SafeContractor app redesign
A modern app design to match our brand and better meet users' needs
Introduction
The SafeContractor iOS and Android app was launched in Canada in 2015 as an extension to the SafeContractor service. It allows employees of contractors working for hiring clients to complete their assigned e-learning courses and view their professional training profile.
Due to other business priorities the app hadn't had any development for three years but in 2025 mobile was given a higher business priority and a new squad was created to work on it. I was the assigned designer on the squad and I relished the chance to work on apps again.
My responsibilities
- Gather existing user research
- Find the old designs
- Provide a new set of designs for iOS and Android that work better with the Alcumus branding & design system
- Communicate the designs & new improvements to developments & stakeholders
My approach: Evaluate current app and understand users
The original designs were created by a developer and it showed! Problems I identified with the current design included:
- It didn't match the company branding or style guide
- There was no clear typography hierarchy
- The same colour was used for buttons and non-interactive elements
- The app's home page was the e-learning tab. This maybe made sense when this was the sole use of the app but now it has much more functionality
- Poor login screens with dead ends
Recreated screens
The original designs were created by a developer and it showed! I managed to find the old Figma files but they were a mess so to make things easier to create designs going forward I recreated them from scratch om Figma. I made components and created a design system. This allowed me to more quickly create designs going forward.
Understand users & create personas
The app has three main user groups -
- Employees
- Contractors
- Hiring Clients
To help me understand each user better and their journeys and pain points I spoke to stakeholders in the business who deal with each user group. I also sent out a survey to each group tp get some direct feedback. I used the information I gathered to create several user personas and map out their key journeys. I presented the findings to the squad who were really impressed as they'd never had this before for the app. It was also very useful for me to learn more about the user experience.
Add new functionality
Before any new design could be launched we had to add some extra functionality due to client requests. These included:
- Gate access - Employees arriving on a site could get a bespoke QR code scanned so the gate guard can see if they have the right credentials to gain access
- Notifications & announcements - Employees will be able to read news and important announcements from hiring clients
- Tasks - Employees can view tasks assigned to them by hiring clients. Clients will be able to assign employees to tasks
This functionality was added to the app but didn't provide the best user experience as it had to fit into the current constraints. We were increasingly shoehorning items into the current layout
I spoke to the PM and it was agreed that it was the time to give the app a much needed refresh.
The new design
My new app designs include:
- A more modern design that matched the company branding
- A clearer navigation with easier access to key sections
- A new home page displaying latest or recent content.
- New login screens with an account sign up process
I presented the designs to stakeholders and squad members in January 2025, explaining my rationale behind design decisions and outlining how the changes benefitted each persona. The feedback was positive and aside from a few changes it was agreed to proceed with the redesign.
I'm currently in the process of sharing the design with customers from each of the user groups and preparing the design assets for the squad with a 2026 Q3 planned.
