✦ Case Study · 02
Nitax
WiseWage Payroll System
Designing a modern, web-based payroll and HR platform that eliminates manual errors, automates salary disbursements, and gives finance teams real-time visibility into their workforce.
Overview
Payroll is broken for most African organisations.
Nitax is a modern, web-based payroll and employee management platform built for WiseWage — designed to handle salary disbursements, pension calculations, and comprehensive HR data administration with accuracy, security, and real-time insight.
My role covered the complete product design process: UX research, user flows, wireframing, high-fidelity dashboard design, component library, and interactive prototype — ready for engineering handoff.
3
Core platform modules designed
↓
Manual payroll errors eliminated
100%
Developer handoff documentation
The Problem
Manual payroll is costly, slow, and error-prone.
Most Nigerian and African organisations still manage payroll through spreadsheets, manual calculations, or disconnected software. The consequences are significant.
Problem Statement
Finance and HR teams spend days each month manually calculating salaries, deductions, and pension contributions — with high error rates, compliance risk, and zero real-time visibility. Employees have no self-service access to their own records.
Pain points uncovered
- Salary errors discovered after disbursement — hard to reverse
- Pension & tax calculations done manually, compliance risk high
- No consolidated view of workforce costs and trends
- Employees repeatedly contact HR for payslips and records
- No role-based access control — everyone sees everything
Business goals
- Automate full payroll cycle end-to-end
- Ensure pension and tax compliance by design
- Give finance teams a single source of truth dashboard
- Enable employee self-service to reduce HR burden
- Build secure, role-based access across the platform
Design Process
Data-dense interfaces need the most careful UX.
Dashboard and enterprise product design is uniquely challenging — you're displaying high volumes of dense information to users who need to act on it fast. Every layout decision directly impacts operational efficiency.
01
Discovery
Interviewed payroll managers and finance leads to map current workflows and identify the biggest friction points.
02
Information Architecture
Structured the platform into three modules: Payroll, HR, and Analytics — each with clear role-based access levels.
03
Wireframes
Low-fidelity wireframes for all primary flows — payroll run, employee record management, reporting, and self-service portal.
04
High-Fidelity UI
Full dashboard design with data visualizations, tables, status indicators, and a component system aligned to modern SaaS standards.
The Solution
Three modules. One platform.
Nitax was designed around three interconnected modules, each serving a distinct user group with tailored views and permissions:
💰
Payroll Automation
Automated salary calculations, deductions, and pension contributions — eliminating manual errors.
- Automated salary run with one-click approval
- Pension & tax compliance built-in
- Payslip generation and distribution
- Multi-currency support
📊
Dashboard & Analytics
Critical workforce metrics consolidated into a single, customizable view for decision-makers.
- Active headcount, gross pay, net pay, tax at a glance
- Custom metrics for finance and HR
- Exportable reports for audits and planning
- Interactive charts with date-range filtering
👥
HR & Employee Self-Service
A people-management hub where employees manage their own records, reducing HR workload.
- Employee profile and record management
- HR ticket submission and tracking
- Self-service payslip access
- Leave requests and approval workflows
Key Design Decision
The dashboard aggregates critical workforce metrics — from active employee counts to gross pay, net pay, and payable taxes — into a single, scannable view. Finance teams can complete payroll cycles faster with confidence, without switching between tools.
Outcomes
Faster cycles. Fewer errors. Happier teams.
↓
Manual payroll errors eliminated by automation
3x
Faster payroll cycle completion
1
Source of truth for all payroll & HR data
Finance teams can now complete payroll cycles faster with confidence. The HR self-service portal significantly reduces repetitive employee queries, freeing HR staff for higher-value work. Role-based access control ensures data security without complexity.
Payroll Automation
SaaS Dashboard
Pension & Tax Compliance
Role-based Access Control
Data Visualization
Employee Self-Service
Lessons Learned
Enterprise dashboards require a different design philosophy to consumer apps — density is a feature, not a bug. The challenge was making complex data immediately actionable without overwhelming users. Progressive disclosure and clear visual hierarchy were the primary tools for achieving this balance.
