Four problems. One root cause.
Because each client , Multiplex, John Holland, Lendlease, Fluor Corp , gets their own Aconex instance, a contractor moving between builders accumulates a different identity in each one. Admin-assigned usernames they didn't choose, passwords they can't reset themselves, no way to link accounts. Work across Australian and US projects and the count keeps climbing.
There was no self-service, no KYC. Onboarding meant an admin manually creating a login and handing over credentials, which was a security risk built into the process. The fragmentation created four compounding problems:
Poor user experience
Multiple accounts, multiple passwords, no unified view of projects. Users were managing their own identity chaos manually.
Operational inefficiencies
Administrators couldn't link users across instances. Support costs were high. Onboarding new users to projects was needlessly painful.
Increased security risk
Fragmented credentials meant more attack surfaces. Construction firms handle sensitive project data (infrastructure plans, contracts, financial records) that are a target for attackers who exploit weak credential management.
No deep insights
Without a unified identity, Aconex couldn't build meaningful user-level analytics or personalisation. Data was siloed by instance, not by person.
Individually, each problem was significant. Together, they were a competitive liability. Aconex was losing ground to platforms that had already figured this out.
Designing the product. Helping reshape the story.
As the Senior Product Designer on the Identity team, I led the UX design for AconexID, working through discovery, concept, user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity screens alongside the team. I also built the interactive Axure prototype used for stakeholder demonstrations.
User flow mapping the account-linking experience across project instances.
Early wireframes for the unified login and identity dashboard.
Bringing storytelling into the pitch
Steve and I worked closely together throughout: he brought deep product knowledge, I brought the storytelling structure. The original pitch materials were dense and hard to follow, so together we reframed the narrative: leading with the human problem first, letting the business case follow naturally from there.
[ Awaiting LinkedIn recommendation from Steve Saul ]
Steve Saul, Product Manager, Oracle AconexThe result: stakeholder alignment improved significantly. We got the green light to implement AconexID, starting with fixing identity for our US instances as mandated by FedRAMP. The next step in the journey was implementing the new Single Sign-On pages, until Oracle acquired Aconex and brought new identity challenges with them. But that's another story.
One identity. Three principles.
The AconexID solution was built around three core design tenets, each addressing one of the root problems.
Easier access
A single set of credentials to access all Aconex projects , no more instance logins, no more password proliferation. A guided account-linking flow to bring existing users across cleanly.
Improved security without friction
SSO, two-step verification, and FedRAMP compliance, all designed to meet the highest security standards without making the experience harder for everyday users.
Data linkage for deeper insights
A single identity that connects a person's activity across tools and projects, enabling the kind of cross-project analytics that siloed accounts could never support.
Unified login , one credential for all projects
Guided account-linking for existing users
Personal identity dashboard concept
The full interactive prototype , built in Axure , is still accessible and demonstrates the complete user journey from login through account linking to the unified project dashboard.
The initiative kept going. So did the problem.
That's the honest version. The problem was real, the design work was solid, and the story I helped Steve tell got it funded. What happened after I left is a different chapter.