Building the iTNT Digital Ecosystem from Scratch

Timeline

Dec 2023 - Aug 2024

PLATFORM

Web | Mobile App | Admin Panel

MY ROLE

Lead Product Designer

Introduction

The Tamil Nadu Technology Hub (iTNT) is India’s premier innovation network for emerging and deep technologies. It aims to unite startups, researchers, academic institutions, government agencies, and industry leaders to create a thriving technology ecosystem in Tamil Nadu.

This project involved conceptualizing, designing, and launching:

"The official iTNT website"
"A responsive mobile experience"
"A streamlined admin panel for backend operations"

I started this project completely from scratch — from understanding the requirements to delivering final designs — and collaborated closely with the team until the launch and beyond.

My Role

I'm the lead product designer for this project. I collaborated with product designer (Mounika), product manager (Pranay), and developers (Arun VPP, Lok Prasanth, Ratheesh, Mahesh) ,
and iTNT officials (Vanitha Ma'am, Rithika, Shivendra, Harini, Palanivel, Ananth, Ajay, & Surya) throughout this project.

Problem

Before the launch, iTNT did not have a unified, user-friendly digital platform to showcase its initiatives, programs, and opportunities. The main challenges were:

"No single place for startups, researchers, and government agencies to connect"
"Low awareness of iTNT programs among the target audience"
"A need to make the registration process more seamless and engaging"

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

To design and deliver a digital platform that boosts registrations, improves engagement, and effectively communicates iTNT’s offerings.

Defining the problem

iTNT had no unified digital platform to showcase programs, onboard startups/researchers, and manage operations efficiently.

Goals

BUSINESS GOALS

Establish iTNT’s digital presence

Create a unified online platform that represents iTNT as Tamil Nadu’s official hub for deep-tech innovation, attracting startups, researchers, and students.

Streamline program and content management

Build an efficient admin panel that allows iTNT officials to manage events, programs, and user registrations with minimal effort.

Enhance brand credibility

Deliver a modern, accessible, and mobile-friendly platform that strengthens iTNT’s identity and positions it as a leader in the innovation ecosystem.

USER GOALS

Seamless onboarding for all user groups

Design clear, intuitive flows for startups, researchers, students, and government officials to register and participate in programs.

Easy access to relevant information

Ensure users can quickly find programs, events, resources, and contact information without navigation friction.

Consistent and delightful user experience

Implement a robust design system to maintain visual consistency and improve usability across desktop, mobile, and admin interfaces.

Impact

We rolled out the platform in phases to maintain performance and ensure user buy-in. Key achievements.

Our users

We serve five priority groups, each with unique needs and strategic roles in the innovation ecosystem.

Startups

Driven entrepreneurs seeking funding, mentorship, and networking. They need quick access to relevant programs, the ability to showcase their work, and tools to connect with potential investors or partners.

Researchers & Academics

Professors and scientists in deep-tech domains looking for collaborative projects and grant opportunities. They require detailed program information, an easy application process, and a network of peers and industry experts.

Students

Engineering and science students eager to explore emerging technologies and gain industry exposure. They look for training programs, internships, and competitions to enhance their skills and employability.

Corporate Partners & Industry Experts

Leading companies, investors, and technology mentors involved in strategic collaborations, providing funding, mentorship, technology resources, and market access to startups and researchers.

iTNT Officials & Government

Policy makers and administrators managing programs, partnerships, and operational workflows. They require an efficient admin panel to approve applications, monitor progress, and generate reports effortlessly.

Process

We followed an Agile-inspired, iterative workflow that emphasizes rapid design and close collaboration with iTNT stakeholders. After gathering requirements and receiving approvals, we moved straight into focused design sprints, balancing swift progress with continuous feedback and iteration.

Alongside Agile, we implemented a Kanban board to track progress visually. All tasks moved through clear stages: To Do → In Progress → Review → Done. This made it easy for the entire team — from designers to developers — to stay aligned in real time, spot bottlenecks, and prioritize work efficiently.

Requirement Gathering

During initial meetings, iTNT officials shared their requirements, which my manager and I documented, organized, and formalized into a requirements list. This foundational step ensured alignment on goals, scope, and brand tone.

While we gathered sufficient information upfront to begin design, the requirements remained flexible and were revisited throughout the project as new insights or needs emerged.

Design Sprints & Prototyping

With the requirements approved, we started designing immediately, creating wireframes and visual designs in quick succession. We developed interactive prototypes to bring concepts to life and shared them with stakeholders regularly.

This iterative approach allowed us to refine flows, address stakeholder feedback promptly, and avoid delays that a lengthy separate research phase might cause.

Testing & Feedback Loops

Usability testing was integrated throughout the design sprints. Early prototypes were tested with stakeholders to identify navigation or registration bottlenecks, especially on mobile.

Feedback from these sessions informed updates and improvements in subsequent sprints, ensuring the product evolved in line with user needs and expectations.

Development Handoff & Parallel Work

Once design elements for a sprint were approved, detailed specifications and assets were handed off to developers. Development and design occurred in parallel where possible, speeding up delivery and allowing future sprint designs to adapt based on early development insights or new requirements.

Launch & Continuous Iteration

The platform launched at the iTNT inaugural event. Post-launch, we maintained an Agile mindset by collecting user feedback and prioritizing enhancements in follow-up sprints. This continuous iteration improved onboarding, mobile usability, and content accessibility, keeping the platform aligned with evolving user and business goals.

Launch Day Highlights – iTNT Digital Ecosystem Goes Live 🚀

Moments from the iTNT Digital Ecosystem inaugural event — unveiling the platform, presenting to government officials, industry leaders, and startups, and celebrating with the team.

A proud milestone marking the start of our continuous improvement journey.

Final Designs

The final designs for the iTNT digital ecosystem bring together a modern, accessible, and coherent user experience across the website, mobile app, and admin panel.

We built a scalable design system with:

"A clean grid-based layout for clear visual hierarchy."
"Bold, vibrant colors inspired by Tamil Nadu’s innovation identity."
"Accessible typography for strong readability across devices."
"Reusable UI components for faster updates and consistent branding."

Key design highlights:

Website - Intuitive navigation, program discovery cards, event calendars, success stories, and easy registration forms.
Mobile Experience - Optimized for speed, seamless onboarding, and quick event signup — even on lower bandwidth conditions.
Admin Panel - Simplified dashboards for iTNT officials to approve applications, manage programs, and track engagement analytics.

Real data to showcase design scale:

24 reusable UI components developed for consistency and scalability
3 responsive breakpoints across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
Over 100 UI screens designed to cover complete user journeys and admin workflows

What I Learned

Designing for a Diverse Audience

I had to balance the needs of startups, researchers, students, and government officials — each requiring different levels of detail and functionality — while ensuring the UI stayed consistent and easy to navigate.

Government + Startup Collaboration Needs Flexibility

I experienced first-hand how processes in government-backed ecosystems can change rapidly. By building modular components and keeping workflows flexible, I was able to accommodate last‑minute changes without affecting the flow for end users.

Testing Early Prevents Bottlenecks Later

Conducting early usability tests gave me valuable insights, such as small navigation issues on mobile that could have turned into major frustrations post‑launch. Catching these early saved weeks of rework and ensured a smoother rollout.

Future

Post-launch optimization

Continuous UX improvements and performance monitoring to ensure a smooth and evolving user experience.

Community Features

Build a networking hub where startups, students, and researchers can connect directly on the platform.

This has been my proudest contribution at iTNT.

I couldn’t have achieved this without the incredible collaboration of the iTNT officials, my fellow designers, our dedicated product and engineering teams, QA, and everyone who contributed their expertise. Together, we built not just a digital platform, but a foundation that will empower Tamil Nadu’s innovation ecosystem for years to come. :)

Thank you for reading through my design journey — I hope it gave you insight into the thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving that went into bringing the iTNT Digital Ecosystem to life. 🚀