Where portals used to be mainly digital service desks, they have now become the primary channel for many organizations. Not something extra, but the place where service delivery and collaboration come together. That also calls for a different perspective: a portal is no longer just a supporting tool, but an essential part of how your organization operates. In many cases, it is even the first thing customers see of you. What we notice in projects is that a good portal changes more than just the digital experience. It affects how people work together, how processes run, and what customers expect from an organization.
From Dependency to Independence
A well-designed portal makes users more self-sufficient. Not by adding as much functionality as possible, but by creating clarity. What can I do here, where do I start, and what is the next step?
This fits a broader trend: people increasingly expect to be able to arrange things themselves. Think of self-checkouts in stores or online orders without help from an employee. For organizations, that is not only a user need, but also an efficiency gain.
Familiar interaction patterns and smart personalization play a big role here. When a portal matches what people already know, the learning curve almost disappears. Training is often no longer needed because using it feels natural.
The Shift in the Relationship with Customers
As the portal becomes the central channel, the way customers and suppliers interact also changes. Interaction happens less through separate touchpoints and more through shared processes in one environment.
That means expectations change. Users expect immediate feedback, insight into status, and the ability to make adjustments themselves. The portal therefore becomes not only a tool, but also a means of communication.
For suppliers, the role shifts. Less focus on carrying out manual tasks, more on setting up and improving processes. Because customer and supplier are looking at the same information, statuses, and workflows, there is more transparency and less dependence on separate communication. That makes collaboration faster and clearer for both sides.
Less Explanation, Different Conversations
A good portal prevents users from having to think about how something works. Not because the processes are simpler, but because information, steps, and choices are structured logically.
You see this reflected directly in support. The number of questions decreases, but more importantly: the type of questions changes. Less “how does this work?”, more “can this be smarter?” The focus shifts from use to improvement.
Research from organizations such as WorldMetrics and Forrester shows that 73% of customers prefer self-service and that organizations often see 20 to 40 percent fewer support requests after introducing a portal. At the same time, satisfaction increases, precisely because users feel more in control.
A good example of this is the collaboration with Huisman. In this customer portal, office staff and customers on ships around the world work in the same environment. Despite that physical distance, both parties always have insight into the same information, progress, and communication around a request or process.
“The redesigned customer portal is so intuitive that customers say they do not need an introduction or manual.”
— Dirk-Jan Goudswaard, Digital Commerce & Marketing at Huisman
What We Do as UX Designers in That
Our role is to translate complexity into something understandable and workable. Often, we step into systems that have grown over years, with all kinds of exceptions and dependencies.
By observing users, we see where things get stuck. Where someone hesitates, clicks back, or gets blocked. We use those insights to bring structure.
In doing so, we make deliberate choices in workflows. Which steps are really necessary, what can be simpler, and how do we make processes feel logical. Not from the system's point of view, but from how people work.
The Role of AI in Understanding Complexity
AI is playing an increasingly important role here, especially in data-rich environments. It helps surface connections faster and bring relevant information forward at the right moment.
As a result, users have to do less searching and interpreting themselves. Instead, they get support in making decisions and understanding what is happening.
At the same time, AI is not a magic solution. It also raises questions around reliability, transparency, and control. That is exactly why it is important that its application remains clear and easy to explain.
Finally
What sets successful portals apart is that they do more than just support. They change how people collaborate, how processes run, and what users expect from an organization.
The biggest gain is less dependence and less friction. Users can move forward independently, information is immediately available, and processes run more clearly and faster for both customer and supplier.
Ultimately, that is what gets a good portal moving: organizations spend less time on explanations and manual work, and have more room to further improve processes and collaboration.
