NABU works to end illiteracy by publishing storybooks in kids' native languages, and they're reaching over 12 million learners worldwide. We designed the platform behind all that data, taking three disconnected systems (MySQL, spreadsheets, and Google Analytics) and consolidating them onto one centralized platform for admins to manage partners, organize data, and build visualizations that actually show NABU's impact.
SHORT ON TIME?
NABU helps kids around the world learn to read in their native languages through fun, digital storybooks. But behind the scenes, their data was all over the place, split between MySQL, spreadsheets, and Google Analytics. Every time a new partner joined, admins had to manually set up dashboards and chase down data from country managers. It was messy, time-consuming, and hard to keep everything consistent. Our goal was to design one simple, centralized platform that made it easy to manage data, track impact, and keep NABU's mission running smoothly.
PERSONA
Leila Mwangi
ABOUT
NABU Admin
Struggles with sorting and filtering through disorganized datasets across multiple systems
“I spend more time cleaning data and setting up dashboards than actually analyzing our impact. I just want everything in one place.”
PAIN POINTS
NEEDS:
Leila needs a single platform that brings all of NABU’s data together, so she no longer has to juggle spreadsheets, databases, and analytics tools. She wants an easy way to approve partners, manage roles, and assign dashboards, all while keeping NABU’s branding consistent.
NABU gave us a very thorough design system and clear branding guidelines, which meant we could focus our time on solving the actual data problem instead of rebuilding the basics. Since we already had so many great resources, we only had to design a few extra components, letting us move faster toward something NABU could actually put to use.
The NABU dashboard we built is a centralized web platform that lets admins manage partner access, organize data from multiple sources, and build custom visualizations, giving NABU one reliable place to make decisions and support their partners.
NABU wanted a platform that better organized and centralized their data, so one of the solutions we proposed was using tables. We designed the Review Partner Access table, which lets NABU administrators approve, reject, and view details on each requestor.
This table helps organize the different roles partners and volunteers can have. Roles control access to data and visualizations, so volunteers only see what’s relevant to them, keeping sensitive data protected while still letting NABU share the right insights with the right people.
This breaks down the process of turning data into a visualization step by step, simplifying the process for admins who lack technical experience.
The Visualization Builder was one of the most important parts of our design, since it’s what lets admins turn scattered data into something partners and funders can actually read and trust. Here are a few examples of what that data could look like once it’s organized.
This was my first time designing an internal application built around this much data, and it changed how I think about data organization and just how much of an impact it can have on workflow efficiency at scale.
Every screen I designed had to make an admin’s day-to-day easier, not just look good. Things like bulk partner approval and role-based dashboard access weren’t just features, they were direct fixes to the manual, error-prone workflow NABU was stuck in. I learned to prioritize that kind of efficiency first and then focus on visual appeal.
Understanding how the data is aggregated and filtered gave me more room to be creative, since I could focus on designing a visualization builder that let admins go from raw, scattered data to something a partner or funder could actually understand.