At large global enterprises, SAP PLM systems sit at the heart of product innovation, regulatory compliance, and operational coordination. For a leading global FMCG organization, SAP PLM was central to how products were conceived, approved, modified, and brought to market across geographies. While the underlying system remained robust, the user experience had steadily degraded.

Over time, the gap between what users needed to do and how the system allowed them to do it became a drag on productivity, consistency, and satisfaction. I was engaged, working alongside a leading SAP partner, to help modernize this legacy environment through a design-led transformation, without disrupting business continuity.

The suite comprised over 25 complex and interdependent applications, each with its own UX approach. Some were developed before the SAP Fiori/UI5 era, while others came after. However, most retained a legacy look and feel characterized by cluttered screens, complex navigation, and a lack of intuitiveness leading to a cumbersome experience for end users.

The challenge was not a single application, but an ecosystem:

• Over 25 highly interdependent SAP PLM applications
• Built across different eras: pre-Fiori and post-Fiori
• Inconsistent navigation patterns and interaction logic
• Dense data requirements with little visual hierarchy
• Global users operating under strict compliance constraints

The organization recognized the need for modernization—but required proof before committing at scale. Any change had to respect:

• Existing workflows and approvals
• Strict usability and performance benchmarks
• SAP Fiori/UI5 architectural constraints
• Global rollout implications

This was as much a change management and governance problem as a design one.

The engagement began with a carefully selected proof-of-concept (POC) application chosen to represent:

• Core PLM workflows
• High task complexity
• Common interaction patterns reused across the suite

This allowed leadership to assess impact early before committing to full transformation.

Design work was executed within clearly defined parameters: The prototype:

• No increase in task steps (maximum three per task)
• Strict adherence to approved workflows unless improvement was demonstrably superior
• Dense information contained within primary viewports (no horizontal scrolling)
• Interfaces designed to support informed, confident user decisions

Rather than fighting SAP Fiori/UI5 constraints, the design leveraged them intelligently turning limitations into consistency patterns.

As redesign patterns stabilised, these were abstracted into a reusable UX design system, ensuring:

• Visual and interaction consistency across applications
• Faster future rollouts
• Reduced dependency on default SAP behaviours
• A shared design language across global teams

This converted a one-time redesign into a long-term transformation asset.

The entire transformation was delivered over ~2 years in a fully remote model—coordinating:

• Internal business stakeholders
• SAP functional teams
• Engineering partners
• UX and design leadership

Regular validation cycles ensured every redesign met usability metrics and business expectations before rollout.

A comprehensive UX design system and transformation roadmap was delivered for over 25 SAP PLM applications. The solution leveraged Fiori/UI5 capabilities to modernize the interface while preserving core functionalities. The transformation included:

• Legacy SAP PLM applications were transformed into predictable, intuitive, branded experiences
• Significant productivity gains across global R&D and operations teams
• Strong improvement in user satisfaction and adoption
• Successful POC led to broader rollout across the PLM suite
• A repeatable UX design system became part of the organization's long-term SAP modernization roadmap

Most importantly, modernization was achieved without disrupting core operations - a critical success factor in enterprise environments.