How might we design a flexible product configurator to enable self service and remote decision-making

Hardware, Lumber and Building Material

Role

UI/UX Designer

Platform

Responsive Web App

Year

2024 to 2025

The project was developed during the pandemic, with a strong focus on enabling users to configure products, request quotes, and manage orders remotely without needing in-person interaction.I designed end-to-end user flows that balanced complex product data with usability, ensuring accessibility, clarity, and performance across devices.

My experience

Problem: What’s not working?

The experience needed to support complex product configuration in a fully remote setup, but several gaps made this challenging:

  • Information overload, due to a wide range of configurable products and attributes

  • Limited asset flexibility, with product visuals initially available only in static formats

  • Complex configuration flows, requiring multiple steps across different screens

  • Inconsistent experience across devices, especially when adapting to mobile

  • Difficulty visualizing outputs, including product specifications and final configurations

  • Performance constraints, especially with image-heavy assets and large datasets

I understand that social proof is important. At the same time, my relationships with clients and previous companies matter just as much.

Due to strict NDAs, I am unable to share detailed visuals or specific client information for some projects. In certain cases, screens have been adapted, modified, or blurred to protect sensitive data. In others, I have chosen not to show them at all to fully respect confidentiality requirements.

What I can share is how I approach complex problems, collaborate with teams, and deliver meaningful outcomes. If you are curious, I would be happy to walk you through these experiences.

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Impact & Value Proposition

I improved usability and accessibility across a complex product configurator by:

  • Translating mobile-first designs into responsive desktop and tablet experiences while maintaining consistency and optimizing layouts for better data visibility

  • Simplifying interaction patterns by replacing disruptive pop-ups with inline components, enabling smoother and uninterrupted workflows

  • Designing comparison-friendly layouts, including side-by-side views, to support faster and more accurate decision-making

  • Validating solutions with field inspectors to ensure usability aligned with real-world conditions and varying levels of digital familiarity

  • Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to balance technical accuracy, regulatory requirements, and user needs

  • Reduced cognitive load and improved clarity when working with complex product data

  • Enabled users to confidently configure, review, and manage products remotely

  • Improved flexibility through features like reusable configurations and exportable outputs

  • Supported accessibility and inclusivity by aligning with web accessibility standards

  • Contributed to early client validation, generating interest and prospective adoption during beta testing

This approach: