Maya Harpak

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File Management System

The project began as a simple UI updаte: modernize the interface of an existing file management system by refining layouts, updating the color scheme, and improving visual polish.

But after reviewing the product in use and speaking with the client, it became clear the issues weren’t just visual. The system had grown unevenly, with patchwork logic, recurring pain points, and inconsistent interfaces that made even basic tasks feel clunky.

I proposed expanding the scope to include a full UX redesign — focusing on clarity, structure, and usability across the entire platform.

Effortlessly organize and streamline

your home cleaning routine with our

household cleaning management app.

Simplify tasks, set reminders,

and maintain a spotless home with ease.

Seamlessly search, save, and savor recipes with personalized touches. Craft your digital cookbook, curate favorites, and effortlessly plan weekly meals.

This user-friendly app tailors to individual preferences, offering step-by-step guides, intuitive meal planning, and an efficient shopping list for stress-free culinary adventures.

My Role

The Challenge

The original system had evolved naturally over tіme, gaining features without a guiding design system.

Users had adapted to the clunky workflows, but the friction was clear

Most adults find it challenging to balance household tasks amidst their busy schedules. Maintaining consistency in cleaning, organizing, and planning daily activities, particularly in multi-person homes, poses a daily struggle.

Consequently, many people battle to find the motivation for cleaning and organizing, overwhelmed by these tasks.

While there are numerous task management apps available, none effectively target the cleaning experience, providing the optimal solution and user experience to address this challenge without contributing to the daily overwhelm users face.

Learning from Real Use

Since the product was already in daily use, I started by watching how people actually used it. I scheduled interviews, sat in on working sessions, and gathered support feedback. My focus: where users hesitated, repeated steps, or skipped tasks entirely.

Redesign in Action

I redesigned the core screens that users relied on every day. Navigation was restructured to feel more intuitive. File preview and quick actions were cleaned up for clarity, and search was rebuilt to be faster and more predictable.

Tagging and metadata editing now live in one streamlined panel. Sharing is simpler, with clearer permissions. And uploading now feels fast and straightforward.

Design System

The design system combined deep blues and soft whites to create clear contrast, while orange accents drew attention to key actions. Open Sans Hebrew was chosen for its legibility and balanced tone, working well across both dense interfaces and spacious layouts. Material Icons provided a scalable, unified visual language, and subtle motion in the main category icons added just enough energy to guide focus without distracting from the task.

Redesign Highlight: The Upload Process

The upload flow initially followed a single screen form approach, grouping all actions into one compact interface.

While it appeared efficient on paper, usability testing revealed it felt confusing and overwhelming. Users weren’t sure where to begin, which fields were required, or why certain inputs appeared before any file was selected.

In response, I paused to re-evaluate the experience. I conducted additional research, mapped user expectations, and ultimately moved away from the form based model.

My Solution: A Multi-Step Guided Flow

To reduce cognitive load and improve accuracy, I broke the upload process into three clear steps:

Reflection

This project was a good reminder that design problems often go deeper than they look. What started as a UI refresh quickly turned into a chance to improve how people actually work day to day — making things clearer, quicker, and easier to use.

The upload flow especially captured what the whole redesign was about: not just improving how the system looked, but how it felt to use.