Designing the first independent digital presence for an enterprise HRIS product transitioning from consultancy-led sales to its own market identity
Arkana HCM is an affordable, enterprise-capable HRIS system built for Indonesian companies managing hundreds to thousands of employees, without having high cost.
Role 🎮
Web Designer
Type 🧑💻
Full Time
Industry 🌐
HRIS
Timeline 📅
Nov 25' - Jan 26'
Business Context
Arkana HCM is a Human Capital Management system developed under Arkana Technology Consulting. Until recently, Arkana HCM was sold primarily through Arkana's existing consultancy relationships, where a salesperson or implementation team carried the product introduction. As Arkana HCM transitions into a separately operating entity within the Arkana Group, it requires its own sales motion, and the website is the first asset of that independent identity.
The product targets Indonesian companies in manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and other industries managing between hundreds and thousands of employees. These are companies large enough to need enterprise-grade HR infrastructure, but for whom SAP or equivalent systems represent a prohibitive cost and implementation burden. The purchase decision typically involves two stakeholders working together: the HR Director, who evaluates people management capability, compliance, and ease of use; and the IT Head, who evaluates integration, security, and technical compatibility with existing systems.
The product targets Indonesian companies in manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and other industries managing between hundreds and thousands of employees. These are companies large enough to need enterprise-grade HR infrastructure, but for whom SAP or equivalent systems represent a prohibitive cost and implementation burden. The purchase decision typically involves two stakeholders working together: the HR Director, who evaluates people management capability, compliance, and ease of use; and the IT Head, who evaluates integration, security, and technical compatibility with existing systems.
Problem
Arkana HCM was entering the standalone HRIS market with a specific and difficult positioning challenge: it needed to be taken seriously by enterprise-scale buyers without carrying enterprise-level pricing, and without the visual cues that typically signal enterprise credibility, heavy investment in brand, premium photography, and high-production design common to established players like Darwinbox or Sunfish.
The competitive landscape created a visual trap. Consumer-oriented HRIS products like Talenta use floating 3D illustrations and playful design language — immediately readable as SMB-focused, affordable, and light. Enterprise HRIS products use heavyweight design and premium production to signal that they are built for large organizations. Arkana HCM sits deliberately between these two registers: it handles the scale of an enterprise product at the accessibility of a mid-market one. No existing visual convention in the category communicated that position.
The second problem was structural. With two decision-makers reading the same homepage, an HR Director focused on people outcomes and an IT Head focused on technical integration, the page had to serve two different sets of concerns without fragmenting into a product specification sheet. Too much HR language and the IT Head disengages. Too much technical depth and the HR Director loses the business case.
And critically: this website had to work entirely without a salesperson. For the first time in Arkana HCM's history, a prospect would encounter the product with no prior relationship, no consultancy introduction, and no human context. The homepage had to earn trust, communicate value, and prompt action entirely on its own.
The competitive landscape created a visual trap. Consumer-oriented HRIS products like Talenta use floating 3D illustrations and playful design language — immediately readable as SMB-focused, affordable, and light. Enterprise HRIS products use heavyweight design and premium production to signal that they are built for large organizations. Arkana HCM sits deliberately between these two registers: it handles the scale of an enterprise product at the accessibility of a mid-market one. No existing visual convention in the category communicated that position.
The second problem was structural. With two decision-makers reading the same homepage, an HR Director focused on people outcomes and an IT Head focused on technical integration, the page had to serve two different sets of concerns without fragmenting into a product specification sheet. Too much HR language and the IT Head disengages. Too much technical depth and the HR Director loses the business case.
And critically: this website had to work entirely without a salesperson. For the first time in Arkana HCM's history, a prospect would encounter the product with no prior relationship, no consultancy introduction, and no human context. The homepage had to earn trust, communicate value, and prompt action entirely on its own.
Goal
Design a homepage that visually positions Arkana HCM as a credible, enterprise-capable HRIS solution, without the visual signals that make enterprise software look inaccessibly expensive, while structuring information to serve both HR and IT decision-makers simultaneously and drive contact form submissions as the primary conversion action.
Specifically: occupy a distinct visual register that reads as neither consumer-grade nor prohibitively premium, communicating that Arkana HCM is the serious choice for companies that need enterprise HR infrastructure without enterprise pricing. Every design decision, photography style, gradient approach, layout hierarchy, needed to serve that positioning, not just fill the page.
Secondary goal: establish enough credibility on the page itself, through client logos, system screenshots, feature depth, and FAQ coverage, that a prospect with no prior Arkana relationship feels confident enough to submit their contact details.
Specifically: occupy a distinct visual register that reads as neither consumer-grade nor prohibitively premium, communicating that Arkana HCM is the serious choice for companies that need enterprise HR infrastructure without enterprise pricing. Every design decision, photography style, gradient approach, layout hierarchy, needed to serve that positioning, not just fill the page.
Secondary goal: establish enough credibility on the page itself, through client logos, system screenshots, feature depth, and FAQ coverage, that a prospect with no prior Arkana relationship feels confident enough to submit their contact details.
Developing Design Decision
The gradient approach and visual register
Competitor HRIS products occupy two distinct visual languages: consumer-grade products use floating 3D illustrations, bright palettes, and playful layouts, immediately readable as built for SMBs. Enterprise products use heavy, production-rich design that signals premium pricing before the product is described. Neither was correct for Arkana HCM.
A restrained gradient approach, enough visual sophistication to read as serious, not so much production weight as to signal inaccessible pricing, was chosen deliberately to occupy the middle ground Arkana HCM actually owns. The gradient communicates polish and intentionality without the visual heaviness that makes enterprise software look like it comes with an enterprise budget requirement. This was not an aesthetic default, it was a direct response to the competitive visual landscape.
Photography: suits and system screenshots together
The decision to use professional photo, suited subjects rather than casual or lifestyle imagery, was made jointly with the content team, and it was the correct call for a specific reason. For a mid-market to enterprise HRIS buyer, the people shown in product photography are a proxy for the company's seriousness. Casual imagery would have reinforced the consumer-HRIS visual convention Arkana HCM was specifically trying to escape. Suit photography signals: this product is for professional environments managing significant workforce complexity.
System screenshots placed alongside the photography serve the IT Head specifically, they provide immediate visual evidence that the product exists, is functional, and has a considered interface. A prospect from a technical background who sees only marketing copy and stock photography cannot evaluate whether the product is real. Screenshots make it real.
Competitor HRIS products occupy two distinct visual languages: consumer-grade products use floating 3D illustrations, bright palettes, and playful layouts, immediately readable as built for SMBs. Enterprise products use heavy, production-rich design that signals premium pricing before the product is described. Neither was correct for Arkana HCM.
A restrained gradient approach, enough visual sophistication to read as serious, not so much production weight as to signal inaccessible pricing, was chosen deliberately to occupy the middle ground Arkana HCM actually owns. The gradient communicates polish and intentionality without the visual heaviness that makes enterprise software look like it comes with an enterprise budget requirement. This was not an aesthetic default, it was a direct response to the competitive visual landscape.
Photography: suits and system screenshots together
The decision to use professional photo, suited subjects rather than casual or lifestyle imagery, was made jointly with the content team, and it was the correct call for a specific reason. For a mid-market to enterprise HRIS buyer, the people shown in product photography are a proxy for the company's seriousness. Casual imagery would have reinforced the consumer-HRIS visual convention Arkana HCM was specifically trying to escape. Suit photography signals: this product is for professional environments managing significant workforce complexity.
System screenshots placed alongside the photography serve the IT Head specifically, they provide immediate visual evidence that the product exists, is functional, and has a considered interface. A prospect from a technical background who sees only marketing copy and stock photography cannot evaluate whether the product is real. Screenshots make it real.
Dual-audience information architecture
With an HR Director and IT Head both reading the same page, the feature navigation section was structured so each reader could self-navigate to relevant content — Recruitment and Onboarding for the HR Director, ERP Integration for the IT Head — without the page losing coherence as a single product story. The overall flow, from value proposition to social proof to feature depth to integration capability to FAQ to contact form, was sequenced to build trust progressively: first establish what it does, then prove it works, then address objections, then ask for contact details.
With an HR Director and IT Head both reading the same page, the feature navigation section was structured so each reader could self-navigate to relevant content — Recruitment and Onboarding for the HR Director, ERP Integration for the IT Head — without the page losing coherence as a single product story. The overall flow, from value proposition to social proof to feature depth to integration capability to FAQ to contact form, was sequenced to build trust progressively: first establish what it does, then prove it works, then address objections, then ask for contact details.
Wrap Up
Arkana HCM's homepage marks a specific inflection point in the product's history, the first time it had to work as a standalone brand, without the Arkana consultancy relationship opening the door. The design's primary job was to replace what a salesperson previously did: establish credibility, communicate the value proposition, address objections, and prompt a next action.
The most consequential decision was the visual register. By choosing restrained gradient over consumer-grade illustration and over premium enterprise production, the design carved out the exact middle ground Arkana HCM occupies in the market, accessible enough for mid-market budgets, serious enough for enterprise-scale workforce management. That positioning is visible before a single word is read.
Website performance and lead quality from the standalone sales motion are being tracked as the primary success indicators. The contact form submission rate and subsequent demo conversion rate will confirm whether the design earns enough trust from cold prospects to replace the warm introduction Arkana HCM previously relied on.
This case study proves the ability to design for a specific competitive positioning gap, not just making something look good, but making it look like the right choice for a buyer choosing between options on either side of it.
The most consequential decision was the visual register. By choosing restrained gradient over consumer-grade illustration and over premium enterprise production, the design carved out the exact middle ground Arkana HCM occupies in the market, accessible enough for mid-market budgets, serious enough for enterprise-scale workforce management. That positioning is visible before a single word is read.
Website performance and lead quality from the standalone sales motion are being tracked as the primary success indicators. The contact form submission rate and subsequent demo conversion rate will confirm whether the design earns enough trust from cold prospects to replace the warm introduction Arkana HCM previously relied on.
This case study proves the ability to design for a specific competitive positioning gap, not just making something look good, but making it look like the right choice for a buyer choosing between options on either side of it.