A new (3D) model for revenue growth

Overview

Problem

One of the country’s largest cabinet manufacturers was seeking to accelerate revenue growth by enabling the sale of 3rd party manufactured discrete products through the new portal that was in development. The leadership team believed extending product offerings “beyond the box” (core cabinetry) would be the firm’s most significant opportunity for revenue growth.

I was brought on to the team to develop this future state concept through a compelling story and interactive prototype in order to articulate the value to potential partners.

Approach

Our customer-first approach ensured our future state concept balanced potential partners’ needs with the goals and constraints of the cabinet manufacturer.

I started with a heuristic analysis of industry competitors and leaders in other verticals paying extra attention to how they recommend and upsell additional products. These findings served as inspirational references when brainstorming potential industry-leading solutions. An iterative-feedback loop informed user flows, storyboards, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes.

Outcome

The future state design to make discrete products accessible includes 4 prototypes aligned to the crawl, walk, run, and fly approach. Each prototype addresses the most immediate needs of users, the business, and discrete product partners while highlighting incremental enhancements. The designs addressed the lowest barrier to entry to generate additional revenue while also generating excitement for the potential of industry-leading innovation.

Roles

I assumed the following roles for this engagement:

User Researcher
User Experience Designer
User Experience Strategist
User Interface Designer

Deliverables

Some details and deliverables have been omitted for client confidentiality.

I was responsible for:

Competitive heuristic analysis
Brainstorm workshop
User flows
Storyboards
Wireframes
High-fidelity prototypes (crawl, walk, run, & fly)

I was a contributor for:

Vision alignment workshop

Project specifications

Duration: 8 weeks

Tools:

Figma
Miro

Team members:

Client Partner
Engagement Lead
Customer Researcher

How might we…

extend the product offerings “beyond the box” (core cabinetry) by offering the sale of 3rd party manufactured discrete products through the new portal to accelerate the significant opportunity for revenue growth?

Enhanced project management

A centralized location to host all relevant project details and notes. Save products to consider ordering later. Track all orders associated with a project in one place.

Improved Product Discoverability

A robust digital catalog allows users to explore products by room, category, or brand. Descriptive product details, accurate lead times, and comprehensive brand information help accelerate the decision process.

Crawl

The lowest barrier to entry utilizes already-existent line drawings of products and redirects users to purchase products on the 3rd party’s site.

Informative product details, specifications, and lead times empower decisions.

Walk

Enabling a seamless & centralized experience by allowing users to order products directly through the portal.

Multiple views (list and visual) of the order ensure accuracy and keep project timelines on schedule.

Run

Elevate the experience with engaging high-quality images that bring the products to life.

Extensive product and stock photos stimulate designers’ imagination to help envision the final product.

Fly

Industry-leading customizer with tailored product configurations with pre-curated finishes and compatible products.

Tap into the power of highly-engaging interactive 3D models.

Competitive Heuristic Analysis

This analysis was conducted using components in Figma to accelerate execution and make insights accessible to the entire team. 7 companies were analyzed including 5 direct competitors that offer discrete products and 2 leaders of UX from other industries (Apple and Lululemon). The main focus was on how these companies made compatible, frequently bought together, or related products more accessible to users. The goal was to understand what is the expected user experience set by industry leaders, what they do well, what they could improve, and potential differentiators in the current environment. Various insights were collected including:

Guided experience

A theme of providing a seamless user flow that enables effortless selection of curated products while empowering users with confidence during the decision process.

Information overload

In an effort to provide users with various options and enough information to make a decision, many competitors provide too much detail that disrupts the content hierarchy, the user flow, and the decision-making.

Customizable flow

Users can customize a product to meet their exact needs before purchasing. From swapping colors and changing materials finishes to combining compatible products and adding accessories, users are able to visualize the potential end product to accelerate their decision process.