I led the UX research for Nationwide’s intranet redesign, transforming a legacy platform serving 25,000+ employees. Through stakeholder workshops, card sorting, and in-depth interviews, I uncovered a critical tension: while the system was objectively outdated, a long-tenured workforce felt a deep emotional attachment to its familiarity. By pivoting to a hybrid design strategy, I balanced essential legacy features with modern UX enhancements and a strategic change management plan. This research-led approach successfully mitigated user resistance, delivering a modernized platform that optimized workflows while maintaining high employee trust and adoption.