FM:Systems / OpenBlue Employee UI Update

How It Started

Johnson Controls acquired FM:Systems to deepen its OpenBlue platform.

In 2023, Johnson Controls acquired FM:Systems to strengthen and expand its OpenBlue digital buildings platform, adding workplace and facility management software to its portfolio. FM:Systems brought cloud-based SaaS tools — space planning, asset management, and IoT-driven workplace insights — that complement Johnson Controls’ smart-building technologies.

In short, FM:Systems gave Johnson Controls a deeper software layer to power smarter, healthier, and more efficient buildings.

Two complementary portfolios brought together to deepen the OpenBlue platform

The Big Plan

Combining two products into a single OpenBlue Employee experience.

After the acquisition, Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue Companion product and the FM:Systems Employee product (Resource Scheduler / RSWeb) were to be combined into a single solution called OpenBlue Employee.

The integration unifies the employee experience with workplace intelligence: OpenBlue Companion provides the front-end app for booking, navigation, and daily workplace services, while FM:Systems Employee adds back-end space management and occupancy insights. Together they simplify hybrid work, optimise space use, and strengthen decision-making for employees and facility managers alike.

Front-end app and back-end space management merge into a single OpenBlue Employee product

The Problem

A dated legacy UI that no longer matched the brand or the suite.

While the team built the next-generation OpenBlue Employee product, the existing FMS:Employee legacy product still needed attention — its interface was dated and inconsistent with the wider platform.

Clients wanted a cleaner, more intuitive, more modern interface aligned with the Johnson Controls brand and Element Design System, delivering a unified experience across the broader OpenBlue product suite.

The Solution

A fast, seamless reskin built directly on the Element Design System.

The update had to be delivered as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Partnering with an external engineering team, I modernised the legacy Employee product onto Johnson Controls’ Element Design System — realigning components, colour, and type to the corporate identity while preserving the workflows users already knew.

The Result

A cleaner, consistent experience that set the standard for the suite.

Rebuilt with the OpenBlue Element Design System, the updated FMS:Employee UI delivered a cleaner, more consistent, and more intuitive experience — improving navigation, boosting usability, and aligning the product with Johnson Controls’ modern design standards, resulting in higher user satisfaction.

The design solutions I developed here formed the foundation for updates across the rest of FM:Systems’ FMS:Employee product suite.

Outcome

A modernised legacy product, and a template for the suite’s future.

The FMS:Employee refresh modernised a core legacy product under tight constraints, bringing it into visual and experiential alignment with the OpenBlue platform. Beyond the product itself, the work established a reusable design foundation that guided subsequent updates across the FMS:Employee suite — extending the impact well past the initial reskin.