Designing for Simplicity within Procurement Tools
ServiceNow
Enterprise
UX Design
Project Role
Design Lead
Timeline
Dec '21 - Feb '22
Partners
Product Manager, 5 Engineers
Procurement Workspace aims to simplify procurement processes in ServiceNow's enterprise applications. Our team built a redesigned negotiation flow to enable procurement teams to work more effectively.
DISCOVER
TLDR; What do Sourcing Managers do?
Sourcing Managers are responsible for saving companies money by negotiating prices of goods/services. Through past UX Research and my secondary research, I identified key user needs that guided our teams focus on improving the negotiation process.
Need a centralized system to easily track and manage their scattered information
Need to be confident in their decisions when selecting companies to work with
Needs to reduce manual task to focus on strategic projects that leave them more fulfilled
OPPURTUNITY
How might we streamline processes, organize information and enable impactful actions within the negotiation process, so that Sourcing Managers can be more strategic, empowered, and successful in their roles?
DEFINE
Brainstorming + Establishing User Flow
We brainstormed from past research insights to think of new concepts and as a team, aligned on a focused direction around negotiations. I created a user flow to map the end-to-end experience, identify edge cases, and facilitate discussions with PM and Engineering.
DESIGN
Starting Wireframes
After finalizing the user flow, I created low-fi designs to illustrate the user experience. Building on insights from previous research, I developed three concepts with varying approaches: guided, structured, and open-ended.
Insights revealed that sourcing managers, who handle numerous negotiations daily, need flexible, editable workflows and value the ability to easily revisit and modify past work. Because of this, we decided to move forward with option two to give users flexibility in their work.
TESTING
Testing and Refining Designs
We collaborated with the UX Research team to conduct a UX Walkthrough with internal participants, identifying key usability issues to refine the designs:
INSIGHT 1
Did not understand how to approach next steps without more context in the negotiation record
INSIGHT 2
Did not have enough clarity in trades offs for some actions that would affect other teammate's work
INSIGHT 3
Were not able to see the relation between related items in the side panel and the record itself
Based on this feedback, I iterated on designs to enhance communication and guidance, adding contextual components like alerts, tooltips, and hints to clarify process steps, risks and tradeoffs.
BUILD
Final Solution
Working with the engineering team, we developed the negotiation flow using design system components to streamline development. The final solution provides Sourcing Managers with a unified workflow that delivers timely, relevant information to enhance their strategic efforts and achieve their goals.
Unified information
Users can track relevant details across suppliers, monitor progress, and assess their own performance using a single record.
Increasing confidence
Give insights on progress and highlight suppliers who offer the best savings, enabling faster and more confident decision-making.
Alignment with processes
Visibility into outstanding work and dependencies from other teams helps users stay aware of the process and prioritize their actions.
REFLECTION
Lessons learned
Designing for specialized domains
I learned to design effectively in the specialized domain of procurement by focusing on user needs over business details. This taught me to adapt my design thinking to handle complex spaces.
Build on what you have, but make it better
I also discovered the challenge of building on existing platforms, balancing legacy design with innovative ideas to create something shippable.
Win as a cross functional team
I became a better collaborator, learning to involve my PM and engineering teams at every step. I adapted to timelines and limitations, advocating for strong design solutions while respecting cross-functional perspectives.