Regnet
Transforming an academic regulatory monitoring tool into a modern, self-service, subscription-based SaaS platform.
Regnet was originally developed and sold to academic institutions for tracking changes in legislation and regulation across global markets. I was engaged by the client to help transform the white-label tool into a more accessible, scalable SaaS product. Working within a tight budget and with limited scope for research or discovery, I redesigned the UI, created a robust design system and helped reposition the product for growth in new markets.
Deliverables: Product Strategy, User Research, UX & UI Design, Design System, Go-to-Market Strategy, Marketing Site
Project Type: Web Platform, SaaS, B2B, B2C, Enterprise
Team: Consultant Product Designer (me), Offshore Development Team
Business Goal
The original tool had been built for academic use. The client felt its underlying functionality could serve a broader audience and saw an opportunity to target legal, risk and compliance professionals who struggle to stay on top of regulatory change. The goal was to modernise the product, pivot the business to a subscription-based model and set it up for expansion in new markets.
User Goal
Existing academic users relied on senior team members to onboard them to the platform and found it difficult to locate relevant regulatory documents. They needed clearer navigation and more targeted search tools. To broaden the platform, professionals would need relevant documents served upfront and would require team collaboration features with the option to save, annotate and tag documents.
Design Process
Given the limited user insights and budget constraints, I adapted my approach to focus on rapid problem identification and leveraged familiar UX patterns from familiar tools used by the target users. Here’s my process:
01. Problem Definition
I recruited legal professionals from my existing network and conducted lean usability testing sessions. Through these sessions, I was able to quickly uncover fundamental problems with the existing tool, particularly unclear terminology and inconsistent formatting caused by the content being scraped from multiple jurisdictional sources. I did an audit of competitor products, identifying quick wins and familiarising myself with the expectations a user might have when using Regnet.
02. Flow Mapping
With Miro, I mapped the existing user journey and conducted a card sorting exercise to determine the logical order of features and screens. The revised structure prioritised understanding users' specific focus area, removing irrelevant content and reducing cognitive load. Inconsistently formatted documents were renamed 'Snippets' and standardised with formatting rules. I developed a taxonomy based on jurisdiction, regulation type and risk level that would enable more natural filtering and search.
03. Added Functionality
User testing also identified a need for functionality beyond just reading regulatory documents to follow changes. I designed annotation and project tagging features that allowed users to save, organise and share relevant Snippets with their teams. Additionally, I designed an AI-powered 'Risk Profile' feature that used sentiment analysis and penalty costs to assign colour-coded priority scores for each Snippet. This new feature helped users quickly identify which updates required immediate attention.
04. Design System
Using Figma, I designed a comprehensive system of components that established consistency across the platform. The design system included all necessary UI elements for a modern SaaS platform: inputs, buttons, typography scale and an accessibility-tested colour palette. To improve adoption and ease of use, I leveraged familiar patterns from products users already used regularly including ChatGPT, Google Docs and LinkedIn.
05. Primary Screens
Using the design system, I created primary desktop screens to demonstrate how the design system could be applied consistently across the platform. I designed the screens for new user management, search functionality and a ‘Recommended’ dashboard with a personalised feed of relevant Snippets based on user-defined project keywords and jurisdictions. The layout was designed to be adaptable, with responsive action cards and a slide-out left sheet that adapts to different screen contexts.
06. Developer Collaboration
I worked directly with the offshore development team through Slack, Zoom and Figma to guide implementation. This included walking them through components, providing real-time feedback during QA sessions and helping solve technical challenges around handling inconsistent regulatory data structures. The close collaboration ensured design intent was maintained while establishing standards the team could follow for future features.
Go-to-Market
Beyond platform design, I helped transform Regnet's business model to support scalable growth. After researching competitor models, I devised subscription tiers targeting both individual professionals and enterprise teams, with pricing strategies and functionality inclusions for each. I designed a marketing site repositioning Regnet for legal and compliance professionals, writing all copy and creating a product demonstration video. I also streamlined onboarding flows, enabling the transition from face-to-face sales to self-service acquisition.
Despite limited scope for user research and discovery, I used lean testing, familiar design patterns and clear UX thinking to transform Regnet from a niche academic tool into a competitive SaaS product. I sharpened the proposition, improved usability and delivered more relevant user benefits. Close collaboration with the development team will also help ensure the new intuitive experience carries through to future features.
The design system was built to evolve with the platform, supporting growth without compromising usability. And while short-term consulting projects like this often lack visibility into long-term success metrics, the result was a happy client and a product that provided a solid foundation to pursue a larger market and seek venture funding.
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