Flexisystem
Payroll software that Nigerian teams could run without a compliance headache.
It all started with adifferent question.
During research, I spoke with payroll officers, HR teams, finance professionals, administrators, and employees.
One conversation stayed with me.
“I check every payroll three times before clicking submit.”
- Payroll Officer
It’s not that she doesn’t trust herself, but because getting it wrong simply isn’t an option.
Most people think payroll is about calculations, but it isn’t. The calculations are the easy part.
The real pressure comes from everything surrounding them: tax regulations, pension deductions, compliance deadlines, changing government policies, and the quiet fear that one small mistake could become an expensive one.
That became the problem I wanted to solve.
Not just “payroll” but the anxiety around payroll, because the payroll officer simply echoed a shared feeling I heard across other user interviews conducted.
Before openingFigma
I wanted to understand how payroll actually works in Nigeria.
So I spent weeks digging into statutory requirements, speaking with users, mapping workflows, studying competitors, and learning how payroll changes as companies grow.
I researched platforms like Deel, Gusto, BambooHR, ADP and Workday. I wanted to understand what they got right and where Nigerian businesses needed something different.
By the time I started designing, I wasn’t just thinking about screens anymore.
I was thinking about trust and designed for confidence.
Design Showcase
With the experience mapped out, I moved into UI design.
“Can I trust this?”
“Will this actually save me time?”
“Does it understand Nigerian payroll?”
The landing page was designed to answer the questions every founder asks before trying payroll software.
Payroll Dashboard
I designed the dashboard as a decision-making surface.
What needs attention today? Upcoming actions, compliance reminders.
It had recent activity that matters, not activity for its own sake.
Compliance
Instead of treating compliance like a hidden background process, we made it visible throughout the experience.
PAYE, NHF, NHIS, pension.
Submission reminders, report generation, and enough visibility that the whole thing feels less like a monthly panic.
Visual System
The same product had to work for a ten-person team and a 500-person company.
I built the system with real range: buttons with full state coverage, clear inputs, and other reusable components that scale.
What this projecttaught me
This project improved the way I think about research.
I used to think research helped me design better interfaces. Now I think it helps me ask better questions.
It also revealed a clearer picture around tax and compliance. By the end of the project, I had spent enough time with payroll officers and tax regulations that I understood why people worried about it a lot.
That understanding shaped the product far more than any UI inspiration ever could.
It’s a reminder I come back to often:
The best design decisions usually happen long before the first frame in Figma.
There’s more to explore. Check out my other projects.
Danke!