myUNFI Supplier Dashboard Improvements

QUICK FACTS

METHODS & SKILLS
Empathy Mapping
Participant Screening
Comparative Analysis
Grounded Theory Ethnographic Research
One-on-one Interviews
Usability Test Moderation
Data Analysis
Data Synthesis

TOOLS
Miro

Sketch
PowerPoint
Excel

Google Analytics

Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Teams

DELIVERABLES
Study Protocols

Dashboard Prototypes

High Level User Feedback

Detailed User Feedback

Status Reports
Final Report
Detailed Business

Recommendations

Future Research

Recommendations

Google Analytics Strategy

Improvements

Product Backlog for

Cont’d Improvements

Mass Communication &

Training Materials

THE QUEST

With internal efforts focused on streamlining applications, processes, and tools, UNFI saw an opportunity to consolidate multiple portals and platforms being utillized by Suppliers to interact with and manage their relationship with UNFI. As a business, UNFI seized the chance to consolidate and streamline their digital Supplier experience into a single platform with which Suppliers could utilize SSO to access the multitude of applications and tools required to conduct business with UNFI.

This work highlighted a need to determine the answers for several key questions prior to the development and implementation of the proposed dashboard experience. These included:

  • To what extent, if any, the proposed myUNFI Supplier Dashboards impede Suppliers’ ability to complete their primary goals and tasks

  • Suppliers’ perception and acceptance of the myUNFI Supplier Dashboard prototypes in comparison to the current portals/platforms they utillize

  • The overall usability of and preference for the myUNFI Supplier Dashboard prototypes pressented to users

THE JOURNEY

To ascertain this, I sat down with various business stakeholders, developers, and engineers to discuss the best approach for transitioning Suppliers to a single, centralized dashboard within the Supplier digital experience. Over the course of several months, we brainstormed different design approaches, discussed content and messaging options, technological requirements and limitations, and conducted empathy mapping exercises to better understand the motivations for adopting a new centralized Supplier Dashboard.

Once we had reached a consensus regarding these topics, I recruited for and conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with our target consumers (UNFI Suppliers and Brokers) while simultaneously creating the agreed upon screens and prototypes. After completing the first round of interviews and designs, I met with the Supplier team and leadership to gather feedback and thoughts. This resulted in an intense round of iteration - both for designs and session protocols - to incorporate the subsequent feedback and suggestions prior to testing.

During each usability session, participants were asked to complete a series of tasks on the prototypes of the myUNFI Supplier Dashboard. As participants worked through the session protocol they were prompted to give feedback on what they liked/disliked, any concerns they may have, elements they felt could be improved, as well as a number of other metrics. At the conclusion of each session, they were asked to rank the prototypes in order of preference, and were provided with surveys to measure their overall satisfaction and perceived ease of use for each prototype.

THE DESTINATION

This round of usability testing and interviews with Suppliers resulted in the following:

  1. The Suppler team identified the most appropriate and usable implementation for the new, centralized myUNFI Supplier Dashboard.

  2. UNFI was able to confidently move forward with the development and release of the myUNFI Supplier Dashboard within the Supplier digital experience.

  3. The creation of a multi-year backlog of product improvements for the entire UNFI Supplier ecosystem of tools and applications based on user feedback.

  4. The creation of mass communication and training materials to be sent to UNFI Suppliers and Brokers ahead of the myUNFI Supplier Dashboard release.

  5. The creation and implementation of additional Google Analytics strategies to better track and measure Supplier activity within the digital Supplier experience.

  6. A 250% increase in monthly activity among Suppliers within the first 2 months following release.

  7. Hypotheses and planning for A/B testing content and messaging specific to the myUNFI Supplier Dashboard were developed - testing currently on going.