SCOPE: A platform redesign for BlackCurrant LLC

ROLE: Research + Design ( Team of 4 )

DURATION: 3 weeks

In a collaborative role as part of a team of four, we were tasked with redesigning the BlackCurrant platform over a three-week period.

Our Prototype v 2.0

 But how did we get here?

DISCOVER

Comparative + Competitive Analysis

We examined websites of companies in the same market or with similar features to identify shared patterns and effective strategies. Additionally, we analyzed companies with robust marketplace functionalities and match/discovery features to gather insights and ideas for our redesign.

We aimed to draw inspiration from these companies' features to enhance BlackCurrant's platform, ultimately delivering an exceptional and user-friendly customer experience.

Heuristic Evaluation

We conducted a heuristic evaluation of the existing platform, identifying several areas for improvement, including confusing interface elements and layout issues..

Testing + Interviews

We had ample time for research primarily because our test pool was unresponsive and we were awaiting access to the platform from our client. This period taught us the art of patience and persistence.

To gather user feedback, we conducted a usability test along with a few questions and a survey with a subset of users who had interacted with the platform before. While the initial scores for customer satisfaction, loyalty, and effort were moderate, we knew there was room for improvement.

DEFINE

Based on our research findings and user feedback, we created a persona to represent the target user

and mapped out their journey on the platform.

This allowed us to better understand their needs, goals, and frustrations and informed our design decisions. We pinpointed the problem and asked ourselves how we might solve it.

DESIGN

We held a design studio where each team member contributed ideas and sketches, and then we combined the best elements to create a cohesive design.

These are my sketches from the design studio. The first page was transformed into a dashboard featuring shortcut windows for summary information, recent activities, and recommendations. The supply/demand toggle was redesigned as tabs, and filters were added for quick product identification. I specifically worked on the state map, highlighting each state when relevant products were available, and introduced convenient 'buy' buttons to simplify the purchasing process. This task was extremely tedious and challenging.

To streamline the workflow, we added a "Create Request for Proposal" button on the dashboard and included a "matches" column on the Discovery page.

We also explored the use of AI technology, introducing an AI chatbot named Howie to help answer questions, guide users and assist in price negotiation while protecting identities.

Prototype v 1.0

We developed a clickable prototype and conducted usability testing focused on the hydrogen buying scenario.

The feedback was largely positive, and we saw improvements in metrics such as Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Score, and Customer Effort Score.

DELIVER

Based on the feedback, we made refinements to the design, including enlarging buttons, reducing header sizes, and ensuring a consistent user experience. We also evaluated color contrast to improve accessibility.

In conclusion, our redesign efforts resulted in a more intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable experience for BlackCurrant's users. While there are still areas for future improvement, such as prototyping the seller process and researching blockchain solutions, our redesign achieved positive outcomes and set the stage for continued enhancements.