Superbid
UX/UI @ Round Pegs, 2019/2020
TL;DR
Automating processes in the internal operation of the online auctioning platform and empowering the final user with performance data.
Superbid is an online auctioning platform, where companies sell spare assets to increase their profit. From heavy machinery, vehicles, computers, electronics, furniture, to waste.
The company
Digitalize the management of the auctioning events to increase internal operation productivity and customer satisfaction.
The challenge
Step 1: Discovery
Although it is the leading service in the Brazilian market, SB’s operation still heavily relies on manual work (i.e. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V from spreadsheets to forms on different platforms that are not necessarily integrated). The outcome is a lethargic process that slows down the company’s profits.
Mapping the experience
By interviewing stakeholders from different areas of the operation and leadership, I created a blueprint map to document the customer touchpoints with the internal operation and opportunities for improving the overall user experience.
The map was a living Miro board shared across areas to foster collaboration throughout the project. The documentation was a powerful information hub for the Product, Technology, and Design teams, feeding them information that helped them make decisions on what problems to tackle and split the improvements into separate iterations.
🚨 Scattered information
Superbid’s internal operations relied on Excel spreadsheets to document information about the products to be published on the platform. These files were shared across teams throughout the process. Communication with the customer was done via email.
🚨 Ctrl + C, Ctrl+ V
The content would be edited and replicated from emails to spreadsheets, back and forth, then to Salesforce, and finally to the publishing platform. Multiple users would access the same information, allowing typos and data to be accidentally overwritten or even deleted. There was no “single source of truth”.
The internal team had to double-check that they were working with the most updated information. Customers would contact Superbid to seek clarification on the status of their products and events, but this information was frequently unclear.
🚨 Slow access to the performance report
Once the auctioning event was over, the business owners (customers) needed to write an email to the operation to request the performance report of their products. Superbid would then generate the pdf report and attach it to their reply. This process could take some time, and the customer was on standby once again.
Step 2: High fidelity prototype
After collaborating with Product and Technology to check the most valuable product features and their technical feasibility, I created a prototype of the application to address both user and business problems.
Once the basic information about the product or event is added to the platform, spreadsheets are no longer needed. The information remains centralized and trackable.
Now, both customers and Superbid’s internal operations can access the status of the products and events, as well as the performance reports, from their computers or mobile phones.
Integration and accessibility
User validation
During the usability test, users:
Created and edited events with agility;
Were able to locate relevant information according to the context (e.g: locating a given product by using filters or the search engine);
Got the updated status of their product/event with a few clicks;
Located the performance report and were positively surprised with the quality of the data visualization.