VCorp

VCorp is an intermediary for the automotive and industrial aftermarkets between Latin America, the USA, Europe, and Asia.

ROLE

UX/UI Designer

CLIENT

VCorp Latin America

DATE

June 2022 (80 hrs)

TYPE

Website

VCorp needs to optimize client interactions 🔗

VCorp is small company that works with factories in China to sell their products to importers in Central America, South America, and Europe. They handle about a dozen clients or importers, for certain countries.

Since they are intermediaries, they don’t work with end-users, unless they are potential new clients in a new location. However, end-users looking for products in a location where VCorp already has an agreement with an importer have to be redirected to said importer. 

End users should be automatically redirected to the right importer or they should contact VCorp if they are in a country where VCorp doesn't already have an importer. Current clients should be able to place quote requests, view order history and invoices in one comprehensive platform.

THE CHALLENGE

The current website only serves as an informational resource.

THE OPPORTUNITY

An e-commerce website that facilitates and automizes client interactions.

Before & After

Sneak peek at the final prototypes. English & Spanish versions below.

Understanding the industry

The first phase of this project was composed of market research. Since this is a completely new industry to me I spent a whole day trying to understand the different players in the market. From suppliers that distribute directly, to intermediaries to importers or wholesalers, there were many complex business models that play a role. Thus, I conducted:

• Competitive analysis
• Design patterns research
  

Initially, I aimed to find other intermediaries in the market but I found no luck. Since VCorp's business model is rather small scale and nichey, I decided to conduct an indirect competitive analysis. This category includes most companies– they have in-house "intermediaries" that maintain relationships with suppliers and are also importers/distributors of products.

Understanding VCorp Latin America

When starting my research, I realized that this business model was very unconventional the most important aspect was understanding the relationships between the suppliers, VCorp and the clients.

Some initial client learnings:

⏰ Time wasted manually inputting orders into system & redirecting end-users.

Without an automated, digitized system, employees spend a lot of time doing tasks that are inefficient. Manual input of client orders also leaves room for error. 

👄 Potential clients are usually referred by word of mouth or by current clients.

VCorp works on a trust model because they've had clients with whom they've worked with for many years, so they are usually referred to new potential clients.

⚙️ Detailed product & supplier information are not directly available on website.

The business model relies on good quality for low prices but there is an intentional informational gap due to fluctuation in market prices and supplier confidentiality.

🌎 New clients are picked selectively and must be located in a new country.

VCorp is selective about their clients and they can only do business in countries where they don't already have an exclusive agreement with an existing client.

Who am I solving the problem for?

This information led to my creation of four provisional personas, rather than one general persona. Since this is such a specific and complex business, I created the personas based on four categories of possible users of the VCorp website.

Conducting the user interviews

I conducted my research based on two categories of potential users.

• (2) Current clients
• (2) Individual end-users
  

Ideally, conducting research at a Trade Show would've been the best way to collect information. Since the clients I interviewed are from Bolivia the interviews were conducted in Spanish.

The interview scripts. English & Spanish versions below.

Mapping the new site flow

Based on the Features Roadmap I created a Site Map that shows the various flows from each of the pages. One of the key screens is the start with the location selection, because depending on where a user is will determine whether a product will be available directly from VCorp or if they have to be redirected to an importer. 

Testing landing page wireframes

Based on the features, I created low-fidelity wireframes for the homepage design, which included different layout options. 

Rebuilding the brand

One part of the tasks for VCorp was redoing the branding, including all the visuals and logo.

For the type, I decided on “Montserrat", I feel it displays a sense of approachableness while staying modern.

The colors are gradients of blue– I wanted to stay close to the existing color palette because the blue works, and that way existing clients still recognize the brand.

Moodboard and Logo options

Creating a fresh look for VCorp

Below you can find the UI Kit for the new VCorp Latin America website.

Usability Testing - In Progress

Finalizing the UI is a two-step process in which I test the prototype on four different users– (2) existing clients, (2) end users– in order to get feedback and evaluate the design. The objectives are to:

• Test how easy it is for users to understand what the product is
• Understand how easy it is to navigate and find a product
• See how clear it is to users that want to purchase a product 

The Solution 💡

Final desktop UI - English

Final Desktop UI - Spanish

Final thoughts

Learnings

🗣 The user interviews were much more complicated than anticipated.

Since this industry is so specific, finding the right interviewees was rather difficult. I would've liked to spend much more time understanding the client on a day-to-day basis and ideally, attend a Trade Show with the client in order to understand the industry and scope of the business. Interviewing people that are part of the industry would have been optimal.

🌎 Managing the scope of the project.

Due to the VCorp business model, applying the correct settings based on location & products available would take a lot of time. I would need to know information about each client and what products they offer for every country. This way, potential new clients are automatically knowledgeable about what they can do once they set their location.  

Next Steps

✏️ Designing the internal side.

Designing for the employee-end of the platform, so they receive notifications when actions are taken by clients.

🛠 Development.

Handing off the design to a developer and working together for smooth implementation.

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