Caterpillar Student Design Challenge

UX Design Student (2022)

Focused on improving the Caterpillar business system used by dealers. Worked on a two-person team with CAT personnel, which utilized.

Caterpillar design system in Figma. Completed additional research on competitors and their industry methods for dealer interactions.

My Experience with the Caterpillar Design Challenge

Figma

Working in Figma, I developed a modular component library that included customized notification systems, status trackers, and communication threads. The redesigned interface featured:

A unified dashboard for managing multiple dealer inquiries
Real-time status updates with visual indicators
Standardized templates for common communication scenarios
An integrated document sharing system with version control

User Research

Orchestrated comprehensive in-person usability studies at Caterpillar's dedicated User Testing Lab, evaluating prototype effectiveness with actual dealers and service technicians.

The testing protocol included task completion scenarios, think-aloud sessions, and post-test interviews with participants from diverse experience levels and roles within the dealer network.

Cat Mentorship

Worked with Cat Mentor throughout the project and gained many invites about Caterpillar and was able to improve design skills from this mentorship.

Regular feedback sessions and design reviews significantly accelerated my professional growth, improving both my technical skills and strategic thinking as a UX designer.

Improving Dealer Communication Project

Caterpillar Dealer Portal Redesign

Communication Platform Enhancement

My team redesigned the dealer communication platform for Caterpillar, focusing on streamlining information exchange between dealers and corporate offices. After analyzing communication patterns and conducting dealer interviews, we identified key opportunities to improve workflow efficiency and reduce response times.

Insights

The findings from user testing influenced our design decisions, leading to significant improvements such as:

Restructured navigation based on observed user mental models
Simplified parts lookup process after identifying common friction points
Enhanced mobile interface for field technicians based on contextual needs
Redesigned status indicators following observed user scanning patterns

Overall

Our mission centered on optimizing the complex system that dealers rely on daily for inventory management, service scheduling, and customer

relationship management.

Leveraging Caterpillar's established design system in Figma, we conducted a thorough evaluation of the existing platform through:

Competitive analysis of industry-leading dealer management systems at John Deere, Komatsu, and Volvo Construction
In-depth research into emerging trends in B2B platform design
Direct observation of dealer workflows and pain points
Analysis of support tickets and common user friction areas

The redesign focused on streamlining critical dealer operations while maintaining the robust functionality required for heavy equipment sales and service.

Competitive Analysis

Reached out to competitors

Gain information about main problem

Learned the competitors solution

Iteration 1

Focused on clear user control and freedom

User journey that emphasizes access to dealers