Online Advisory System for Industrial Manufacturing

Designing a customer-facing advisory tool and internal workflow systems for a complex environment.

Role
Product Designer

Scope
End-to-End

Deliverables
3 interconnected products

Domain
B2B-B2C Industrial

To simplify a content-heavy website and help customers navigate complex technical specifications, I designed a comprehensive digital ecosystem for a global machinery manufacturer.

Working as the sole designer with limited initial stakeholder access, I reverse-engineered complex product logic to create a multi-layered experience. This solution linked customer-facing advisory, internal marketing workflows, and production tracking. The result was a validated system architecture that streamlined demand qualification and aligned cross-functional teams for efficient delivery

Executive Summary

Transforming complexity into clarity

01

Customer Advisory System

Guided consultation flow with progressive questions, conditional logic, and intelligent escalation paths to human experts.

02

Marketing Integration Tool

Structured customer input reception, lead readiness tracking, and prioritized follow-up workflows for marketing teams.

03

Production Workflow Tool

Customer request integration with production workflows, status visibility, and cross-team readiness alignment.

Online Beratung
Internal Tool-Marketing
Internal Tool-Production

CONTEXT

From Documentation to Decision Support

The company manufactures highly specialized heavy machinery with strict technical constraints. Their existing sales process relied heavily on manual consultation and static documentation, making it difficult for customers to navigate complex requirements independently.

Problem

Technical Archive, Not Decision Tool

The website functioned as a technical library rather than a guide. This lack of structured discovery created significant friction, leading to high inquiry overhead for sales teams and a high volume of misqualified leads.

Goal

Scalable Self-Service & Process Alignment

  • Customer-facing: Design an intuitive, self-service consultation flow that translates industrial complexity into guided requirements.

  • Operational: Streamline the internal data flow to reduce manual intervention and ensure accuracy from initial inquiry to the production floor.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

Designing Under Constraints

With limited stakeholder access, I leveraged artifact-based discovery and system-led research to reverse-engineer complex technical logic. This ensured design decisions were grounded in engineering reality and manufacturing constraints.

Service Journey Mapping

Mapped the current-state journey from inquiry to production, uncovering friction points and information loss between departments.

Pattern Research

Analyzed configuration models in high-complexity B2B industries to inform my approach to progressive disclosure and guided decision-making.

Content & System Audit

Performed a deep dive into technical data sheets and site architecture to map 'if-then' dependencies. This audit became the foundation of the advisory logic.

Internal Alignment

Despite zero prior domain knowledge, the discovery phase created a shared understanding of product logic, dependencies, and cross-team handoffs. The audits and journey maps became reference artifacts for stakeholder alignment and enabled more structured discussions around feasibility, scope, and future investment.

The Outcome

Established a validated understanding of the system logic, which directly informed the multi-layered design of the customer tool, marketing workflow, and production tracker.

DESIGN STRATEGY

Progressive Decision-Making for Complex Systems

With limited upfront inputs, I defined a structured design strategy focused on reducing cognitive load while preserving technical accuracy. I prioritized information architecture and decision logic first, then translated this structure into scalable UI patterns.

Strategic Design Principles

Progressive Disclosure
Guiding users step-by-step, revealing technical detail only when relevant to previous choices to prevent cognitive overwhelm.
Conditional Decision Logic
Utilizing dynamic paths that adapt to user input, ensuring every journey leads to a technically feasible configuration.
System Connectivity
Designing for data integrity so that structured inputs can be reused seamlessly across marketing and production workflows.

Key Trade-offs & Decisions

User Clarity vs. Technical Depth
I chose to implement a grouped question flow over exposing all technical parameters at once. This prioritized the user's mental model.
Automation vs. Human Expertise
Instead of over-engineering the UI for bespoke edge cases, I introduced "Intelligent Escalation Paths" for complex configurations.
Logic Validation vs. High-Fidelity Speed
I opted to validate the Information Architecture and decision trees before starting visual design to prevent costly UI rework.

My Execution Approach

Artifact-Led Discovery

Reverse-engineered constraints through documentation audits and logic mapping.

Internal Alignment Loops

Used logic flows as a common language with sales and engineering teams.

Targeted Feedback Loops

Validated decision clarity through focused stakeholder feedback in later stages.

Solution Overview

Three Integrated Interfaces

The resulting ecosystem consists of three interconnected interfaces designed to streamline the journey from initial customer inquiry to final production.

Customer-Facing

Online Advisory System

A guided consultation flow that transforms complex product selection into an intuitive, step-by-step experience.

  • Progressive question flow with conditional branching
  • Visual product configurators for complex selections
  • Intelligent escalation paths to human experts
  • Session persistence and quote generation
  • Multi-language support for global customers

Customer Decision Flow

1
Initial Query
2
Progressive Questions
3
Configuration
4
Expert Review
5
Quote Generation
Internal Tool

Marketing Integration Dashboard

Empowers marketing teams to receive structured customer input, track lead readiness, and prioritize follow-ups effectively.

  • Real-time lead intake from advisory system
  • Lead scoring and qualification metrics
  • Priority queue for follow-up actions
  • Customer journey visualization
  • Integration with CRM workflows

Marketing Workflow

1
Lead Capture
2
Auto-Qualification
3
Priority Scoring
4
Team Assignment
5
Follow-up
Internal Tool

Production Workflow Tool

Connects customer requests directly to production workflows, providing status visibility and ensuring readiness alignment.

  • Order specification translation
  • Production capacity visibility
  • Status tracking and notifications
  • Cross-team handoff protocols
  • Quality checkpoint integration

Production Integration

1
Order Received
2
Spec Translation
3
Capacity Check
4
Production Queue
5
Status Updates

VALIDATION & OUTCOME

Validated under enterprise constraints

While commercial constraints prevented full production deployment, the project delivered significant value through validated design systems, stakeholder alignment, and strategic frameworks that demonstrated enterprise-level UX thinking.

Stakeholder Validation

Received strong positive feedback from cross-functional teams on system architecture and user experience design.

Internal Recognition

Recognized for ability to navigate ambiguity and deliver comprehensive solutions with minimal guidance.

Strategic Foundation

Established design patterns and system architecture that could inform future digital transformation initiatives.

STRATEGIC IMPACT

What this case demonstrates

End-to-End Ownership

Demonstrated ability to own entire design process from ambiguous brief to comprehensive system design without hand-holding.

Multi-Layer Experience Design

Designed cohesive experiences spanning external customers and internal teams, understanding organizational dynamics.

Systems Thinking

Moved beyond interface design to architect connected systems that drive operational efficiency and business outcomes.

Domain Complexity Navigation

Successfully immersed in complex B2B industrial domain, translating technical requirements into user-centered solutions.

PROJECT REFLECTION

This project required me to become not just a designer, but a domain expert, systems architect, and strategic partner—all while building trust and alignment across a complex organization.

Additional screens are available via screen sharing due to confidentiality constraints. Happy to walk you through them.