Parts Portal, Dealer Tire (2020).

Overview

Dealer Tire's 'Part Portal' had been servicing over 10,000 dealerships across the US for a decade. It was becoming harder to respond to industry changes, within the fixed table-based layout.

This was the B2B eCommerce site through which most of Dealer Tire’s core business came.

Goals

Blue dots indicate user on iPhone pinch and zoom (Fullstory)

Implement a responsive design—Through analytics we saw more access from mobile devices, as well as tablets and even browsers on game consoles in the dealerships.

Create a design framework which could be flexible through the next 10 years of use.

Refresh the overall look and feel, as well accommodate brand demands from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's).

Work

Mapped out the existing user flows to identify redundancies and friction points
Referenced Google Analytics and user interviews to see common usage patterns
Wireframing page templates. Dedicated areas to reflect OEM brand, while keeping the tool easy to use, concise, and accessible
Moved to Sketch & InVision for designs and clickable mocks
Moderated internal stakeholder design sessions, visits to dealerships, and remote user testing using Optimal Workshop
Worked closely with developers, introducing concepts of responsive design and re-usable components

Results

Constant touch-points, and a staggered rollout, help quell a lot of the "fear of the new" with a change this big.

Modular layout enabled greater brand alignment and customizationn

Achieved a 82.5 score on the System Usability Scale (SUS). A sharp rise from the initial score in the 60's.

Used Fullstory and Google Analytics to monitor usage.

Created a User Panel from our dealerships, holding frequent user testing and surveys.