Redesigning the Nucleus Awards Platform
Product: Nucleus
Client: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
Delivery Timeframe: 2021 – 2022
Front-End: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Bootstrap
Back-End: PHP, MySQL
Tools: Jira, Confluence, Figma
Approach: Agile Development
As Product Manager for BAFTA’s Nucleus platform, I led the front-end redesign that streamlined client onboarding and eliminated the maintenance overhead constraining development velocity across 15+ commercial clients whilst addressing the visual barriers that were deterring new client acquisition. By 2021, the platform’s commercial success had created an unexpected operational problem—highly customised client designs were creating maintenance complexity that required individual testing and debugging for each implementation, significantly increasing support costs and development time.
My key strategic decision was unifying the design system while preserving meaningful customisation capabilities. Rather than continuing to support bespoke CSS implementations that one potential client described as “feature-heavy but not pretty,” I worked with RF Media to create a standardised Bootstrap framework with 14 configurable visual controls that clients could manage independently through admin interfaces. This eliminated developer dependency for routine branding changes whilst maintaining the visual flexibility that commercial clients required and creating the contemporary interface needed to support sales conversations.
Working with the development team, we delivered a fully responsive, WCAG-compliant interface that modernised the user experience without disrupting the proven workflows that made Nucleus effective. The redesign established a scalable foundation for future feature development whilst significantly reducing support overhead and presenting a modern interface that strengthened rather than hindered commercial positioning. Client feedback consistently highlighted improved usability across both power users managing complex workflows and occasional entrants making simple submissions.
Since launching commercially in 2015, Nucleus had grown from BAFTA’s internal tool to serve 15+ external clients, each requiring custom branding to integrate seamlessly with their existing websites and organisational identity. The initial approach of allowing complete visual customisation appeared strategically sound—clients could implement sophisticated design modifications through CSS overrides, creating cohesive user experiences that matched their brand guidelines perfectly.
However, by 2020, this flexibility had evolved into operational complexity that was constraining platform development. Each client implementation required individual testing and debugging during releases, significantly increasing QA overhead and development time. Some client design choices were creating accessibility issues, others introduced navigation patterns that conflicted with Nucleus’s core functionality, and several implementations featured visual treatments that compromised usability despite appearing aesthetically appealing.
The underlying interface architecture, while functionally robust, was based on HTML and CSS patterns established during the platform’s 2013 launch. Contemporary web applications featured responsive design, modern accessibility standards, and visual treatments that made Nucleus appear dated by comparison. This visual disparity was creating perception challenges during sales processes, where prospects evaluated platform sophistication partly through interface presentation rather than solely on functional capabilities.
Eliminate Developer Dependency for Client Branding
Address Market Demands for Accessibility Compliance
Overcome “Feature-Heavy but Not Pretty” Commercial Barriers
Unify Fragmented Customisation to Reduce Maintenance Overhead
Navigate Client Retention and Acquisition Through Design Strategy
Deliver Scalable Self-Service Architecture
Balancing Client Customisation Freedom with Operational Sustainability
- Some clients valued their existing bespoke designs and were concerned about losing visual distinctiveness, whilst the fragmented CSS implementations were creating unsustainable maintenance overhead for the development team. The challenge was preserving meaningful customisation whilst eliminating operational complexity that was constraining platform evolution. Working with RF Media, I designed the 14-component control system that maintained sophisticated branding capabilities through admin interfaces whilst standardising the underlying architecture. This approach satisfied clients’ visual identity requirements whilst dramatically reducing QA overhead and enabling efficient feature deployment across all instances.
Delivering Self-Service Capabilities Without Compromising Design Quality
- Clients needed immediate control over branding changes, but providing extensive customisation options risked creating poor design choices or accessibility issues similar to previous bespoke implementations. The solution required empowering client autonomy whilst maintaining design standards and usability consistency across all platform instances. I worked with the development team to implement controlled customisation options—colours, logos, fonts—within predetermined parameters that preserved design integrity. For example, I selected Poppins as the universal font across all implementations, ensuring consistent readability and contemporary appearance whilst allowing clients control over colours and branding elements.
Ensuring Universal Accessibility Across Fragmented Client Implementations
- Different client customisations had created varying levels of accessibility compliance, making it impossible to guarantee WCAG standards consistently across all implementations—particularly problematic given increasing demands from public sector clients. The technical challenge involved implementing accessibility that would be maintained automatically regardless of client branding choices. Working with the development team, I established universal accessibility features built into the core framework rather than relying on individual implementation compliance. This systematic approach ensured keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and proper contrast ratios operated consistently across all client instances whilst positioning Nucleus competitively in compliance-sensitive markets.
The Nucleus front-end redesign demonstrates how strategic interface modernisation can eliminate operational constraints whilst strengthening commercial positioning through thoughtful design decisions. By choosing standardisation over fragmentation—creating the 14-component control system rather than continuing to support bespoke client CSS implementations—we transformed maintenance complexity into scalable efficiency whilst preserving the branding flexibility that commercial clients required.
The results validate the strategic approach: streamlined client onboarding, reduced support overhead, and elimination of the visual barriers that had been hindering new client acquisition. What’s particularly satisfying is seeing how the Bootstrap foundation and unified design system enabled subsequent feature development that would have been impossible within the fragmented customisation architecture. The platform that emerged from addressing operational sustainability challenges became the foundation for continued commercial growth and technical innovation.
Working with RF Media and the development team, we proved that mature platforms can be modernised without sacrificing the proven workflows that made them effective. The key was recognising that design unification could serve both operational efficiency and commercial growth simultaneously. By focusing on sustainable architecture rather than short-term customisation convenience, we delivered a solution that continues to support Nucleus’s evolution whilst strengthening its competitive position.
This project reinforced my conviction that successful product management requires balancing immediate stakeholder needs with long-term platform sustainability. The redesign’s continued success—enabling improved client satisfaction whilst reducing operational overhead—demonstrates the value of making strategic choices that solve multiple business problems simultaneously whilst preserving the core functionality that drives user value.