B2B portal – case study

SaleSqueze helps manufacturers sell complex products online with a self-service build & price experience for buyers, agents, dealers, and distributors. In 2021, we were on a mission to build a seamless experience for B2B buyers and sales representatives in one platform.

The user personas, colors, and typography were predetermined according to the project brief. Collaborating closely with the product owner, I conducted user research, competitor analysis, and set goals. The main goal was to design an interface that met the needs of both user groups while providing a logical and user-friendly experience. As the sole designer on the project, I was responsible for creating wireframes, UI designs, and prototypes.

User research

Based on preexisting personas and user information, I created the stories and set the needs and pain points of users.

The primary user flow was created to simplify and reduce time in the process for both user groups.

Design process

I followed a design process that included ideation sessions, wireframing, and prototyping. First, paper sketches and then low-fidelity wireframes got a sense of the application’s layout and ways to incorporate the main project goals.

For the B2B buyer interface, I prioritized simplicity and speed of use. The homepage featured a search bar for quick product searches and a list of frequently purchased items. I also included a contact information for support and a credit information.

For the sales representative interface, I focused on providing easy access to customer information, including their order history, purchase behavior, and contact information. In addition, I included a dashboard for tracking leads and deals, and a quick link for placing orders on behalf of customers.

Lessons learned

Throughout the design process, I learned two important things: first is the importance of iteration. The more, the better. Include as many people as possible to cover all the angles.

And second is the importance of including the end users. While we conducted some internal testing during the project, we, unfortunately, needed more time to involve end users, which ultimately proved to be a mistake.

Conclusion

The goal of the project was to create a minimum viable product (MVP) to test the feasibility of the concept. As a result, we focused on developing designs with a minimalist UI. By prioritizing user research, iteration, and simplicity, we created a final solution that covered the user needs but did not totally align with the user-friendly approach we were aiming for.