I worked for an American global management consulting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the Big Three along with Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company.
Problem Statement
How might we streamline the process of estimating and managing production costs?
Created UX solution for BCG client that helped to reduce time on proccessing and analyzing data by 33%.
It also impact their operations and simplify the process of evaluation various investment options and assess their potential impact on costs, revenue, and profitability.
My Approach
I used Double Diamond as a framework for my process. It involved two main phases: Discovery and Delivery.
Goal of Discovery phase: explore and define the core needs of users, receive insights and shape the tool’s functionality.
Kickoff Session
During my kickoff session with product managers, I received a product vision and basic documentation. Based on rough draft of the user flow and we decided on the following four key features of the Supplier item cost input interface:
Supplier item Cost Breakdown
Supplier item Cost Comparison
Market Context
Custom Indices & Forecasts
Deriving Design Principles from User Research
Before working on user flows, I wanted to deeply understand users’ needs and pain points, so I conducted user interviews.
I had 3 weeks for research and 1 week for analysys. I learned how Financial Managers work with data. I found pain points, user flow gaps and some complex solutions of simple tasks.
The most challenging part was to divide User Research Data and User Feedback. Especially as many interviewees expressed dissatisfaction with the usability of their tools — feedback that was not directly relevant to the specific objectives of this research. To address these challenges, I guided users effectively and adapted the interview questions to better align with the desired outcomes, ensuring the research remained focused and productive.
Users do these things most:
Checking detailed item cost page
Comparing data In their old CRM system they keep both tabs open to compare, sort and revise data
Users used to keep such calculations as Corelated Index or Inferred Supplier Margin Cost in Excel. This complicated their work task on analysing item costs and making predictions
Users spent time checking if information is up to date
Building Cost Evaluation tool
CET designed to streamline the process of estimating and managing production costs. Tailored specifically for manufacturers, this tool integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and optimize resource allocation effectively.
Ideate phase
During this phase I used HMW (How might we...) framework.
During the discovery phase I analyzed received data and figured out desired outcomes from proposed changes. I also conducted shadowing sessions that helped me to finalize all features and mechanics that should work in our app. We discussed with stakeholders and confirmed it afterwards.
Сost Breakdown tool
This tool designed to streamline the process of estimating and managing production costs. This interface designed specifically for manufacturers. This tool integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and optimize resource allocation effectively.
