Case Study: Safety Management Suite
Updating 20 years of software development to the mobile era
Safety Management Suite
Project Requirements
- Analyzed over a decade of quarterly customer satisfaction surveys to identify gaps in functionality, user expectations, and desired improvements.
- Prioritized unifying site navigation and streamlining page processing to reduce user friction and improve information architecture.
- Focused on modernizing site aesthetics and optimizing performance (including load times and rendering) to enhance usability and marketability.
Project Overview
The redesign of J. J. Keller's Safety Management Suite was a multi-year effort to modernize a legacy product, KellerOnline, originally launched in 2001 as a web-based alternative to CD-ROM safety software.
With over 20,000 active subscribers across various industries, KellerOnline offered tools to help safety professionals manage audits, track OSHA incidents, deliver employee training, and interpret complex safety regulations.
Despite a full redesign in 2008, the platform lacked many of the modern UX and performance features users expected. This project set out to determine whether enhancements to the existing architecture could meet current standards—or if a complete rebuild was required.
Original Design
The Challenge
The original KellerOnline platform had a loyal subscriber base, but it was showing its age. Outdated navigation, slow performance, and an overall dated aesthetic created friction for users who relied on the system daily to manage their safety programs.
User feedback gathered over a decade of satisfaction surveys consistently pointed to similar issues—users wanted cleaner navigation, faster performance, and a more modern, intuitive interface.
The core challenge was to modernize the experience while preserving the critical workflows and trusted tools safety professionals depended on. This meant balancing familiarity with innovation, and improving usability without disrupting productivity.
The Approach & Solution
To guide the redesign of Safety Management Suite, a flexible and iterative design process was adopted. Early whiteboard sketching sessions explored dashboard layouts, navigation structures, and user flows. These collaborative sessions evolved alongside project needs, offering stakeholders transparency and a deeper understanding of the design process.
One of the key challenges was rethinking the site's inconsistent sidebar navigation. Several menu structures were explored, each addressing the need for predictability and ease of use. After multiple rounds of ideation, a static sidebar combined with a breadcrumb trail emerged as the strongest candidate.
Menu Ideation Concepts
This solution was validated through extensive user testing with existing customers, internal support teams, and stakeholders. Users consistently found it easy to navigate between tools and confidently understood their current location within the platform.
Modernizing core feature functionality was another essential focus. Previously missing capabilities—such as inline editing, live search, column sorting, and drag-and-drop reordering—were implemented. Data grids were also enhanced with customizable column views, giving users greater control over how information was displayed.
The Results
Following extensive collaboration—spanning whiteboard ideation, stakeholder workshops, user testing, and iterative refinements—the vision for the Safety Management Suite came to life. The final design delivered a modern, mobile-responsive experience, streamlined navigation, and enhanced functionality aligned with user expectations. With the groundwork laid, efforts are now focused on successfully transitioning KellerOnline users into the new platform.
Safety Management Suite dashboard
Mobile views of Safety Management Suite dashboard
Monitoring Checklist Overview
Monitoring Checklist Builder
Incident List
Content Library
Client Testimonial
The layout is user friendly and easy to navigate. It's a one-stop-shop for injury reporting, form 300 and SDS management!
