Project Title:

Enhancing Sales Efficiency with the Price Explorer

Overview:

Hunter Douglas developed the Price Explorer to address a long-standing dealer request for a tool that simplifies product and price comparisons in the field. Designed for iPad use, the tool empowers dealers to deliver a seamless, visually engaging sales experience. Its primary goal is to streamline sales processes, improve efficiency, and boost dealer confidence by providing a user-friendly interface optimized for real-time interactions.

Objectives:

1. Simplify Sales Process: Provide dealers with an intuitive tool to compare product options and prices effortlessly.
2. Increase Sales Conversions: Equip dealers to present compelling options and close deals effectively in real-time.
3. Enhance Dealer Satisfaction: Deliver a tool that aligns with dealer workflows, reducing friction and improving confidence.
4. Optimize for Field Use: Ensure seamless performance on iPads in diverse environments.

Key Challenges:

1. Complex Product Configurations: Managing variations in sizes, materials, finishes, and prices while ensuring accurate comparisons.
2. Field Usability: Designing a responsive, intuitive tool optimized for touch interaction and real-world usage scenarios.
3. User Adoption: Creating an interface and functionality compelling enough for consistent dealer usage.

Project Approach:

Phase 1: Research & Strategy Development

• User Research: Conduct interviews and surveys with dealers to identify pain points and workflows.
• Insights:
  • Dealers needed quick comparisons of multiple configurations.
  • Visual clarity and real-time responsiveness were critical for field use.
• Strategic Plan:
  • Prioritize mobile optimization for iPads.
  • Focus on core functionalities: inputting configurations, visualizing comparisons, and displaying price points side-by-side.

Phase 2: Ideation & Prototyping

• Design Thinking:
  • Empathize with user needs.
  • Define key problems.
  • Ideate creative solutions.
  • Prototype and test early concepts.
• Prototyping:
  • Develop low-fidelity wireframes emphasizing clarity and simplicity.
  • Create a dynamic comparison grid and touch-friendly interface for field use.

Phase 3: Testing & Iteration

• User Testing:
  • Conduct iterative testing with dealers in real-world scenarios.
  • Evaluate usability, responsiveness, and visual clarity.
• Feedback-Driven Refinement:
  • Optimize the interface to reduce cognitive load.
  • Enhance visual hierarchy for quick scanning.
  • Improve iPad compatibility, focusing on touch gestures and loading speed.

Phase 4: Visual & Interaction Design

• Visual Design:
  • Integrate high-quality product visuals for customer engagement.
  • Use consistent color schemes and typography for easy scanning.
• Interaction Design:
  • Implement intuitive gestures like swiping between comparisons and tapping for detailed views.
  • Focus on smooth transitions for a polished user experience.

Outcome:

1. Increased Sales Conversions:
   • Dealers used the Price Explorer to demonstrate product options confidently, resulting in measurable increases in field sales.
2. Enhanced Dealer Satisfaction:
   • User-friendly design and real-time capabilities led to significant improvements in satisfaction metrics.
   • Reinforced Hunter Douglas’s reputation for dealer support and innovation.

Future Plans:

• Integration with Dealer Systems: Expand functionality to include order placement and inventory checks.
• Enhanced Features: Add advanced analytics and customization options for larger dealer networks.

Conclusion:

The Price Explorer project exemplifies the value of a user-centered design process. By engaging dealers throughout development and iterating based on real-world feedback, Hunter Douglas delivered a tool that exceeded expectations. The Price Explorer has become an integral part of the sales ecosystem, demonstrating how thoughtful design can drive tangible business results.

User Testing Results: Refining the Price Explorer

Round 1: Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Participants: 12 dealers
Feedback Highlights:

1. Navigation Issues:
   • Dealers found the initial navigation unintuitive, struggling to locate key features such as product input and comparison grids.
   • Refinement: Introduced a more prominent navigation bar with labeled tabs for "Input Measurements," "Compare Products," and "View Prices."
2. Complexity in Inputs:
   • The product configuration input form felt overwhelming due to too many visible fields at once.
   • Refinement: Implemented a step-by-step input process with progressive disclosure, showing only the relevant fields at each step.
3. Visual Overload:
   • The comparison grid displayed too much information, making it difficult to scan quickly.
   • Refinement: Simplified the grid to show essential details (e.g., dimensions, price, and key features) with expandable sections for additional information.

Round 2: Mid-Fidelity Interactive Prototypes

Participants: 15 dealers
Feedback Highlights:

1. Field Responsiveness:
   • Some dealers reported lag when entering measurements or switching between comparisons, especially in areas with weak Wi-Fi.
   • Refinement: Optimized code for faster load times and included offline functionality for entering data without an active connection.
2. Touch Controls:
   • Swiping gestures were not always recognized on iPads, and some buttons felt too small for touch input.
   • Refinement: Increased touch target sizes and implemented gesture smoothing for consistent responsiveness.
3. Aesthetic Preferences:
   • Dealers preferred larger product images to better visualize the options alongside specifications.
   • Refinement: Increased image size in the grid and added a zoom function for detailed views.

Round 3: High-Fidelity Prototype Testing

Participants: 20 dealers (real-world scenarios)
Feedback Highlights:

1. Real-Time Updates:
   • Dealers loved the real-time price updates when modifying configurations but noted slight delays with certain calculations.
   • Refinement: Enhanced back-end processes to ensure instantaneous updates across all fields.
2. Comparison Usability:
   • Users appreciated the side-by-side comparison grid but requested the ability to save and share comparisons.
   • Refinement: Added a "Save & Share" button allowing dealers to email or download a PDF of comparisons for customer review.
3. Confidence in Sales Conversations:
   • 90% of participants reported feeling more confident using the tool with customers. However, they suggested a "key benefits" summary for each product to aid discussions.
   • Refinement: Introduced a product highlights section, summarizing unique features in a visually distinct area of the comparison grid.

Post-Launch Metrics (Collected from Dealers in Pilot Program):

1. Increased Usability Rating: Average satisfaction score improved from 6.5 to 9.2/10 after the final iteration.
2. Faster Configurations: Dealers reported reducing the time spent comparing products by 40%, allowing more time for customer engagement.
3. Adoption Rates: Over 85% of pilot dealers integrated the Price Explorer into their daily workflows within the first month.
4. Conversion Boost: Pilot program saw a 12% increase in sales conversions, attributed to real-time comparisons and enhanced customer confidence.