Optimizing a global supply chain tool for global retail planners through qualitative research, workflow blueprinting, and actionable UI rationalization.
The Challenge
LEGO RPO relies on a complex global supply chain tool for retail planning across global markets. The Retail Planning Operations team acts as the critical link connecting this external vendor platform to the actual demand planners. These planners operate across EMEA, APAC, AMS, and China, handling a massive workload forecasting demand for physical retail stores and online channels.
The core issue was a distinct lack of structured understanding regarding planner satisfaction and friction. The existing qualitative data was fragmented. We had no clear map of the end-to-end planning journey. The platform functioned technically, yet the human experience driving the data remained largely undocumented. Planners needed more time for high-impact strategic tasks rather than fighting system inefficiencies.
Service Design Approach
Designing for this highly specialized workflow required deep immersion into the users' ecosystem. By systematically mapping their processes and synthesizing thick qualitative data, I uncovered the human friction hidden beneath the technical platform.
ecosystem mapping
Built a stakeholder map to align internal engineering capabilities with overarching business goals.
qualitative research
Designed a collection guide and facilitated 7 deep-dive interviews with demand planners spanning all 4 global regions.
contextual inquiry
Conducted live user walkthroughs of the platform to observe candid discussions about critical pain points.
insight synthesis
Used qualitative synthesis tools to map pain points, structuring the narrative using the SCR framework.
Strategic Outcomes
I translated complex qualitative insights into tangible, highly readable assets designed to actively drive product development, prioritize immediate usability features, and confidently guide the strategic roadmap for the engineering teams.
* Note: The artifacts and descriptions below have been simplified to protect confidential company data.
Key Deliverables
- Created a unified artifact mapping the end-to-end planning cycle across 4 global regions, exposing exactly where planners lose the most time.
- Designed a prioritized 2x2 matrix categorizing 40+ usability issues and workflow bottlenecks into actionable product roadmap items.
- Formulated a blueprint for consolidating redundant screens and automating massive data disaggregation flows.
Business Impact
- Exposed critical macro failure points, leading to a streamlined asynchronous recalculation UI that reduces waiting times by 30%.
- Provided essential transparency, shifting the engineering team's focus from "technical functionality" to "user efficiency".
- Defined the definitive starting point and scope for the next major iteration of the retail planning workspace.
