Accenture

Enterprise Architecture HUB

Internal Platform as unique source of truth where all developers can search for relevant information, help, and external support for their daily work.

My role

↪ Service & Interaction Design Lead (3 months solo)

Timeline

↪ 6 months | 2021-2023

Scope

↪7,000 developers, 6 countries

Team

↪1 PM, 1 VD, 1 Content

The Stakes

Accenture had 7,000 developers across 6 countries solving similar problems but starting from scratch every time. No shared processes, no central knowledge base—just thousands of projects reinventing the same wheels. Management wanted to build an internal portal where developers could find processes, tools, and best practices all in one place.

When this landed on my desk, my gut reaction was: we already have too many internal portals. Adding one more would just make the chaos worse.

The Challenge

I surveyed 7,000 developers (5-8% responded—expected, and enough). Then ran workshops across time zones with different seniority levels and specializations. What I found: they all had the same fundamental problem, regardless of experience.

But it wasn't "we need a portal."

It was "we already have too many portals."

One senior developer said it clearly during a workshop: "Another portal will just create more obstacles. We're already using a dozen Accenture tools and it's impossible to navigate."

The real challenge: this wasn't about building a portal. It was about not building another portal. The solution had to be a single entry point that centralized everything—replacing the chaos, not adding to it.

The second challenge was invisible at first: content governance. Even if we designed the perfect system, who would own all that technical knowledge? Different development areas were already fighting over ownership.

My Approach

I was the only designer for three months—complete strategic autonomy. I chose Design Thinking + Lean UX: agile enough for our timeline, human-centered enough to shift developers from talking features to talking problems.

Understand

Survey and workshops to understand needs

Specify

Workshops to co-create platform

Design

User journey and IA to give shape

Prototype

Wireframes to prototype

Hands-off

Onboard a VD and content designers

My facilitation strategy

make developers the protagonists. When a senior developer pushed back skeptically, I gave him the floor. "Walk us through it. What's missing?" He shifted from defensive to collaborative. Other developers built on his ideas. The "single entry point" concept came from them, not from me.

The 5-8% survey responders became our 25 active collaborators—invested enough to stay engaged through workshops and validation.

The Work

Global workshops by timezone (Americas | Europe + India). Developers with different seniority and specializations co-created solutions. I facilitated prioritization exercises: rank features, then defend why. This forced strategic thinking, not just technical preferences.

After each workshop: synthesis sessions with the PM. We grouped insights, found patterns, built categories that became our Product Vision Canvas.

Key outputs

Took several sessions to define what this product actually was. The answer from developers:

  • Navigation: Easy access, unique place, clear structure

  • Content: Processes, standards, tools, protocols

  • Capabilities: Search across Accenture, team connections, unified info

Information Architecture

First attempt failed. I organized by technical categories—made sense structurally, but tree testing showed it was too complex to navigate. We simplified ruthlessly and created dual navigation: browse by category OR follow a step-by-step process. Two paths to the same information.

Wireframes

Visual and content designers joined at month 3. Handing off "my baby" was uncomfortable at first, but they improved it. We tested wireframes with the 25 collaborators and iterated based on feedback.

The Reality

I left after six months as implementation started. The MVP shipped with a main dashboard and first content flow. Phase 2 was planned but I never saw the live product.

The hard truth: content governance became the bottleneck, as predicted. Different Accenture areas fought over ownership.

What I'd do differently: Involve decision makers in content strategy from day one. Make governance part of the strategic phase, not an implementation afterthought.

25

developers stayed engaged from survey through MVP validation

$ <3

Management rewarded them through Accenture's internal system

*A

Other areas saw our process and requested design support from our team

Impact & Learning

25 developers stayed engaged from survey through MVP validation. Management rewarded their collaboration. Other Accenture areas saw our process and requested design support.

Key lesson: Projects are always bigger than they seem. Don't commit to scope until strategic research reveals the real dimension.

What I'm most proud of: Understanding frustrations across developers in different countries and creating a system that solved it—solo, with complete strategic autonomy for three months.