Customer Portal — Nortømmer AS
As the sole UX/UI and interaction designer at Nortømmer, I led the end-to-end design and delivery of two new customer portals — working closely with developers, the product manager, and key stakeholders from initial concept through to launch.
About the customer
Nortømmer is a subsidiary of Norskog, the Norwegian forest owner organisation. They act as an intermediary between contractors, forest owners, and sawmills — created with the explicit goal of increasing competition in the Norwegian forest industry. What makes Nortømmer unique is their national reach: unlike most actors in the sector, they buy and sell timber across the entire country. In 2024 they had a turnover of 2 million cubic meters of wood.
Project overview
I drove the entire design process — covering user research, requirements gathering, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing — utilising Figma and applying Design Thinking methodologies within an agile development environment. Two portals were delivered: a primary customer portal for forest owners, and a contractor portal for field teams.
My Role
Sole UX/UI & Interaction Designer
Duration
5 months total
Team
Developers, product manager,
key stakeholders
Outcomes
Two portals, two challenges
Portal 1
Customer portal
Designed for forest owners to manage their active initiatives — giving them clear visibility into their holdings, ongoing work, and communications with Nortømmer.
Portal 2
Contractor portal
Built for field contractors to manage assignments, log work, and coordinate with Nortømmer — reducing friction and manual back-and-forth in the field.
The process
Both portals followed a Design Thinking methodology within an agile environment — allowing for rapid iteration while keeping user needs and business goals tightly aligned.
Discovery
- Stakeholder interviews
- User research with forest owners
- Requirements gathering
- Competitor analysis
Define
- Design Thinking workshops
- User personas
- Journey mapping
- Prioritisation with product manager
Design
- Wireframing
- High-fidelity prototypes in Figma
- Iterative design reviews with developers
- Accessibility considerations
Test & Deliver
- Usability testing sessions
- Data-driven iteration
- Handoff to development
- Post-launch monitoring
Pilot project — designed with customers
Running in parallel with development, an 8-week pilot kept real users in the loop throughout. Ten forest owners contributed across three research methods — giving us the grounded insight needed to make good decisions as the product was being built, not after.
Interviews
Field observations
User tests
The result
Both portals launched on time and ahead of adoption targets. The customer portal achieved over 60% adoption among forest owners with active initiatives within the first three months. The contractor portal received a satisfaction score and NPS of 5/5 at launch. Herman's contributions directly resulted in enhanced customer satisfaction, high user engagement, and supported Nortømmer's overall business objectives — laying the foundation for ongoing product enhancements.
Customer portal — Forest owners get clear visibility into their holdings and active initiatives
Contractor portal — Field teams manage assignments and log work without manual back-and-forth
Order details — Completed operation showing billing, timber volumes, and key metrics at a glance
Map view — Spatial overview of the forest area tied directly to the active order