Damietta Port Portal · Maritime Cargo System
Redesigned the cargo-tracking portal for Damietta Port Authority, simplifying workflows for importers, exporters, and operations teams.
Role
Product Designer, sole designer on the project
Year
2022–2023
Industry
Gov Tech / Maritime
The problem
According to a senior member of the operations team who handled incoming tickets, the legacy portal was generating around 200 support tickets per week. Users struggled with crowded menus, inconsistent layouts, and no clear sense of progress during data entry. Even experienced users got lost.
What users needed
A clear 'where am I' progress model during data entry
Fewer context switches between screens
Predictable navigation patterns across all workflows
Working with constraints
Direct end-user access was limited. I triangulated with stakeholder workshops, SMEs, usability checks, ticket patterns, and competitor review, documenting assumptions and iterating quickly.
Design response
Stepper navigation + grouped cards + simplified information architecture, designed for a system where back-office operations, validation rules, and approvals all had to stay visible without overwhelming the user.
What changed
Reduced confusion points in the data-entry flow
Clearer progress visibility during multi-step tasks
Designed for system handoffs, not UI only
Presented to leadership at the Damietta Port Authority, its digital transformation department, and Damietta Container & Cargo Handling Company (DCHC), the port's container terminal operator, who backed completing the system
I left the project before the system went into production, so these are design outcomes rather than measured results.
What I learned
Designing for a government system taught me that constraints are not blockers. They are the design brief. When you can't access users directly, you learn to read the system itself.