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Corporate Projects 

AutoZone for the PRO 2019

AutoZone for the PRO is a platform offered to existing AutoZone commercial customers

with the intent to help their business grow and to support their daily operations; it is

compatible with most shop management systems for easy accessibility, allowing commercial

customers to find auto parts faster and more efficiently, and to quickly monitor their transactions

history.

 

When compared to the Blog, this project was definitely a step up. The PRO platform was designed and

developed not only to increase sales and revenue of any commercial client, but also to provide a memorable

service experience to the everyday AutoZone customer. 

AutoZone PRO, homepage (today)

I was assigned to this project shortly after the Blog, tasked with evaluating and probably redesigning

the entire PRO platform; with a heavy emphasis on iteration, and improvement over time.

Also, I had to keep two different types of user personas in mind: the already existing commercial

customers, and those looking to become one. 

Hopes and Goals

 

My initial goal was to understand whether the current commercial customers were happy with the existing platform or not. I wanted to know about their typical workday, their role at their company and their daily responsibilities; how AutoZone Pro compared to their expectations? If they had a magic wand, what would they have changed? 

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AutoZone PRO, UX flowchart example

Where to start?

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The main complaint was that it was very difficult to find the information they needed and wanted

to access, due to the navigation having up to five nested levels, and no real content strategy.

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Creating a preliminary flowchart for this project accomplished two goals, 1. The Product Owner and I now had a defined language when discussing the site and it's many section and pages, 2.

It gave us an accurate map for developing the website's code base and channel structure. 

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AutoZone PRO homepage, Lo-fi mockups example

Applying what I learned 

 

After we agreed on the flowchart and structure for the new platform, I set out on the task of  wire framing the pages and sections. Once we had approved direction, I begun designing the UI and visuals for the new site. 

 

My goal with the design was to create something that look curated, but was also modular and easy to tweak and add to, so that we could A/B test pages, and add new sections without having to start from scratch each time.

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AutoZone PRO request access, forms example

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The main problem to solve was how to distill so many pages and forms into just the key 

information. I presented a refined homepage so users could at a glance see the benefits of

becoming a PRO customer.

 

In addition, I designed a new navigation, which made the site infinitely more browsable and discoverable. These changes also allowed us to reduce the navigation nesting from five levels

down to two. Lastly, I redesigned and simplified the old application forms.

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In your pocket.....

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This part of the project was fun, and a great learning experience. Designing the mobile version

of the website, gave me a great working knowledge of how to prioritize key features when 

designing for a small screen.

 

The end goal was to allow the users to walk around with a Commercial Sales Manager in their

pockets, so to speak. Key added features of the AutoZone PRO app includes the ability for the 

commercial customers to quickly scan VIN numbers, look up license plates, and manage auto

parts inventory.

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AutoZone PRO mobile wireframes, iOS screens example

Is there more?

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Yes! The Grow Your Business section is accessible from the marketing tools link on the navigation

bar. I went into this project with a lot of ideas for the design and approach. I reviewed the old page

with the marketing department and together we determined to introduce four major anchor links

for the new homepage, allowing the user to more easily access all the information this section had

to offer.

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GYB, home page (current)

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In addition, I employed a two inline-block design detailed above, which added both consistency

and discoverability.

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What did I learn?

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I learned the importance of being able to communicate effectively with product owners, engineers

and developers. I learned that designing for a smaller screen is rewarding but sometime frustrating;

that I have a knack for applying UX thinking to tricky projects; and that people appreciate and 

praise designers for tackling these kind of projects. 

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My role

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For this project, I practiced UX Design (field research, wireframes, prototypes), UI Design,

Interaction Design. I was involved in this project from discovery to launch.

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