Lode
Materials Catalog
My Role
UX research
UX/UI design
As part of Lode's modernization effort, I led an initiative to digitize the physical catalogs of over 30,000 unique SKUs. Designed from scratch, the digital catalog facilitates the management, tracking, and visualization of material usage across multiple internal teams. Previously managed as spreadsheets, the new catalog significantly improves accuracy and usability across the organization.
Outcomes
increase in overall workflow productivity
reduction in human errors
in recurring annual benefits
Research & Discovery
I conducted over 25 semi-structured interviews and shadowed key stakeholders across design, sales, procurement, and customer-facing teams to identify their needs. Users often had to reference multiple catalogs to get product visuals, leading to a fragmented information system. This lack of a single source of truth made managing data prone to errors. SKU details were scattered across various documents, causing frequent discrepancies and some teams didn't even know which products were on market. These inconsistencies and outdated entries severely hindered inventory tracking and operational efficiency across all departments. I mapped the current state task flows for each team, and prioritized areas for improvement.
Design
The design needed to have a layout and UI style that fit with character limits, product sizes, and data pulled in from several different sources. This was especially important, because the categorization of information needs to be displayed in a way for users to easily find what they're looking for. I created the future task flows and sketched wireframes, then validated them with 3 representatives from each team.
Improvements
Along with using familiar naming conventions and simplifying the architecture, I made 2 major improvements based on their feedback:
1) Refactoring filters. To support the data-intensive navigation more efficiently for users, I needed to rethink the broader list page experience to be future-proof. The side panel added an extra step and disrupted the flow of browsing. I increased the scope to factor in the overall list page scroll experience. Instead of having a filter panel double scroll and nested search—a less-than-ideal UX—the filter groups are integrated within the homepage filter bar.
Before
After
2) A simplified workflow. Lode's evolving product offerings made adding new products overly manual, often creating duplicates, inconsistencies, and delays. A progressive disclosure modal captures all data in full.
Dialog for adding new products
Outcome
By consolidating detailed product information, teams can collaborate better and make data-driven decisions. The new digital catalog allows users to easily find what they're looking for and complete their tasks faster than ever before.
Catalog product page
SKU detail drawer