Formerly known as ZeroChaos VMS, the Magnit vendor management system is a comprehensive cloud-based SaaS solution that manages the entire workflow of the contingent workforce. Key functions include candidate sourcing, bill rate and margin review, cost optimization, assignment management, and onboarding and offboarding processes.
My Role
The mission for this project was to overhaul the UX and UI of the product to enhance customer satisfaction and retention, attract new users, and position the product as a credible contender in the market. The key objectives were as follow:
I started by breaking down the goals into specific research questions to ensure the design overhaul is user-centered, effectively addresses pain points, and aligns with the broader business strategy.
What are the common pain points users experience in terms of ease of use and navigation?
What are the most frequently used features by different user roles, and are they easily accessible and intuitive?
What processes do they find complicated, and where do they experience frustration?
Are key information and actions visually prominent, or are they difficult to find?
After defining my research questions, I created a plan to gather actionable insights using a competitive analysis, user interviews, and affinity mapping to organize and identify key patterns in the data.
I began my research by performing a competitive analysis, examining top companies in the vendor management system space. This allowed me to identify industry trends and areas where our product could be optimized.
Next, I conducted interviews with real users from various companies in our client portfolio, gaining valuable insights into their experiences. These conversations helped refine the problem to be solved and were instrumental in understanding what users needed and what they felt was lacking when performing tasks within the VMS.
Most important to me is quick filtering and search functions to get relevant data fast.
I often customize views to filter data and track different project statuses, but the process can be cumbersome.
Navigation is often confusing, and it's sometimes unclear which screen I'm on, causing me to spend too much time clicking around.
I use the dashboard multiple times a day, but the information most relevant to me is not readily visible.
After conducting the user interviews, I carefully analyzed the data, highlighting each user's distinct feedback and objectives. This process allowed me to identify recurring patterns in their experiences and expectations. As a result, I was able to pinpoint key areas that were consistently mentioned by all interviewees.
Key Areas
With a clear understanding of the users' experiences with the current product, I created two personas that reflected their goals and frustrations. By mapping out their challenges, I was able to deepen my empathy for the users and ensure that any proposed solutions were directly focused on addressing their specific needs.
I'd love it if my tasks could come to me, instead of me having to hunt them down.
Company Tenure: 3 Years
Role: Manager
Goals:
Frustrations:
I want to focus on my work, not on figuring out how to navigate the system.
Company Tenure: 2 Months
Role: Supplier
Goals:
Frustrations:
Once the personas were established, I further analyzed the data to synthesize insights and craft a Point-of-View statement that directly addresses the users' challenges while clearly articulating the key problem to solve.
I'd like to explore ways to help users frustrated by the vendor management system efficiently complete critical procurement tasks, since its complexity and poor design cause cognitive overload and reduced productivity.
After defining the POV Statement, I reframed the challenge into a clear How-Might-We question. This approach shifts the focus from limitations to opportunities, encouraging creative ideation and solution exploration.
How might we reduce inefficiencies in the vendor management system to make it easier to navigate and improve task completion time for users?
Based on our research findings, we streamlined the content and navigation design to ensure seamless user navigation and easy access to key information. Additionally, we leveraged user preference data and analytics from the Pendo platform to refine labels and improve the content taxonomy, ensuring clarity and consistency throughout the application.
I began the ideation process by creating multiple wireframe variations of the most frequently used areas of the vendor management system, with a primary focus on improving usability. These wireframes aimed to streamlined information display for clarity and accessibility while refining high-impact areas to reduce cognitive load, enhance navigation, and create a more efficient, user-friendly experience aligned with user needs.
I explored three dashboard layout variations to enhance usability, accessibility, and data visualization, optimizing navigation, dashboard cards, and user interactions. Each iteration prioritizes user needs, balancing information hierarchy with flexibility for a better experience.
The previous Approval Workflow creation process was complex, manual, and required advanced SQL knowledge, leading to inefficiency and errors. Users had to write SQL statements and collaborate with developers, adding unnecessary complexity. The following wireframes illustrate how the new design might enhance accessibility and reduce errors.
Building upon the initial wireframes, I developed a series of high-fidelity mockups to bring the refined design concepts to life. Each mockup reflects the feedback gathered during the wireframing stage.
To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed solutions, I developed high-fidelity prototypes and presented them to stakeholders with varying levels of familiarity with the existing product. With clear testing criteria in place, stakeholders were invited to interact with a realistic model of the new concepts.
To address the challenges of creating an Approval Workflow, a custom solution was developed that seamlessly integrated into the existing UI. This solution automated the process of constructing SQL statements, reducing the need for specialized knowledge.
The prototype was shared with a diverse group of users and stakeholders for hands-on testing. During the sessions, participants were tasked with creating SQL statements using the new interface. Observations and direct feedback were collected to identify pain points, usability issues, and areas for improvement.
Key Insights from Feedback:
Using the insights gathered from usability testing, the interface was iteratively refined to improve the user experience. Additional enhancements, such as the requested support for nested queries, were incorporated into the next phase of development. Regular collaboration with stakeholders ensured alignment with user needs and business goals throughout the refinement process.
The redesigned top navigation bar underwent iterative usability testing to ensure it effectively addressed user needs. Feedback revealed issues with text readability and efficient use of header space. Adjustments included increasing text size and weight for clarity, optimizing the "Search" function to conserve space, and refining responsive behaviors with tooltips for smaller screens. Each refinement was validated through additional testing, confirming improved usability and accessibility.
The data table's search and filtering functionality underwent rigorous usability testing and iterative refinements to address user needs for efficiency, speed, and ease of use. The primary challenge was balancing the complexity of filtering a vast amount of data with the need for an uncluttered, intuitive user interface
The initial solution incorporated search and filtering options within a collapsible accordion-style menu positioned above the data table. This approach kept the interface clean by default, allowing users to focus on the data table contents while offering the option to expand the menu when needed. A "Search" button in the toolbar toggled the menu's visibility, giving users flexibility to keep it open if preferred. Additionally, the menu allowed users to add and remove multiple filter options as needed, providing the flexibility required for more complex searches.
Key Insights from Feedback:
Several refinements were implemented to enhance the search and filtering functionality. A saved filters feature was introduced, allowing users to store and reuse common filter combinations for improved efficiency. The accordion-style menu was redesigned to include a simplified UI for single-filter selection, addressing the need for quick and straightforward searches. An "Advanced Search Options" checkbox was added, enabling users to toggle between a simplified interface and a more complex UI for managing multiple filters. Additionally, the design ensured that filter criteria remained visible alongside search results, providing users with essential context and facilitating quick adjustments.
The tabbed container navigation was carefully evaluated and improved to address user frustrations with efficiently accessing multiple tabs, particularly on smaller screens. Early testing revealed issues with horizontal scrolling when the number of tabs exceeded the browser's viewport width, disrupting the seamless and rapid navigation users expected.
Challenges and Refinements
The initial integration of a third-party library to dynamically adjust visible tabs introduced delays due to excessive reliance on slider buttons and animations, prompting a need for a more user-friendly solution. I developed a custom implementation to optimize the experience. This solution dynamically adjusted the tab navigation bar's width in real-time based on the browser's viewport. When the number of tabs exceeded the available width, the right-most tabs were hidden and relocated to a dropdown menu labeled “More…,” accessible from the navigation bar itself. This ensured all categories remained easily accessible without excessive navigation or waiting.
The refined design addressed user pain points by delivering a faster, more intuitive navigation experience across devices of varying screen sizes. Users expressed high satisfaction with the new functionality, as it allowed them to effortlessly view and access all available tabs, even on smaller screens such as laptops, improving task efficiency and overall usability.
Since we were redesigning a legacy system, we chose an incremental strategy rather than overhauling the entire system at once. This method enabled us to update different UI elements gradually while maintaining a consistent visual experience. The iterative approach provided the flexibility to adapt and make quick adjustments as new insights emerged.
My contributions to this project emphasized a seamless integration of user needs, technical feasibility, and business goals, ultimately delivering a product that aligned with both stakeholder expectations and user satisfaction. This role demonstrated my ability to lead complex projects, effectively bridge cross-functional collaboration, and advocate for user-centric design throughout the development lifecycle.
Following a comprehensive, multi-year redesign, the vendor management system formerly known as ZeroChaos significantly elevated its user experience and functionality, positioning itself as a strong competitor in the industry. The overhaul improved usability, streamlined workflows, and introduced modern design principles, which enhanced user satisfaction and garnered considerable attention. This newfound visibility and credibility ultimately contributed to ZeroChaos being acquired by Magnit Global, a leading player in the vendor management space.
