Modernizing inventory management.
A global medical device manufacturer was in need of automating their inventory management. Their paper-based processes created ordering inefficiencies and miscommunication among physicians and sales representatives.
We designed a custom web application that allowed sales representatives to place and track orders, manage patient fittings, and access reports.
Overview
The outcome of this engagement was to increase efficiency of order submissions and increase visibility of current and previous orders
Time frame
4 months
My Role
Lead user researcher, lead UX designer
Activities
User interviews, ideation workshops, lo-fidelity design, hi-fidelity mockups, usability tests
Tools
Sketch, Invision, Optimal Workshop, Google Forms, Lookback
Approach
-
01 Discover
Current State Analysis
Generative research -
02 Ideate
Design Studio
Design Systems -
03 Validate
Usability Tests
Surveys
01 Discover
Current State Analysis
First, we first audited their existing processes and data. The initial web application had various design and technical limitations, so we identified those opportunities as well as usability heuristics such as information hierarchy. Additionally, we mapped out a site schematic and prioritized the critical flows to focus on.
Generative Research
We then identified a user research plan to better understand the day-to-day and pain points with our client’s sales representatives. We conducted 1x1 user interviews, surveys, and contextual inquiries and synthesized those findings into a high-level persona.
How might we submit and track orders effectively?
02 Ideate
Design Studio
Next, we coordinated and facilitated onsite design workshops with sales reps, product owners, territory managers, and developers to further refine the problem statement and brainstorm ideas. We then leveraged inspiration from various apps and websites, and brainstormed various solutions to tackle various issues of the process.
Design Systems
We then put together a robust design system as a framework for branding and cohesion.
With so many templates and responsive designs identified from our site schematic, and with multiple designers and developers collaborating, a single source of truth for all components was essential.
03 Validate
Usability Sessions
We focused on designing one specific flow per week (i.e., dashboard, patient lookup, patient details, products selection) for both desktop and mobile and conducted usability tests (3-5 users total) at the end of each week to validate our concepts before presenting design reviews with our client.
“We're trying to train leadership to come to us with problems they want to solve. vs “here’s the feature we want to roll out with, on this timeline.”
— Sales rep 1
“There was a lot of Phone number this is amazing… because everytime I look up This is what I’m looking.
— Sales Rep 2
What’s Next?
Next Steps
After our initial engagement, my design team rolled off the project due to budget constraints, and, a new engineering team came on to continue implementing the designs for well over a year.
In addition to creating a seamless user experience, we were able to demonstrate our clients the power of cross-discipline workshops, iterative design, user validation, and design systems.
Lessons Learned
This was my first time pairing with another designer
Track data before, during, and after whenever possible
Pairing real-time is critical
Prioritize and validate your assumptions often
Incorporate design reviews during each sprint with front-end developers