BN Discovery 2.1



Discovery Supplier Lead Detail Page

Supplier Lead Detail Page





Tool Used

Figma

Period

Over a year
12/12/2022 - Current

Target Audience

Existing - Supplier & Buyer
Potential - Supplier

Participation

Designer, PM, Researcher, Content Writer, Dev Team

Process



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Study

Define Product
Team Members
User Study

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Analysis

Pain Points
Purpose of Redesign
Solution

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Design

Discovery 1.0 - Original
Discovery 2.0
Discovery 2.1

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Output

Workflow
Demos (AI-generated Respond)

Study

Define Product

What is SAP Business Network Discovery?

SAP Business Network Discovery is a cloud-based solution that offers services to identify potential customers, partners, and market trends. It is a business matchmaking service that helps suppliers find business opportunities through quality leads. The solution promotes innovation and is an integral part of SAP's offerings. To ensure success, the Discovery team makes user-friendly interfaces and experiences based on user research, which align with users' needs and expectations. The new user experience offers several benefits to both buyers and suppliers. It enables easier management of supplier leads and postings and quicker creation of postings for buyers. It also serves as a bridge for clients to build strong relationships, grow their businesses quickly, and drive revenue growth. Discovery Marketing Webpage

Team Members

01.
Design Team

Kate Yu (Palo Alto, US)
Product Designer for Discovery 2.1
Steve Tse (Palo Alto, US)
User Researcher
Shirely Lin (Palo Alto, US)
Product Designer for Discovery 2.0

02.
PM Team

Satya Prakash Gupt (India)
Product Manager
Sameer Menon (India)
Content Writer

03.
Dev Team

Cai Bui (Dallas US)
Discovery Dev Lead
Deexith Mysore Nagaraj (Dallas US)
US Dev Team Lead
Varsha Singla (India)
Asian Dev Team Lead

User Study

user icon

Primary Users
Existing - Supplier & Buyer

user icon

Secondary Users
Potential - Supplier

Target Audience Type Primary Needs Additional Needs Summary of the Study
Supplier Existing
  • Exposure: Suppliers need to be seen by as many as a buyer what they can provide.
  • Communication: Suppliers want to reach out to all the buyers so they can do business together to complete businesses successfully.
  • Security: Build the trust to SAP product and to the buyers.
  • Make a dashboard for buyers and encourage them to create profiles and posts.
  • Create a chat system for suppliers and buyers to talk during the whole business process.
  • Confirm buyers' identities and ask them to fill out their profiles with useful information to suppliers.

* Make sure suppliers receive notifications in their favorite ways and on time.
Potential
What, How and Why
  • Educational Information: Deeply understand the benefits with the new Discovery.
  • Trailer/Demo: Know the instruction on product and its underlying logic.
  • Trust: Ensure the product can genuinely enhance their business and is the right choice for them.
 Before deciding to engage with any companies or services, it's essential to consider all the needs.
  • Share as much as benefit info the product can bring to the suppliers on marketing site and product with promotion ads.
  • Regularly share the tailer/demo video to the suppliers about how to use the product. Make sure the product has a trailer step by step teaching instruction every time when launch a new feature.
  • Create customer success stories channels to potential users and build a good customer services system (marketing work).

* SAP needs to hear and consider suppliers' new needs. At the same time, to keep upgrading product features to meet those needs and help them to solve their problems while using the product.
Buyer Existing
  • Lower cost and more choices: Buyers want to maximize their returns on the acquisition and pay the least amount possible. at the same time, more choices, and better.
  • More information: Buyers want to minimize the risk associated with the acquisition itself.
  • Convenience: Better communication, comparison possibility, assistant for helping on decision making and so on to help the business.
  • Guide buyers in crafting clear postings for suppliers, which encompass budget ranges, response times, necessary details for matched suppliers, and information that aids in decision-making.
  • Extra prompt and support buyers in updating useful information to receive more targeted supplier recommendations from the system. Create a user-friendly method for them to review supplier profiles and interact with suppliers. Maintain consistent communication at each stage to enhance assistance.
  • Adopt a forward-thinking approach that streamlines the decision-making process for buyers.

* The more buyers, the more suppliers will follow.
Overall Point - In summary, the more satisfied buyers and suppliers we attract, the greater our potential for increased business revenue.

Analysis

Pain points

2016 user research Result

01.
Not User-Friendly

02.
Unexpected Situations without Guidance

03.
Lack of User Information Verification

04.
Missing Fluent Communication Feature

05.
Dissatisfaction with Paid Service

2023 user testing result

01.
Unnecessary Steps

02.
Confusing Logic Workflow

03.
Lack of Instruction Messages for New Features

Resouces

purpose of redesign

strategy icon

Strategy
Company Growth Needs

Transform the product to align with the company's growth-oriented strategy, focusing on increased business revenue and addressing market needs.

Consistency icon

Consistency
Internal Branding System Upgrade

As per SAP requirements, we are transitioning our branding from Fiori 3 to the Horizon theme to ensure consistent branding across the entire organization.

Efficiency icon

Efficiency
External Users' Requirements

Change the product's focus from technical functionality to making it more user-friendly, striving to provide our users with an enjoyable experience.

Solution

The strategies and focuses on the Discovery 2.1 Design

01. Not User-Friendly

  • Conduct user testing to identify specific areas of the platform that users find difficult or confusing.
  • Streamline the interface, reduce clutter, and prioritize the most critical features.
  • Invest in a clean and intuitive design that aligns with user expectations.

02. Unexpected Situations without Guidance

  • Implement informative error messages that guide users on how to resolve issues.
  • Create a comprehensive FAQ or help section to address common problems and unexpected scenarios.
  • Consider adding a chat support feature to assist users in real-time during difficulties.

03. Lack of User Information Verification

  • Strengthen the verification process by implementing multi-factor authentication.
  • Clearly communicate the importance of verified user information for security.
  • Regularly prompt users to update and verify their information to the profile to ensure accuracy.

04. Missing Fluent Communication Feature

  • Introduce a messaging system or chat functionality for seamless communication.
  • Ensure notifications for messages or updates are visible and easily accessible.
  • Foster a responsive customer support system to address communication-related issues.

05. Dissatisfaction with Paid Service

  • Collect detailed feedback from users dissatisfied with the paid service.
  • Review and improve features offered under the paid service based on user input.
  • Consider offering a trial period or money-back guarantee to address user concerns.

06. Unnecessary Steps

  • Analyze the user journey to identify and eliminate unnecessary steps.
  • Simplify processes to reduce the number of clicks required to complete tasks.
  • Focus on user-centered design to ensure each step serves a clear purpose.

07. Confusing Logic Workflow

  • Conduct a thorough review of the platform's workflow to identify confusing elements.
  • Implement tooltips, pop-ups, or in-app guidance to explain intricate processes.
  • Gather feedback through user testing to ensure improvements align with user expectations.

08. Lack of Instruction Messages for New Features

  • Develop clear onboarding tutorials or walkthroughs for new features.
  • Include tooltips or step-by-step instructions to guide users through unfamiliar functionalities.
  • Encourage user feedback after new feature releases to make timely adjustments.

Design

Discovery 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.1

This initial iteration of Discovery 1.0, which we refer to as the original version, was primarily engineered for functionality right from the outset. Consequently, it predominantly serves as a functional work product. This approach has resulted in a notable influx of complaints, primarily stemming from its lack of user-friendliness.

Discovery 2.0, initially developed by Shirley, was guided by the compelling need to harmonize Fiori 3 design principles with existing functionalities. Due to tight launch deadlines, there are still some logical gaps in this version. Nevertheless, it represents a significant improvement when compared to Discovery 1.0.

After taking charge of the project, my initial focus was understanding user concerns. Then, I assessed the product concept and our team's abilities. My primary objective for Discovery 2.1 is to balance user needs, SAP's Horizon theme, and product consistency. The goal is to deliver a product with an exceptional user experience and appealing visuals. After user testing for Discovery 2.0, which helped identify design issues related to workflow logic and user experience. The user researcher and I were both worked in this user testing effort. After presenting the proposal, Satya (PM) accepted the upgrade to Discovery 2.1.

Following a grooming meeting with the PM and the Dev team, and considering the dev team's workload, Discovery 2.1 is set to launch as planned by the end of Q1 2024.

How the buyers and suppliers start business

Buyer Shortlist the Responded Suppliers

Buyer - Creating posting

Discovery buyers can describe the products or services they’re looking for and Discovery will match those requirements with high-quality suppliers after the buyers create a posting.

Supplier - Review and Respond a lead

The feature offers a lead detail page for the buyers to save, showing not interested and responding, it builds a bridge for the business.

Output

Workflow

TOC

Click to see the detail

Demos

Existing Supplier responses to a lead.

Potential Supplier checks all leads and then registers and logs in.

Existing Buyer creates and checks a posting with responed suppliers.

Existing Buyer adds more suppliers for a private posting.

Highlight: AI Generated Respond to a Lead.

dashboard before

Summary

I took charge of the project following a colleague's departure, dealing with the challenges of starting anew with incomplete information. After investing significant time in familiarizing myself with the project, I conducted a comprehensive product presentation that received a positive response from Pamela Bailey, the Vice President of Design.

The presentation evolved from one to two sections, capturing Pamela's interest in exploring my design concept, mockup, and workflow. The ongoing discovery process has garnered attention from upper-level management, leading them to prioritize additional features. Notably, SAP BN now incorporates Discovery for demos. I'm proud of the recognition and excited to introduce my work to the entire Line of Business (LOB).

Awards

I recieved the Monetary award from the PM at Jul 17 2023.

awards