The new redesigned Basecamp Homepage
Context
Basecamp is a project management and team collaboration tool designed to help companies organise work, communicate updates, and track progress in one place. It combines to-do lists, message boards, schedules, file sharing, and team chat into a single product, and has long positioned itself as a simpler alternative to more complex enterprise tools.
When I was building solo, I was looking for a product management tool that felt powerful but not overwhelming. Basecamp’s promise of “refreshingly simple project management” made it stand out immediately.
At first glance, it seemed like the right balance: opinionated, focused, and not bloated with features. But within a day of using it, I stopped. The design felt dated, the layout congested, and key workflows were harder than they needed to be.
Problem
Initial testing surfaced four over-arching issues on the homepage: a congested information layout, missing basic functionality like sorting and filtering, confusing button and information patterns, and color contrast ratios that failed to meet WCAG AA standards.
The layout felt crowded and unfocused. Key actions competed for attention, related elements were scattered, and the page required more effort than necessary to scan and use. What was positioned as “simple” often felt mentally heavy in practice.
Basic usability features were also missing. Without sorting or filtering, managing projects at scale became frustrating. Small interaction decisions, like unclear buttons, inconsistent patterns, and ambiguous labels, added friction to everyday tasks.
Basecamp promises simplicity. The challenge was to preserve that simplicity in spirit, while fixing the structural and usability issues that prevented it from feeling simple in reality.
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anytime to jump
Adminland
Test Project 1
This is a test project's test description to get an idea of how it'll look.
Test Project 2
This is a test project's test description to get an idea of how it'll look.
Test Project 2
Test Project 4
Test Project 5
Test Project 6
Test Project 7
Test Project 8
Test Project 9
RECENT PROJECTS
Stuff due soon and recently assigned - see all
September
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Mon, Sep 15
Here's a short event
2:30pm - 3:00pm
Test project 3
Tue, Sep 16
Here's a short card
In Progress in Test project 3
YOUR EVENTS
Stuff due soon and recently assigned - see all
Here's a short card
Tue, Sep 16
Rancho S.
Card Table: In Progress in Test project 3
Here's a short to do
Rancho S.
Angela F.
James C.
Default list 2 in Project A
Here's a very long card to see if I should truncate it or not
Rancho S.
James C.
Card Table: In Progress in Test project 1
Here's a very long todo to see if I should truncate it or not
Rancho S.
Default list 2 in Project A
YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
01
In this carousel, we'll go section by section, through each element of the current Basecamp homepage to improve accessibility, usability, functionality, information architecture, and overall visual design. Let's start with the navbar.
Approach
I began with a structured review of the homepage, mapping out where accessibility broke down, where usability suffered, where functionality was missing, and where the information architecture created friction. The goal was to understand exactly why the experience felt heavier than it should.
The redesign focused on clarity and order. I reorganised the layout to reduce congestion, simplified button patterns to remove ambiguity, and introduced clear sorting and filtering controls to support scale. Accessibility was addressed directly by improving color contrast, strengthening visual hierarchy, and ensuring the interface met minimum WCAG AA standards.
The carousel above walks through the redesign step by step, showing how each decision addressed one of the four core problem areas.
Solution
A cleaner, more structured Basecamp homepage with clear grouping, built-in sorting and filtering, accessible color contrast, and simplified interaction patterns.
The redesign emphasized clarity, focus, and usability. Projects are easier to scan. Actions are easier to understand. Workflows feel lighter and more predictable. By resolving accessibility gaps, reducing congestion, and restoring missing functionality, the experience becomes calmer and more scalable, a deliberate shift toward making “simple project management” feel genuinely simple in practice.
Projects section before & after
Tasks section before and after