When I joined this ongoing project as the sole designer, it was initially a feature-based MVP created by the business. My challenge was to apply design thinking methodology to transform it into a user-centric product.

The goals were:
1. Develop and maintain the web app to manage bike assembly orders, targeting partners and customer care agents.
2. Ensure end customers can easily access this assembly service at the online shops, enhancing their overall purchase experience

As the only product designer in this project, I was responsible for transforming the MVP into a user-centric product. My tasks included conducting platform audits, competitor analysis, user interviews, and usability testing. I redesigned the app structure, created high-fidelity wireframes, and developed a comprehensive design system.

I collaborated closely with stakeholders and development teams to ensure seamless integration and improved user experience. Additionally, I implemented tools like Hotjar for user behavior analysis and crafted prototypes to present enhancements and secure stakeholder buy-in.

To achieve this, I started from scratch, digging into the details of the platform and improving how users interacted with it.

First, I conducted a comprehensive platform audit to identify any UX/UI issues. Acting as a regular user, I created an account and meticulously navigated through the platform, experiencing it firsthand. Additionally, I conducted a series of user interviews to gain valuable insights into their perspectives. Through this process, I discovered 20 distinct issues within the system and user flow. Documenting my findings, I prepared to engage stakeholders in meaningful discussions.

Second, I revitalized and expanded the user personas for the project. Drawing from existing research conducted by others in the main project, I supplemented it with insights from discussions with our customer care team. Their direct daily interactions provided invaluable perspective, particularly for a group not adequately represented in previous research. Combining their insights with my own research, I crafted additional user personas to deepen our understanding of this specific user group. Moreover, I meticulously updated these personas to align with our plans for market expansion. Investigating the nuances of the new market (France), I tailored the personas accordingly, ensuring relevance and accuracy.

Thirdly, I really dug into understanding what our users needed on both our main online shops and the SMT platform. It was eye-opening. There were some big issues, like our premium feature not being visible enough on the website, confusing pricing, and customers not getting clear info about assembly services during checkout. And when I visited an offline shop, I realized many customers had no clue about our premium feature, which led to a lot of frustration when they came to pick up their bikes.

So, I got together with the team working on the main website, and we started having regular meetings to tackle these problems. I went through the whole booking process for assembly services, figuring out where it was falling short. Then, armed with Figma, I put together a presentation and prototype to show how we could make the user flow on the main e-shop better. We talked it through, made some changes, and ended up with a much smoother user experience across the board.

Furthermore, as my investigation into the jobs to be done on our platform continued, I stumbled upon a major issue: the dashboard, the very first page users encounter upon logging in, was essentially useless. Instead of providing valuable information about order statuses, it was cluttered with irrelevant graphs that nobody needed.

To improve the usability of the dashboard, I analyzed the jobs to be done and user personas. I implemented Hotjar to observe users, leading to significant insights. Additionally, I performed user interviews, usability testing, and shadowing. As a result, we improved the UI/UX of the Dashboard, resulting in positive user feedback and a reduction in customer care contacts due to a more intuitive design.

When I was on vacation in Germany, I decided to go one of our shops and talk to the real users to see how the use the platform and what issues and pain points they might have. I talked, asked questions, wrote a report and created tickets in Jira to improve them.

So, I got together with the team working on the main website, and we started having regular meetings to tackle these problems. I went through the whole booking process for assembly services, figuring out where it was falling short. Then, armed with Figma, I put together a presentation and prototype to show how we could make things better. We talked it through, made some changes, and ended up with a much smoother user experience across the board. It was a real team effort, and I'm proud of what we achieved.

The the app redesign resulted in a significantly improved user experience, with enhanced communication and streamlined processes for partners and customer care agents. The new platform increased the visibility of assembly services on the online shop website, leading to higher customer satisfaction and reduced customer care contacts. The project successfully bridged the gap between online bike purchases and offline assembly services, offering a seamless omnichannel experience and positively impacting user engagement and feedback.

In future projects, I would implement features step by step rather than waiting to roll out the entire feature set at once. This iterative approach allows for continuous feedback and adjustments, ensuring each feature meets user needs before adding new ones. Additionally, I would advocate for even closer collaboration with stakeholders and the development team throughout the project to address issues more swiftly and effectively. Ensuring regular user testing and feedback sessions would also help in catching potential problems early and refining the product continuously.