SOFTWARE LICENSE DISTRIBUTION

Product Design · SaaS Platform

Led the design of a multi-user system to manage software license distribution across students, faculty, and administrators, replacing fragmented manual workflows with a centralized, scalable solution.

Impact: Reduced operational overhead, improved visibility into license usage, and enabled non-technical staff to confidently manage distribution workflows.

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EXECTUTIVE SUMMARY


  • Problem: Manual, error-prone license distribution across multiple stakeholders
  • Constraint: Complex workflows + limited engineering bandwidth
  • Solution: Centralized admin system with structured workflows
  • Outcome: Improved efficiency, reduced support overhead, clearer system visibility

Problem


Software license distribution was handled manually by the IT team, requiring tracking across spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected tools.

This created three critical issues:

  • Lack of visibility into available vs. allocated licenses
  • Frequent errors in distribution and revocation
  • High support burden across IT, faculty, and admin teams

As the number of students and software dependencies grew, the system became increasingly difficult to manage and scale.

Constraints


  • Multiple user groups with conflicting needs (admin, faculty, students)
  • Existing backend logic and technical limitations
  • Limited engineering resources and tight delivery timeline
  • Dependency on external purchasing workflows

My Role


I led the project end-to-end, from defining the problem space to final delivery and QA.

  • Defined system requirements through stakeholder and user interviews
  • Synthesized workflows across IT, admin, and faculty
  • Designed system architecture and core user flows
  • Led prototyping, testing, and iteration
  • Collaborated closely with engineering on feasibility and tradeoffs
  • Owned design handoff and supported implementation

Key Design Decisions


1. Centralize License Management

Moved from fragmented workflows to a single admin interface to manage all license-related actions.

Why: Reduced cognitive load and eliminated the need to track information across tools.

2. Prioritize System Visibility

Designed the interface around key system states: available, used, and required licenses.

Why: Admin decisions depend on understanding inventory at a glance.

3. Enable Bulk Operations

Introduced bulk upload and distribution workflows.

Why: Manual one-by-one actions were a major source of inefficiency.

Tradeoffs

  • Reduced flexibility to prioritize clarity and speed
  • Deferred automation features due to engineering constraints

System Design


The system was designed to support three primary user groups:

  • Admin: Purchase, track, allocate, and revoke licenses
  • Faculty: Ensure alignment with student tools before term start
  • Students: Access required software without friction

The primary design challenge was balancing simplicity for admin workflows with flexibility across different license types and rules.

The admin interface was structured around decision-making, surfacing key metrics and actions in a single view.

  • Software: Centralized list with editable configurations
  • Access Type: Defines distribution logic
  • Usage: Tracks allocated licenses and active users
  • Availability: Shows remaining inventory
  • Demand: Indicates required purchases

This is as much as I'm allowed to share, I'd be happy to do a walkthrough of a prototype.

Impact


  • Reduced manual coordination across teams
  • Improved accuracy in license tracking and allocation
  • Enabled faster onboarding for students and faculty
  • Provided clear visibility into purchasing needs

What I’d Improve


  • Introduce automation for license allocation based on enrollment
  • Add predictive insights for purchasing needs
  • Improve audit logs for tracking historical changes