Usability expertise and redesign: e-commerce CMS

I have been given a task to make "simple usabilty adjusments" to old interface (blue colors).
As it usually happens. "Simple" said by project-manager or a client actually means that they have no clue what exactly workflow they are ordering to do. And, that they are unable to set measurable acceptance criterea of a feature, which they want to get in the end.

And for designer or developer "simple" task usually means that there is bunch a hell of unestimatable work!
Right? :)

Nevertheless, as experienced UX designer I went advocationg the users interest. What means - hardworking way.
First, I've researched what software users of e-commerce CMSs already know and use. And it become clear, that they are familiar and able to work with software that has quite complex interface with a bunch of controls and information in a screen. So, it brought a decision to target interface for professionals, rather then for newbies. And to make work of professionals less sterssful, more focused to pay attention to clients of their business. Rather than going through quests of complexity of software with every client or order.

Second, I've applied my authored usability expertise. Which exclusiveness is in combining approach of hierarchy of design through heuristics and gestalt. With levels of interaction with system and information about its status. Both - status now, and future status if user finish initiated interaction.

To give a clue, these are stages through which I fill-in checklist before performing redesign of every page:
- general integrity with user experience;
- relational usability;
- elements usability;
- gestalt principles.

So, having checklist on every screen. I've went to first align general appearance to brand styleguide. Brought logo into UI, applied brand colors, brand typography.

And then, I applied solutions of problems revealed in expertise checklists.
Revealed and solved problems (apart from general appearance and brandstyle) of usability were:
- UI integrity;
- simple design, obvious;
- signaling new and unprocessed orders;
- navigation and where user is in system;
- flexibility and effectiveness;
- pace of workflow in context;
- notifications before critical actions of user;
- to see and recognise;
- freedom of actions (accordingly to rights assigned);
- excuse mistakes of users (recover previous status of system);
- uniformity and standardization;
- fulfillment;
- and GESTALT principles.

Hope my shared experience is helpful to you, reader. Hit "L" on keyboard or click heart on screen to give a like to it.