complex interactions and identify potential pain points, making it easier to address issues before they became real user problems. By mapping out these journeys, we provided the team with a clear, visual reference that kept everyone aligned on user needs and priorities.
Throughout the research process, we collected extensive data from multiple sources, ranging from user feedback to observational insights during testing sessions. Each piece of data was systematically analyzed to extract actionable findings, which informed our design iterations. This data-driven approach allowed us to stay focused on user-centric improvements and make design choices grounded in real, observed behaviors.
