Software Product Template
Designing a scalable and modular template
SEL's software products had outgrown the page template they were living on.
The existing template was designed for hardware and retrofitting software content into it meant constantly working around constraints. Product line owners needed something built for how software is actually bought and evaluated: a flexible, modular structure that could accommodate varied content requirements while still feeling cohesive across product products. I let the project from research through final dev-ready specs.
RESEARCH
Competitive analysis and customer feedback shaped the early direction more than anything else. We identified that new customers would arrive on product pages through social and digital advertising and needed a high-level, approachable entry point—not a wall of technical specs, Existing customers, on the other hand, would navigate directly to support documentation and downloads via the menu, search, or product selector.
Those two distinct needs drove the dual-audience structure of the template. Designing for both in the same page required careful thinking about hierarchy, in-page navigation, and what content deserved visual prominence vs. what could live deeper in the structure.
THE CHALLENGE
The harder challenge wasn't the design—it was the moving target.
The marketing and sales strategy for these products evolved over the course of the project, and those shifts had real downstream effects on information hierarchy, checkout flow, and content requirements. Staying aligned with stakeholder priorities while continuing to advocate for a clear, usable experience meant a lot of careful negotiation—knowing when to push back and when to adapt without compromising the core UX logic.
APPROACH
I designed for two primary user types: existing customers seeking resources or support, and potential new customers evaluating the product for the first time. For existing customers, in‑page navigation gets them to the right section quickly. Within the Details section, content is organized by type and structured for easy scanning, with high‑value items—such as Latest Versions and Resources—given visual prominence.
For new customers, the overview landing page leads with key highlights and core product features, keeping the experience approachable without burying the detail. In‑page navigation allows that entry point to remain clean while still giving users a clear path to more technical content when they need it.
OVERVIEW LANDING PAGE
Provides a high‑level introduction to the product for potential customers, while offering clear pathways to more detailed resources for existing customers.
MODULAR DETAILS
Designed to accommodate the varied information needs of different software products. Flexible modules allow each product to present its content appropriately while maintaining a consistent overall structure.
TABBED CONTENT CATEGORIES
Organizes all key product information into a single, visible interface. Competitive analysis showed that navigation patterns relying heavily on breadcrumbs caused users to lose context and struggle to return to relevant product content; tabs helped keep users oriented and reduced friction.
REFLECTION
During the project, stakeholders occasionally made decisions that appeared to affect only small aspects of the design but ultimately had broader implications for the overall user experience. As additional content was introduced, the in‑page navigation grew increasingly complex. In hindsight, more intentional content planning would have supported a clearer structure; I would have recommended a collection of related product and resource pages rather than consolidating everything into a single page with deeply nested navigation.
Additionally, the template went through nearly a year of stakeholder review before being officially launched. If I were to approach this project again, I would advocate for a more iterative release process—launching earlier and refining the design based on real user feedback, rather than continued internal debate. Real feedback is almost always more useful than anticipated feedback.