Ouranos

My role
Product Designer

Client
Eridanis

Overview

Context

When we started designing Ouranos nearly five years ago, data management in public services was still in its early stages. Around 2020, the need for centralized, actionable data exploded — cities and local authorities began seeking tools to better understand and manage their infrastructures, energy consumption, environmental impact, and internal workflows.

Eridanis was among the first players to develop a modular, data-driven platform tailored for these emerging needs. What started as a tool for monitoring energy use and building performance quickly expanded into a comprehensive ecosystem:

• 🏙️ Smart building management

• ⚡ Energy optimization

• 🌬️ Air quality control

• ⏱️ Streamlining administrative processes

• ✅ Simplifying audits and regulatory checks

Ouranos grew organically with each new use case, and so did its design — always adapting to more complex data, a wider variety of users, and more ambitious feature sets.

Initially deployed in individual cities and small communes, Ouranos now operates at departmental scale, supporting entire regions in their digital transformation. The platform interconnects all tools and services into a single, unified interface, helping institutions break silos and make better, faster decisions.

From a design perspective, this required a scalable and modular UX/UI system, capable of evolving without ever losing clarity or usability — a challenge that continues to shape my work today.

Design Process — Modular by Nature, Scalable by Design

Designing Ouranos has always been an iterative and strategic process. Each time a new client — often a city or municipality — came to us with a specific need, we treated it as an opportunity to design a reusable, scalable module. What started as a custom request would often become a generalized feature, adapted and deployed across the platform for other clients.

This approach required building a modular and flexible design system, capable of integrating new functionalities without disrupting the overall experience. To ensure consistency and accessibility, the interface remains clean, minimal, and highly adaptable, regardless of the diversity of users and use cases.

Every new module begins with a deep understanding of the problem:

• 🧩 We conduct stakeholder interviews

• 👥 We map out user journeys based on real workflows

• 🧪 We build prototypes and validate them through user testing

This user-centered process allows us to design tools that are not only functional, but intuitive — helping public institutions transition to digital solutions without friction. The result is a platform that evolves with its users, project after project, and continues to grow in value and impact.

Problem statement

Challenge

One of the main challenges in designing Ouranos was to create modular features that could be initially tailored for a specific city’s needs, but easily adapted for others with only minor adjustments. Each municipality had its own context, priorities, and constraints — yet the underlying problems were often similar: managing buildings, energy, air quality, or internal processes.

This meant that each new case study required a comprehensive analysis:

- Understanding the local context and pain points
- Mapping workflows and responsibilities
- Identifying what could be generalized vs. what had to remain custom
- Anticipating future reuse in other territories

The goal was to design robust, flexible modules that were precise enough to be effective, but generic enough to scale. This approach allowed us to mutualize development and design efforts, ensuring a faster rollout of future features and a unified user experience across clients.

From Custom Builds to a Unified Design System

At the beginning of the project, each module of the Ouranos platform was designed one by one, in close collaboration with a specific client. Our approach was pragmatic: solve a real need, design a usable solution, and then anticipate how it could evolve into something scalable for other cities.

This step-by-step process laid the foundation for a modular and thoughtful design system. Each module brought new insights, and over time, we built a library of nearly twenty reusable modules — from energy monitoring to air quality dashboards, internal ticketing systems, or asset tracking tools.

Today, this experience allows us to design a platform that is:

• Clean and intuitive, even with complex data,

• Easily customizable, to match different client branding,

• And cohesive, thanks to a mature and scalable design language.

What started as a series of custom designs has grown into a sophisticated platform, adaptable to any territory while respecting the unique identity of each client.

5 years of evolving design

The very first versions of the platform were built with a strong emphasis on utility over style. We designed features one by one, testing them directly with users in the field — energy managers, technical teams, public decision-makers. Each interaction helped us better understand their workflows, and improve the interface step by step.

Over the past five years, both the platform and my design approach have matured. As Ouranos grew in scale and visibility, so did the expectations around usability, aesthetics and branding. We moved from a purely functional UI to a refined, elegant and scalable design system— one that aligns with the visual identities of our clients while remaining consistent across dozens of modules.

Today, Ouranos combines powerful features with a smooth user experience, and continues to evolve through continuous feedback and collaboration.

Designing for data : More than just looks

Designing the Ouranos platform isn’t just about creating clean interfaces — it also requires a deep understanding of dataitself. Since the platform handles complex topics like energy usage, air quality, and building performance, the real challenge lies in translating raw data into clear, actionable insights.

As a designer, I’ve had to go beyond the visual layer to understand the structure, relevance, and context of the data, in order to:

• Prioritize what needs to be shown,

• Choose the right visualization methods (tables, graphs, maps, etc.),

• And ensure users can interpret information quickly and accurately, even without technical expertise.

This approach allows us to build tools that aren’t just functional — they’re also intuitive, human-centered, and truly helpful for decision-making.

Building a Modular, Multi-Themed Design System

As Ouranos grew and welcomed more diverse clients, it became essential to establish a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency across the entire platform.

I took the lead on creating a modular design system capable of adapting to each client’s unique identity, including custom themes, logos, and color palettes, while preserving a unified user experience.

• This system includes:

• Reusable components built for scalability,

• Theming capabilities for each client or region,
  

The work is still ongoing, as I am currently the sole designer on the project. Progress takes time, but I’m prioritizing efficiently and moving forward step by step.

I collaborate closely with the development teamto build a system that benefits everyone — improving the workflow, enhancing platform coherence, and creating a smoother, more scalable user experience.

A Project That Grew Alongside Me

Reflection

Working on the Ouranos platform has been much more than just another long-term project — it’s been a true learning journey.

Since its first version nearly five years ago, the platform has constantly evolved to meet new needs, new clients, and new technologies. And just like the product, I’ve grown too — from a junior designer focused on functionality, to a more strategic UX thinker capable of anticipating scalability, modularity, and user needs on a broader level.

Designing Ouranos has taught me to:

• Think systemically, beyond individual screens,

• Balance consistency and customization for each client,

• And work hand-in-hand with developers to build solutions that are both elegant and efficient.

The platform is still evolving today, and so is my approach. Every iteration is a chance to improve not only the product — but also the way I think, design, and collaborate.