On April 8th, we officially launched a new chapter in Ardoq’s journey - we introduced a new experience that reimagines how Enterprise Architecture works across the organization.
Over the years, we’ve built a platform known for its depth and flexibility. But as both our customers and the role of Enterprise Architecture evolved, it became clear that the product needed to evolve also.
Not just to make it easier to use, but to support a new way of working. One where more people across the business engage with architecture, where insights are easier to access, and where the foundation is strong enough to support the next wave of innovation.
This isn’t a simple redesign. It’s a foundational change that prepares us for the next phase of Ardoq.
In this conversation, our CEO, Erik Bakstad, and CPO, Ian Stendera, join CMO, Sunny Dhami, to reflect on the thinking behind this evolution, the journey to get here, and what it unlocks next.
Ardoq has always been built for depth, capable of modeling complex systems and delivering meaningful insights. But over time, something became clear: power alone wasn’t enough.
“We’ve been focusing on building deep and powerful capabilities. One thing we haven’t done a good enough job of is connecting the user journey.”
- Erik Bakstad, CEO and Cofounder of Ardoq
The pieces were there. The insights were there. But getting from one to the other wasn’t always intuitive, especially for users outside of the core architecture team.
And that matters now more than ever.
Enterprise Architecture has never been just about the tool. It’s about people.
As organizations move faster and decisions become more distributed, the success of EA becomes less about how much data you have and more about whether the right people can engage with it.
“If you don’t engage your organization, you’re doomed to fail either as an EA function or as an EA project.”
- Ian Stendera, CPO at Ardoq
Enterprise Architecture doesn’t fail because of a lack of data. It fails when the organization doesn’t engage with it.
This realization shaped everything we set out to build.
Because if architecture is meant to inform decisions across the business, then it needs to be accessible, intuitive, and relevant to more than just a small group of experts.
The decision to redesign wasn’t about aesthetics. It was about removing the friction that slowed teams down.
That friction showed up in small but important ways - how users got started, how they navigated the platform, and how they moved from raw data to meaningful insight.
The new experience is designed to make that journey smooth.
“We’re reducing friction so that it's even easier to get your data set up, get that initial insight, so you can create the engagement to do more.” as Erik shared.
Instead of asking users to figure out where to go and what to do next, the platform now guides them, helping them move from question to answer, then to outcomes, with less effort and more confidence. EAs are now more quickly empowered to have the strategic conversations that matter with CIOs and tech leadership, backed by data they can have confidence in.
One of the biggest shifts behind the new experience is a change in perspective. Previously, Ardoq offered a powerful set of tools. But tools alone don’t guarantee outcomes.
As Ian explained: “We had all the tools in the toolbox… but maybe not the exact instructions to help guide you to that outcome.”
The new experience changes that.
It’s built around what users are actually trying to achieve, whether that’s understanding dependencies, rationalizing applications, or driving transformation initiatives. The focus moves from what the platform can do to what users can achieve with it.
While much of the change is visible in the user experience, a significant part of the work happened behind the scenes.
A better, user-centric interface is even more critical for the future of Enterprise Architecture, especially in an AI-driven world.
But it also requires better foundations.
“AI is only as good as the data you provide it.”
- Erik Bakstad
This isn’t just about improving how Ardoq works today. It’s about enabling what comes next.
Erik and Ian see the New Ardoq Experience as establishing a foundation that allows Ardoq to evolve into an agentic, AI-powered platform, where workflows can be automated, insights generated dynamically, and experiences tailored to each user.
That’s why Ardoq’s latest evolution also includes improvements in data quality, structure, and performance, ensuring that both users and AI can work with the data in a meaningful way.
It’s what enables more advanced workflows, where human insight and AI capabilities can work together, rather than in isolation.
For CIOs and business leaders, the challenge has always been the same: how quickly can you move from data to decisions?
Because in practice, the biggest barrier isn’t capability, it’s effort.
As Ian put it: “The question is always going to be, what’s the effort to get going?”
By making it easier to get started, easier to maintain data, and easier to involve the broader organization, it helps teams reach insights faster and act on them with greater confidence.
While April 8th marks an important milestone for us, it’s not the end of the journey.
In many ways, it’s the starting point.
“This is just the first step, unlocking a whole new trajectory for Ardoq.” as Ian shares.
While we set out to improve the user experience, whether that user is an EA or not, we’re also aiming to set a new standard for how Enterprise Architecture should work.
The new experience lays the groundwork for what comes next - from more personalized user journeys to deeper AI integration and continuous improvements shaped by customer feedback.
Watch the full interview here.
If you want to go deeper into what’s new and how it works in practice, explore the New Ardoq experience.