Easylot
B2B online beverage AI bidding system
Market place
MY ROLE:
Product designer
THINGS I CREATED:
User interviews
Rethinking user flows
Competitor analysis
Wireframes
Concept creation
Creating clickable prototypes
Defining the Design System
Best practice research
TOOLS I USED:
Figma
How did the project start?
The client came to us with a semi-developed software. Our developers struggled with the low-quality code; they thought we should redevelop the base of the application, and we needed to understand the original concept of the application. The concept and code could have been more straightforward. However, we had to complete the milestone on time because the founders of Easylot had made a promise to investors.
After this milestone, we started to rethink the concept in close collaboration with the Easylot founders.
Our goal:
To simplify the original concept to an MVP, which helps us reach the critical mass of the customers.
Stakeholders and teams:
I have been responsible for the daily UX process in my base cross-functional agile team.
I have worked closely with our PO and the Easylot founders on product strategies.
Main challenges:
The main challenge was the multi-sided platform. Initially, we had three levels of groups of customers:
Importer and producers
Wholesalers and distributors
Retailers like restaurants, hotels, groceries, tobacco stores etc.
+1 the end customers will be at the next level in the future.
Oh yes, importers and producers can be wholesalers, too.
But how can we bring our customers into our marketplace?
New goals:
After that, we could redefine our application's new goals. The retailers get the best proposals for their everyday beverage procurement, which can sorted by price, delivery time, or number of deliveries. And the wholesalers can reach a broader market.
AI generrated Price and delivery Offers
Structure of the application:
Admin for maintaining the marketplace
Sale and Purchase sites and account for the companies
Responsibilities:
I had been working as a Product designer. So my primary responsibilities were:
Doing UX researches.
Creating UX / UI design for the Easylot marketplace and admin site.
Managing complex UX structures.
Implementing support and communication with the developers in a cross-functional team.
Working in an agile environment.
Research activities:
Although the founders of Easylot are experts in the beverage market, they have yet to hear about validating digital product ideas.
We suggested using UX research to improve the application.
User interview
We started user interviews with the original retailer target group, the restaurants. Unfortunately, the interviews showed us we couldn't answer their main pain point in this early stage.
They liked the idea of cheaper products, but they prioritised getting delivered the same products which are on the menu and arriving when there were no customers in the restaurant.
As we are just the connection between the wholesalers and retailers, we couldn't warrant this at the early stage of our marketplace.
So, we had to choose another retailer target group where our value proposition could fit their pain point.
Usability test
The previous software development company put every function into one unstructured menu so that the users couldn't find anything on the site.
In ideal circumstances, we would have to organise a card-sorting event, but lack of time and solid financial background we couldn't. The menu items have been grouped into sale or purchase and account functions. And this worked quite well as the usability testing validated us.
Where are we now?
As a startup which wants to change the market, the main problem is finding the right business model. In the MVP stage, solving the problems only via the application is not always the best approach. We should work out other ways of customer relationship too.
Sometimes, we'll find that customers don't want to make an effort at this stage because their pain point is smaller than their need to trust your site.
At this point, it may be better to think about them as a partner, not customers. At the beginning of our service, we should solve the painless joining possibility of our product.
Will be a success the B2B marketplace with the best package price and delivery offer? I'm unsure, but I hope we'll find the right way to reach our goal.