Unified Staff Access Across Xero Practice Tools



Additional detail, process and artefacts available at interview.

TL;DR

We consolidated staff access and permissions across Xero HQ and Xero Practice Manager into a single, modern experience. This project simplified admin workflows for accounting firms, reduced system complexity, and supported a broader strategy to unify Xero’s practice tool ecosystem.

Video exploring the single staff experience in Xero practice tools

Aim

The goal was to create a unified staff management experience that:

  • Simplified how users manage access across XPM and Xero HQ

  • Replaced outdated, inconsistent UI with a modern, responsive design

  • Aligned two very different permission models without adding friction

  • Supported internal business goals to reduce maintenance costs and unify product offerings

Process

Research
Partnered with researchers and PMs to run a combination of qualitative interviews and usability testing, both internal (subject matter experts) and external (accounting firms).
Key insights:

  • Users found the legacy UI overwhelming and inconsistent

  • Permission boundaries were unclear and hard to navigate

  • There was a strong desire for a single place to manage staff access

Design
I explored multiple interaction patterns through iterative Figma prototypes:

  • Early low-fidelity concepts focused on structure and navigation

  • High-fidelity mockups refined layout, language, and micro-interactions

  • Regular validation loops with users ensured we were addressing real pain points

Collaboration
Worked closely with engineering, QA, and content design to ensure implementation was technically feasible, accessible, and consistent with Xero’s design system.
Also collaborated with product marketing and CX to shape communication and rollout plans.

 

Refined experience for a single staff experience

Example of a design spec file used by the development team

Result

RESULTS

One Unified System: We replaced the old XPM staff UI with a modern, centralized experience in Xero HQ.

Simplified Access Management: Merged two permission systems into a streamlined role + task-based model that’s easier to understand and configure.

Improved UX & Accessibility: Built using Xero’s modern design framework, fully responsive and accessible by default.

Strategic Business Wins

  • Reduced operational and engineering overhead by deprecating legacy systems

  • Delivered on a key milestone toward Xero’s unified practice tools strategy

  • Received strong internal and customer feedback, with post-launch refinements based on real usage data

 

Video created by the Xero education team to inform users of the new experience and changes

 

Learnings

  • Balance is everything. Simplifying complex systems without sacrificing complex functionality used by current customers required constant iteration and prioritisation.

  • Legacy systems shape expectations. Users often expect new systems to behave like the old ones. Making small incremental changes helps users adjust to the change

  • Designing for systems, not just screens. Thinking at a platform level helped me align UX decisions with long-term design, technical and business directions.