The Pattern Puzzle: Solving for Scale

The Challenge

As J.B. Hunt expanded its services, the items design had become inconsistent across business units. Each unit had unique needs, but maintaining multiple design patterns was unsustainable. The challenge was to create a flexible, yet consistent design that could serve all units while reducing development complexity.

Team
Product Owner, Lead Developer, Business Analyst, UX Expert, UX Researcher, UX Content Manager

Tools
Figma, Miro, Azure DevOps

Role
UX Designer

My Role & Contributions

As the UX Designer, I led the discovery, alignment, and design efforts to ensure the new Items Tab met user needs and development goals. My key contributions included:

  • Initiating User Research Without Requirements
    With no formal requirements provided, I proactively reached out to user groups to understand how they interacted with item data. These conversations uncovered key pain points and informed the design direction.

  • Cross-Functional Alignment
    I collaborated closely with product managers, lead developers, and business analysts to align on a shared vision. I also facilitated communication between three distinct business units to ensure their needs were represented.

  • Iterative Design & Stakeholder Reviews
    I developed and refined multiple design iterations, presenting them to key decision-makers to validate feasibility and ensure alignment with both user needs and technical constraints.

Core Competencies

  • Proactive Research & Discovery: Initiated user interviews and needs assessments in the absence of formal requirements.

  • Cross-Team Communication: Bridged the gap between business units and development teams to align on a shared solution.

  • Iterative Designing: Created and refined multiple design proposals based on feedback and technical viability.

  • Strategic UX Planning: Balanced user needs with long-term development sustainability.

Impact

  • User Sentiment Improvement: One business unit that was previously dissatisfied with the Items Tab reported improved satisfaction with the new design.

  • Platform-Wide Consistency: The new pattern was so effective that other product designers are looking to adopt it, promoting a more unified user experience across the platform.

  • Development Cost Reduction: A consistent design and shared database structure lowered the cost of future updates and maintenance.