The verdict in three sentences
When 40 minutes a day per handler are lost to poorly designed screens, a UX redesign of a business application is one of the most profitable IT investments a mid-size company can make. A three-step approach, user audit, tested mock-ups, progressive screen-by-screen redesign, costs EUR 40,000 to 100,000 and ships in 4 months. The realistic goal is a 30% cut in data entry time, measured before and after.
Diagnose before redesigning
The operations director of a 500-employee distribution company in Dublin manages 60 handlers working on orders, credit notes and disputes all day in an application built in 2012. The symptoms are classic: 9 tabs to enter an order, product codes to memorize, cryptic error messages, no keyboard shortcuts, a customer search that does not tolerate typos.
The UX audit starts with 12 user interviews and on-the-job observation, stopwatch in hand. It produces a map of the most frequent tasks and measured friction points.
| Task | Frequency/day/handler | Current time | Target after redesign | Target gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard order entry | 25 | 3 min 10 s | 2 min | -37% |
| Customer record search | 40 | 35 s | 12 s | -66% |
| Credit note creation | 6 | 4 min | 2 min 40 s | -33% |
| Freight dispute handling | 4 | 9 min | 6 min | -33% |
| Multi-warehouse stock check | 30 | 25 s | 10 s | -60% |
| Data entry correction | 8 | 2 min | 1 min | -50% |
Across these six tasks, daily time drops from about 2 h 55 to 1 h 50 per handler. Not all of the gain will show on day one, hence the cautious 30% target.
Budget and 4-month timeline
The progressive redesign avoids a big-bang switch: the existing back end is kept and exposed through an API, while the most-used screens are rebuilt one by one as a modern web interface. Users move over screen by screen, which limits risk.
| Phase | Duration | Deliverables | Indicative budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| UX audit and baseline measures | 3 weeks | 12 interviews, timings, task map | EUR 8,000 to 15,000 |
| Figma mock-ups and tests | 4 weeks | Clickable prototype, 2 test rounds with 6 users | EUR 10,000 to 20,000 |
| API layer over the legacy system | 3 weeks | Orders, customers, stock endpoints | EUR 7,000 to 18,000 |
| Redesign of 6 priority screens | 6 weeks | Web screens, shortcuts, typo-tolerant search | EUR 12,000 to 37,000 |
| Post-launch measurement | 2 weeks | Compared timings, gains report | EUR 3,000 to 10,000 |
| Total | 4 months | EUR 40,000 to 100,000 |
At Kolonell, this scope falls within our custom range of 2.5 to 15M+ FCFA (EUR 3,810 to 22,870+) depending on complexity; secondary screens and back-end changes are quoted separately. These figures are 2026 estimates.
What makes a business app UX redesign succeed
Three choices matter more than the rest. First, start from frequent tasks rather than the existing menu tree: a screen used 40 times a day deserves more attention than ten screens opened once a month. Second, keep the keyboard at the centre, since experienced handlers hate switching to the mouse. Third, measure: without baseline timings, you cannot prove the gain to the executive team. Accessibility (contrast, font sizes, keyboard navigation in line with WCAG 2.1 AA and the European Accessibility Act) is part of the brief too, especially for staff working on 22-inch screens all day.
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Siobhan, operations director of the company in Dublin, starts with 60 handlers losing 40 minutes a day. With a 30% cut in data entry time, the team recovers about 25 minutes a day per person, i.e. 60 × 25 min × 215 days = 5,375 hours a year. At a loaded cost of EUR 38 an hour, that is EUR 204,000 a year. Siobhan chooses not to cut headcount but to absorb 15% order volume growth without hiring 4 extra handlers (about EUR 168,000 a year avoided). For a EUR 75,000 project, payback comes in under 6 months.
FAQ
Do we need to rewrite the whole back end?
Not in most cases. An API layer over the existing database is enough to redesign the screens, about 15 to 20% of the budget instead of 60% for a full rewrite.
How many users should the audit interview?
Ten to fifteen interviews usually cover the profiles: beginners, experts, managers. Beyond that, new findings become rare.
How do we avoid users rejecting the new interface?
They test mock-ups from week 5 and the switch happens screen by screen, with the old screen still available for 2 weeks.
Are 30% gains realistic?
On repetitive tasks, observed gains range from 25 to 50%. We recommend stating 30% as the target and measuring for real after 6 weeks of use.
Can we handle the rest of the application later?
Yes: once the API layer and UI template are in place, each extra screen costs EUR 2,000 to 6,000.
Let's scope your project. Describe your application, user count and most frequent tasks: we will price the audit, an indicative redesign budget and a 4-month schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
