The Challenge: High-End Tools, Zero Usability

The client wasn't suffering from a lack of technology; they were suffering from a lack of usability. They had powerful engines (Coupa for purchasing, SAP for finance), but no steering wheel.

I audited the current experience to understand why users were bypassing these expensive tools. The friction wasn't technical, it was cognitive.

1. The "Daunting" Direct Buyer Experience

The audit revealed why adoption was low: the interface was a wall of data entry. To raise a simple PO, users had to fill out a grid of technical fields: Service Type, Manufacturer Name, Shipping Terms that had no relevance to their role. Users complained that selecting a simple category required drilling down through four levels of taxonomy, making the tool "too daunting to touch" without a manual.

2. The "Lost" Indirect Buyer Employees

Needing simple items (like laptops) felt abandoned. They described AP (Accounts Payable) as a "faceless email address." If they didn't have a personal network to call, they were stuck. They struggled to even choose the relevant category to start a request.

3. The "Black Hole"

Visibility Both groups suffered from the same anxiety: Invoice Mismatches. Users had limited visibility into payment status or GRNs (Goods Received Notes). This caused massive friction with suppliers, leading to angry phone calls and damaged vendor relationships.

The Craft: Designing the One-Stop Shop

We realized we couldn’t just build a new tool; we had to change behavior. So we ran two streams:

• Stream 1 (Soft): Refresh training and help employees find what they need.

• Stream 2 (Tech): One portal that simplifies Coupa/SAP through a single layer.

I focused on designing the Stream 2 Portal, which would also serve as the delivery vehicle for Stream 1 content.

Feature 1: Guided RFQ (Request for Quotation)

• The Problem: Direct buyers were overwhelmed by 30-field forms in Coupa.

• The Solution: A "Free Text" intake. Users could describe their need in natural language (e.g., "Need 50 tons of wheat"). The system would use GenAI to parse that text, map it to the correct category, and auto-fill the rigid Coupa form.

• The Impact: This solved the "laziness" factor by allowing users to work naturally while keeping the backend data structured.

Feature 2: The Unified Tracking System

• The Problem: The "Black Hole" of payment status.

• The Solution: I designed a "Purchase & Track" dashboard that pulled data from both Coupa (Orders) and SAP (Invoices). It visualized the entire lifecycle in a simple timeline: Submitted → Approved → Supplier Accepted → Invoice Matched → Paid.

• The Impact: Users could self-serve status checks instead of emailing AP.

Feature 3: The "Human" Help Portal

• The Problem: "Faceless" support.

• The Solution: I designed a dashboard that didn't just show tasks; it showed people. Based on the user's login and location, the portal displayed the specific "Key Contacts" for their category.

Key Decisions: Visualizing to Validate

I didn't lead the client workshops, the senior consultants did. But I provided the fuel that made those workshops work.

• Mapping the Invisible: When stakeholders argued about abstract "processes," I projected the User Journey map. Pointing to a specific red "Pain Point" block stopped the theoretical debate and focused the room on solving that specific error.

• Prioritizing Guidance over Features: The client wanted more features. I used the interview findings to argue for less. We cut "Advanced Analytics" from the MVP to focus entirely on "Guided Buying," proving that users needed hand-holding, not more charts.