Research Approach
To identify pain points, we conducted interviews with Lenovo's sales representatives and sustainability experts and observed how they interacted with existing tools.
During the research phase, I noticed that sales reps felt overwhelmed by the lack of tools that could provide quick, actionable data. Instead, they were forced to consult sustainability experts, creating bottlenecks and slowing down the pre-sales process.
Key Observations:
- Sales teams lacked direct access to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data, creating bottlenecks.
- Reliance on experts delayed workflows, slowing down the quoting process.
- Sales representatives had limited expertise in sustainability, making it difficult for them to effectively communicate carbon impact to clients.
- A simple, visual tool was essential to communicate sustainability metrics effectively.
Design Process
Considerations
My goal was to ensure that sales representatives, who lacked technical expertise, could navigate hundreds of configuration options without feeling overwhelmed.
- Simplified Navigation: I introduced tables for better data visibility and drop-downs to maintain a clean, user-friendly interface, balancing simplicity with functionality.
- Dynamic Visual Feedback: Interactive pie and bar charts that updated in real-time as users adjusted configurations.
- Exportable Results: Clear, shareable PDF reports to streamline client communication.
- Future Scalability: The tool's architecture ensured it could adapt to new product components or parameters.
- Custom Carbon Targets: Although not implemented in the initial release, I proposed a feature to allow clients to set specific carbon footprint targets, enabling sales teams to offer tailored solutions based on client sustainability goals.