I am Jonathan Plews, a Senior UI/UX Designer & Product Manager with 15+ years’ experience leading the strategy, discovery and delivery of user-centered SaaS platforms and digital products. I’m passionate about turning customer insights into practical roadmaps that balance user value, business outcomes and technical feasibility.
I excel at cross-functional leadership across engineering, design, architecture, legal and security in regulated environments, grounding product decisions in user research, accessibility and usability while focusing on measurable value, performance and stakeholder alignment.
Skills
Experience Level
Language
Work Experience
Education
Qualifications
Industry Experience
- Product discovery and user research
- Workflow and system modelling
- Stakeholder alignment across departments
- Interaction design and visual language
- Prototyping, validation, and launch support
- Real-time stock visibility and alerts
- Automated shipping and customs documentation
- End-to-end shipment tracking
- Customer uploads for bespoke orders
- Flexible scheduling for large-scale projects
- An AI assistant for general enquiries
Executive Summary
Wema UK is a global manufacturer of precision level sensors supplying major automotive, marine, industrial, and military OEMs. With rapid growth across Europe, Wema needed to scale production and fulfilment without compromising accuracy, compliance or customer trust.
I designed a centralised stock and order management platform that unified fragmented internal systems and introduced a controlled customer-facing experience. The result was a scalable operational foundation that reduced errors, improved delivery confidence and lowered operational overhead.
This project demonstrates how I use UX to align complex internal systems with commercial and customer outcomes.
My Role
I owned the product experience end to end as the sole UX/UI designer, working directly with leadership, engineering, and operational teams.
Responsibilities included:
Final Product
The platform unified stock, ordering, and fulfilment into a single system supporting both internal teams and customers.
Key capabilities included:
The system was designed to be usable immediately while remaining modular for future expansion.
- Lead UX and UI designer
- Experience-focused product lead
- Design decision-maker working directly with engineering, leadership and customers
- A 50% reduction in review time, decreasing from 7–10 days to 3–5 days
- A 3× increase in throughput, from approximately 30 plans reviewed per month to over 100
- Annual plan reviews exceeding 500,000 per authority on average
Executive Summary
DigEplan is an enterprise electronic plan review platform used by municipalities and planning authorities to review and approve development documentation.
I led the end-to-end UX, UI and product redesign, transforming DigEplan from a beta product with usability issues into a scalable, enterprise-ready SaaS platform. The redesign supported international adoption and contributed directly to DigEplan’s acquisition by Avolve Software in 2022.
This case study reflects how I design for trust, regulatory risk, and long-term scalability.
My Role
I acted as the sole owner of the product experience:
I owned the experience from discovery through delivery, including interaction patterns, visual language and system design.
Final Product
The redesigned DigEplan significantly reshaped expectations within the plan-review space and set a new benchmark for usability that competitors began to reflect in their own products.
When I was brought in to lead the end-to-end redesign, DigEplan had only a small number of clients in the UK and the Netherlands. Following the release of the redesigned platform, the product gained strong traction in the US market and within a year became the dominant Electronic Plan Review (EPR) solution used by local authorities on the US West Coast.
The streamlined plan-review workflow delivered measurable operational improvements for customers, including:
In 2022, DigEplan was acquired by Avolve Software and has since become a global leader in electronic plan review, with more than 350 government agencies across the United States relying on the platform.
- Lead designer and experience owner
- Design partner to product, engineering, and leadership
- Responsible for interaction model, visual language, and system architecture
Executive Summary
Actual (formerly Actual Experience) evolved from a supply chain analytics tool into a Digital Workplace Management System (DWMS) used by large enterprises.
In 2021, I led the design of Actual’s first customer-facing DWMS portal, with a focus on the Human Experience (HX) capability — translating complex IT and operational data into actionable, human-centred insight.
This case study demonstrates how I design enterprise analytics for decision-making, not dashboards.
My Role
I owned the UX and UI end to end:
Final Product
The final product was well received and adopted at a faster-than-expected pace, driven by a streamlined onboarding experience that allowed users to become productive quickly.
The focus on a simple, user-friendly interface resulted in significantly fewer support queries compared with Actual’s other products, reducing friction for both customers and internal teams.
The inclusion of financial metrics also increased adoption among executive stakeholders. By making the financial impact of workplace decisions visible, the DWMS strengthened its value at a leadership level and contributed to reduced revenue loss associated with user frustration and poor system adoption.
- Brand positioning and strategy
- Logo and identity system design
- Brand guidelines and rollout
- Shaping the first post-rebrand marketing campaign
- Social media impressions increased by 600%+
- Website traffic grew from 65 to 342 daily visits
- Customer leads increased by 132%
- Conversion rates reached 78%
Executive Summary
Vortex 6 (V6) is a B2B SaaS platform operating within the Cisco partner ecosystem, helping organisations manage certification compliance and maximise available rebates through automation and visibility.
I led a comprehensive brand repositioning to establish V6 as a credible, premium partner rather than a functional compliance tool. The work focused on clarity, trust, and scalability — aligning brand perception with the value of the product.
My Role
I acted as the sole brand designer and strategist.
Responsibilities included:
I worked closely with stakeholders to align brand direction with commercial goals.
Outcomes & Impact
The rebrand launched in May 2024 and delivered immediate results:
The results validated the strategic repositioning, demonstrating the commercial impact of clearer brand positioning.
- Brand strategy and identity design
- End-to-end rebrand and rollout
- Aligning brand expression with product usability
- Working directly with leadership and development teams
- DigEplan achieved rapid adoption, particularly in North America
- The platform gained a clear, enterprise-ready value proposition
- Brand and product alignment reinforced trust with public-sector buyers
Executive Summary
DigEplan is an electronic plan review (EPR) platform used by government agencies and planning authorities to review and approve development documentation digitally.
I led the creation of DigEplan’s brand identity alongside a broader UX and product redesign, repositioning the platform from an early-stage beta into a credible, enterprise-ready GovTech solution. The work aligned brand, product, and usability around a single goal: enabling trust in regulated, high-stakes workflows.
This case study demonstrates how brand strategy and UX design can work together to support adoption and scale.
My Role
I acted as the sole designer, owning both brand and experience.
Responsibilities included:
Outcomes & Impact
Following the rebrand and UX redesign:
In 2022, DigEplan was acquired by Avolve Software and is now the market-leading EPR platform used by 350+ government agencies across the US.
- Defining and evolving brand strategy
- Designing and maintaining the global brand identity
- Overseeing application across product, marketing, sales, and investor communications
- Ensuring brand alignment as the company scaled and entered new markets
- Successful listing on the AIM market
- Enterprise adoption by Fortune 500 organisations including Verizon, Vodafone, Sky UK and Reuters
- Establishment of the company as a credible DWMS provider
Executive Summary
Actual Experience is an enterprise SaaS platform that evolved from a supply chain monitoring tool into a Digital Workplace Management System (DWMS), enabling organisations to understand and improve employee experience, productivity and engagement at scale.
I led the development and long-term evolution of Actual Experience’s brand strategy and identity, supporting the company’s growth from early-stage startup through to public listing and enterprise adoption. The work focused on building a brand system that could scale alongside a maturing product, support enterprise and investor trust and clearly articulate a complex, data-driven value proposition.
This case study demonstrates senior brand leadership through sustained stewardship rather than a single rebrand moment.
My Role
I acted as Art Director and brand lead, owning the brand end to end over an extended period.
Responsibilities included:
I worked directly with founders and leadership to ensure the brand supported both immediate commercial needs and long-term business goals.
Outcome & Impact
The brand supported Actual Experience through a period of significant growth:
The brand became a strategic asset — reinforcing trust, clarity & differentiation across customers, partners and investors.
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