Vishal Thakur

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Vishal Thakur

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IKEA's Developer Portal

IKEA's Developer Portal

Overview

Redesigned IKEA’s Developer Portal, turning it from a developer-focused tool into a simpler, more intuitive experience - helping teams quickly find, access, and manage digital assets with ease.

My Contribution

  • Enhanced the overall user experience through better information structure and clearer navigation.

  • Applied the Skapa Design System for improved visual and functional consistency.

  • Collaborated closely with IKEA’s Sweden design and development teams to align on usability and design standards.

What is the IKEA Developer Portal?

It’s a central hub where developers access APIs, tools, and resources to build digital IKEA experiences.

It’s a central hub where developers access APIs, tools, and resources to build digital IKEA experiences.

Who it’s for

Who it’s for

IKEA teams, external developers, and partner agencies.

Why it matters

Why it matters

Enables collaboration across countries.

What it includes

What it includes

APIs, reusable UI components, and shared design patterns.

1

Why Redesign?

As IKEA introduced new tools like IKEA Meetings, IKEA Spaces, and IKEA AR Shopping, the Developer Portal needed a major refresh - one that could better support global collaboration and reflect IKEA’s evolving brand direction.

Why the redesign was needed:

Why the redesign was needed:

Portal content hadn’t been updated in over 3 years

Not scalable for global IKEA developers and collaboration

Needed alignment with IKEA’s brand and Skapa Design System

2

Fixing the Flow

  • Before redesigning, we analyzed the existing portal to understand why users struggled to find information.

  • The structure lacked hierarchy and clear navigation, making key resources like APIs and documentation hard to locate.

What we did?

What we did?

  • Mapped the user flow to define key screens and how each section connects.

  • Identified gaps and overlaps in content based on user needs and business goals.

  • Improved discoverability by surfacing important resources like APIs, docs, and support.

Based on these findings, we restructured the information architecture to make navigation more intuitive and organized.

Updated Information Architecture

Updated Information Architecture

3

From Sketch to Structure

  • Before moving into high-fidelity designs, I explored early ideas through quick sketches and low-fidelity wireframes.

  • This helped validate the information hierarchy, discuss layouts faster, and align the team on structure and flow.

Sketches

Wireframes

Wireframes

4

Consistency with Skapa

Consistency with Skapa

To keep the Developer Portal consistent with IKEA’s digital ecosystem, I followed the Skapa Design System, which provides standardized components and design principles.

  • Used Skapa’s existing components to maintain brand and visual consistency.

  • Collaborated with the Sweden design team to review and define new reusable patterns.

  • Contributed new design elements that were later added to Skapa, enhancing the shared system for future projects.

5

The Final Look

Here’s a glimpse into the final screens designed using the Skapa Design System.

Here’s a glimpse into the final screens designed using the Skapa Design System.

Clean, functional, and built for developers.

View the interactive prototype here to explore the designs in action.
Note: Due to NDA restrictions, not all screens and final designs are included in the prototype link.

6

Challenges & My Learnings

Challenges
As the sole designer from India, I faced a few challenges - especially around understanding user workflows and managing a large information structure.

  1. Understanding developer workflows

    It took time to learn how developers actually used such portals. I spent sessions with tech teams and studied other global portals to identify what worked and what didn’t.


  1. Structuring complex content
    Organizing a large amount of content into a clear IA was challenging. I explored multiple structures and finalized the hierarchy with the Sweden team.

My Learnings

This project deepened my understanding of user behavior, information architecture, and the importance of iteration.

I learned that good design isn’t just about simplicity - it’s about making the right information accessible to the right users.

  1. Understand Users Deeply

    Design decisions must be driven by their needs, not assumptions.


  1. Information Architecture Matters
    Even small IA decisions can shape the entire product experience.

My Learnings

This project strengthened my understanding of user behavior, information architecture, and iterations.


It helped me learn that good design isn’t about simplicity alone, but about making the right information accessible to the right users. 2 key learnings were -

1. Understand Users Deeply
Design decisions must be driven by their needs, not assumptions.

2. Information Architecture Matters
IA even though it’s a small step, it directs the entire process

I transitioned out before the launch but ensured a smooth handoff, with well-documented foundations that helped the development team move forward confidently.