Alli Clark
Alli Clark
Alli Clark

Platform Administration

Redesigning the foundation of Skillable’s admin platform by streamlining onboarding, collapsing 229 roles into 6, and removing unused features to create a scalable system that powers growth and future customer self-service.

Redesigning the foundation of Skillable’s admin platform by streamlining onboarding, collapsing 229 roles into 6, and removing unused features to create a scalable system that powers growth and future customer self-service.

Redesigning the foundation of Skillable’s admin platform by streamlining onboarding, collapsing 229 roles into 6, and removing unused features to create a scalable system that powers growth and future customer self-service.

About the project

Skillable’s admin platform, originally built in 2017 as “Portal,” had evolved into a fragmented system spread across multiple applications. Each core product (Studio, TMS, Connect, Insights) maintained its own admin patterns, leading to duplicate user records, inconsistent roles, and heavily manual processes.

This project set out to modernize the admin backbone by streamlining workflows, unifying roles and permissions, and preparing the foundation for scalable customer self-service.

Skillable’s admin platform, originally built in 2017 as “Portal,” had evolved into a fragmented system spread across multiple applications. Each core product (Studio, TMS, Connect, Insights) maintained its own admin patterns, leading to duplicate user records, inconsistent roles, and heavily manual processes.

This project set out to modernize the admin backbone by streamlining workflows, unifying roles and permissions, and preparing the foundation for scalable customer self-service.

Skillable’s admin platform, originally built in 2017 as “Portal,” had evolved into a fragmented system spread across multiple applications. Each core product (Studio, TMS, Connect, Insights) maintained its own admin patterns, leading to duplicate user records, inconsistent roles, and heavily manual processes.

This project set out to modernize the admin backbone by streamlining workflows, unifying roles and permissions, and preparing the foundation for scalable customer self-service.

Date:

Aug 2025

Company:

Skillable

Services:

SaaS Product Design

Problem

Skillable’s admin platform wasn’t just an internal tool. It was the backbone of the company, powering how products were built, how customers were onboarded, how Revenue managed accounts, and how users were given permissions.

But this backbone had become a critical bottleneck for growth:

  • Onboarding required 30+ manual, error-prone steps across disconnected apps.

  • Roles and Permissions had spiraled into 229 roles, created any time someone needed slightly different access.

  • Unused functionality cluttered the interface, adding friction without value.

  • Outdated architecture made scaling and unification impossible.

The result was inefficiency for internal teams, frustration for customers, and a foundation that could not support Skillable’s next stage of growth.

Discovery + Insights

I partnered with PMs, engineers, and stakeholders to conduct 20+ interviews, workflow audits, and usage analysis. Three insights stood out:

  1. A Fragile Foundation
    The admin system was the operational glue, yet it was scattered across apps and poorly connected. CX and Support teams were left to fill the gaps manually, creating inefficiency and errors.

The original administrative experience typically timed out while loading pages.

  1. Unused Functionality
    A surprising amount of features had been built but were rarely or never used. These added unnecessary complexity for admins and confusion for customers.

Flow chart of the 30+ step onboarding process for new customer setup.

  1. Roles and Permissions Chaos
    We discovered 229 roles across products. Roles were being used as permissions. Every time someone needed slightly different access, a new role was created. This made the system nearly impossible to manage or scale.

Solution + Impact

Our solution was to modernize and scale this foundation through a phased approach that balanced quick wins with long-term growth.

Phase I: Deliver Tangible Value + Build the Foundation

  • Redesign reporting with modern UI and improved navigation (see Insights Redesign).

  • Rewrite and redesign customer administration for faster performance, clearer information architecture, and reduced manual onboarding.

  • Integrate HubSpot to reduce duplicate data entry.

Phase II: Align Core Infrastructure

  • Unified identity and access management across Skillable products.

  • Streamlined cross-platform admin experience with single sign-on.

Phase III: Drive Autonomy and Unlock Growth

  • Customer-controlled self-service for onboarding and user management.

  • Fully unified platform with embedded analytics and scalable internal tools.

Expected Impact

While this initiative will take over 12 months, the expected impact will be well worth it:

↓ Onboarding time for new customers.

↓ Support tickets tied to configuration and permissions.

↑ Monthly active accounts using the admin portal.

↑ Customer satisfaction with a simpler, scalable experience.

Next Post →

Insights Redesign

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Insights Redesign