UX RESEARCH | UX DESIGN | UI DESIGN | USABILITY TEST
The initiative aims to create a more efficient, scalable, and user-centered CPQ platform that empowers Client's sales teams in building the quote, drives business growth, and enhances the overall customer experience
Note: To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted confidential information in this case study. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of the platform

Overview
Client faced significant challenges with its existing Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) platforms, which were fragmented across three legacy systems. These platforms were inefficient and complex, leading to delays, errors, and frustration among business customers and sales teams. The goal of this project was to design a unified CPQ platform that streamlined the quoting process, enhanced user experience, and improved operational efficiency.
Role:Â Senior UX Designer focused on creating the product strategy, collaborating with a cross-functional team, building experience and aligning it with all the capabilities.
Duration: January 2023 – June 2023
Tools & Technologies:Â Figma, Figjam, Google suite, Sketch, Invision
"Vision - Revolutionizing Quoting with the Redesign of CPQ Platform"
Step 1 - Understand
Problem Statement
Clients legacy systems were plagued by slow processing times, frequent errors, and an inconsistent user experience, leading to frustration among sales teams and delays in generating accurate quotes.
As a result, the sales process was cumbersome, which negatively impacted customer satisfaction, conversion rates, and overall business growth.
Complex workflows made product configuration and quote generation time-consuming.
Fragmented systems caused inefficiencies and data inconsistencies.
High learning curves delayed onboarding and reduced user adoption.
Limited scalability restricted the platform’s ability to adapt to new products and pricing models.
Inconsistent quoting accuracy resulted in rework, lost deals, and customer dissatisfaction.
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Business Challenge
Streamline Sales Operations
Existing inefficiencies in the sales process slow down operations, impacting the ability to handle high customer volumes effectively.
Facilitate Seamless Integration
Disconnected systems lead to fragmented workflows and inefficiencies, making it difficult to achieve a unified sales process.
Reduce Training and Onboarding Time
Complex platforms with steep learning curves delay productivity for new sales reps and hinder adoption rates.
Enhance Quote Accuracy
Inaccurate quotes create rework, damage customer trust, and result in lost sales opportunities.
Support Scalability and Flexibility
Legacy systems struggle to adapt to business growth, new products, or pricing models, limiting the platform's long-term utility.
Minimize Operational Costs
Maintaining multiple systems and relying on manual processes is resource-intensive and costly.
Key Business Priority
Reduce the Time Required to Configure Products and Generate Quotes
Accelerate the sales process to handle more customers efficiently and improve overall productivity.
Improve Customer Satisfaction
Deliver a smoother, faster, and more reliable quoting experience to strengthen customer loyalty and relationships.
Increase Revenue Growth
Drive higher conversion rates and sales volume to achieve revenue growth targets.
Support Scalability and Flexibility
Create a future-proof system capable of adapting to business changes and evolving customer demands.
Minimize Operational Costs
Streamline processes to reduce reliance on outdated systems and manual interventions, achieving cost savings.
My Role
I led the UX design for the CPQ platform, focusing on simplifying products, processes, and systems using Design Thinking. My goal was to address business challenges, improve user experience, and align the platform with key business priorities such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
Core Priorities
Supports long-term business objectives, including scalability, operational efficiency, and revenue growth. By addressing these priorities, you effectively connect user experience with overarching business success.
Design a simple, intuitive interface by ensuring easy accessibility to reduce the learning curve and boost adoption.
Simplify workflows for product configuration and quoting and automating repetitive tasks to speed up the quoting process.
Maintain consistency and prevent errors
Design for future adaptability with modular components.
Support new products, pricing models, and business needs.
Collaborate across teams to ensure alignment with business goals.
Conduct workshops and gather feedback for continuous alignment.
Prioritize user needs with research-driven designs.
Goals & Objectives
The goal here is to build a CPQ platform which supports an expert workforce with a global footprint enabling over $3B in annual booking. The platform focuses on simplifying products, processes, and systems to create a comprehensive and efficient digital landscape.

Focused on these areas
Streamline sales operations to reduce the time required for configuring products and generating quotes.
Design a unified and intuitive platform that integrates seamlessly with other systems (CRM, inventory management, billing).
Minimize training and onboarding time with a user-friendly interface.
Improve quote accuracy to boost trust and reduce errors.
Ensure the platform is scalable, flexible, and future-ready to meet evolving business needs.
Our aim is to make support interactions smoother and more efficient. Reduce the number of support calls, boosting user satisfaction and improve response accuracy.

Step 2 - Define

Process Understanding
Map current workflows, identify pain points, and outline areas for improvement in product configuration and quoting.
Research
Conduct user interviews, competitor analysis, and usability studies to gather actionable data for designing an optimal solution.
Key Insights
Identify recurring challenges, such as inefficiencies, errors, and usability gaps, to prioritize improvements.
Resources
Leverage design systems, cross-functional expertise, and technology frameworks to ensure a scalable and efficient platform.
Design
Create Intuitive interfaces, streamlined workflows, and developed a unified design for generating Quote.

Priorities
Objective | Key Actions | Expected Outcomes |
Understand Key Value Propositions and User Personas | - Identify primary user roles and their goals. Â - Map key value propositions for each user segment. | - Clear understanding of user needs and motivations. Â - Defined user personas tied to actionable insights. |
Identify Competitors and Analyze Offerings | - Conduct competitor research to evaluate features, strengths, and gaps. Â - Benchmark against industry leaders. | - Insights into competitor strengths, weaknesses, and differentiators to define a competitive product strategy. |
Map & Understand Existing User Flows Across Platforms | - Review and analyze current user flows across all platforms. Â - Conduct user research to identify pain points. | - Comprehensive understanding of existing user flows and identification of areas causing friction. |
Propose Improved IA for Better Navigation | - Evaluate current IA structure for inefficiencies. Â - Propose new IA structures to improve content organization and navigation. | - Improved IA that streamlines navigation, makes content easier to find, and enhances usability. |
Introduce New User Flows Aiming to Reduce Friction | - Identify key friction points within existing flows. Â - Redesign IA to simplify user tasks and improve flow efficiency. | - New, simplified user flows that reduce friction, increase task completion speed, and improve overall satisfaction. |
Define Feature List | - Collaborate with stakeholders to define core features based on user needs and business requirements. Â - Prioritize features for development. | - Clear, prioritized feature list with a focus on improving IA and user flow organization, ensuring ease of navigation. |
Create Multiple Concepts and Finalize the Best One | - Generate different design concepts addressing user needs and business goals. Â - Evaluate and select the most effective concept based on user feedback and feasibility. | - Finalized design concept that optimizes user experience and aligns with business objectives. |
Create Lo-Fi Designs and Share with Stakeholders | - Develop low-fidelity wireframes for key user flows and interactions. Â - Present designs to stakeholders for feedback and validation. | - Lo-fi designs that convey core design ideas and facilitate stakeholder alignment and feedback. |
Iterate and Design for Usability Testing | - Refine designs based on stakeholder feedback and internal reviews. Â - Prepare designs for usability testing with real users. | - Iterative design improvements that address user feedback, leading to a more user-centered and functional product. |
Who are the USERS?
The primary users of the CPQ platform are
Sales RepresentativesÂ
They configure products, generate quotes, and manage customer interactions.
Sales ManagersÂ
They oversee the sales team, ensure quote accuracy, and monitor performance.
Focused on the Primary User Persona for the first phase

.
User Pain Point
There are three legacy platforms, each responsible for different steps in the quoting process, the key user pain points are likely to stem from fragmentation, inefficiency, and inconsistencies.
Fragmented Workflows Across Platforms
Users need to switch between platforms to complete different steps of the quoting process, increasing time and effort.
Inconsistent User Experience
Each platform has its own interface, navigation, and interaction patterns, making it harder for users to learn and adapt.
Data Silos
Lack of seamless data flow between platforms causes duplication, errors, and delays. Users may have to manually transfer information across systems.
Time-Consuming Quoting Process
Users experience delays in completing quotes because of redundant steps and the need to navigate through multiple systems.
High Cognitive Load
Switching between platforms and managing separate workflows is mentally taxing, reducing user productivity and focus.
Limited Visibility
Users lack a unified view of the quoting process, making it hard to track progress, identify bottlenecks, or ensure accuracy.
Error-Prone Manual Processes
Manual tasks, such as transferring data or reconciling information across platforms, increase the likelihood of errors and rework.
Scalability Challenges
Adding new products, features, or steps to the process requires updates in multiple systems, leading to inefficiencies and delays.
Training and Onboarding Complexity
Training new users becomes more difficult as they must learn to navigate three distinct platforms to complete one process.
Data Analysis
The primary goal of our data analysis was to enhance the CPQ platform's efficiency, improve user experience, reduce costs, and drive revenue growth. We focused on assessing key performance metrics like quote generation time and user adoption rates, identifying pain points faced by sales reps, and analyzing conversion rates before and after platform updates.
Key Findings
Gathered User Feedback through Surveys and interviews with sales reps using legacy systems and analyzed those to benchmark performance. .
Tracked user interactions, errors, and quote lifecycle data.
Looked into customer Insights from the Data on client preferences, quote requests, and sales conversion rates.
Checked the Business Metrics such as Cost-per-quote generated, quote-to-order conversion ratio, and time-to-quote metrics
High quote generation time (average of 45 minutes per quote).
Limited support for complex product configurations.
Categorized user pain points (e.g., issues with navigation, lack of customization).
Extracted actionable insights from open-ended feedback.
Stakeholders Interview
The purpose of conducting stakeholder interviews was to gather insights on business objectives, challenges, desired functionalities, and success metrics for the CPQ platform. These interviews were instrumental in aligning the platform’s design and functionality with organizational goals and operational needs.
In the interview we engaged with the primary user i.e. sales representatives, including sales managers and product teams as well who played a key role by defining product configurations and pricing models to align with business needs.

Key Findings
Stakeholders emphasized the need for the CPQ platform to drive higher quote-to-order conversion rates and support upselling opportunities.
Reducing the time and effort required for quote generation was a top priority.
Leadership wanted the platform to handle increased volumes as the business grows.
Sales reps struggled with configuring products manually, leading to errors and delays.
Lack of a unified pricing system resulted in discrepancies across quotes.
Lengthy approval processes slowed down deal closures.
The legacy system was difficult to navigate, with a steep learning curve for new users.
UX Audit
The UX audit aimed to evaluate the existing legacy platforms used for the quoting process to identify inefficiencies, user pain points, and areas for improvement. The audit provided insights into streamlining workflows, improving navigation, and enhancing the overall user experience.
Key Areas Analyzed
Navigation and Information Architecture (IA): |
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Workflow Efficiency |
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Usability and Accessibility: |
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Data and Process Flow: |
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Visual Design and Consistency: |
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Key Findings
Fragmented User Experience:
Users had to switch between three platforms to complete the quoting process, causing confusion and delays.
Lack of consistent navigation patterns increased cognitive load.
Inefficient Workflows:
Some workflows required redundant steps, such as re-entering data across platforms.
Lack of automation for repetitive tasks.
Poor Data Accessibility:
Information silos created inconsistencies in quoting accuracy and pricing models.
Slow data synchronization between platforms caused delays.
Inconsistent Design:
Each platform had a different visual style and interaction patterns, reducing usability and creating frustration.
Misaligned button placements and labeling led to errors.
High Learning Curve:
The lack of intuitive design resulted in long onboarding times for new users.
Documentation for processes was outdated and insufficient.
Limited Scalability:
Legacy systems were rigid, making it difficult to adapt to new business requirements like additional product lines or dynamic pricing models.
Competitive Analysis
The primary goal of conducting competitive analysis is to benchmark features, capabilities, and user experiences of existing CPQ solutions, identify gaps and opportunities, and derive insights that inform the design and functionality of our unified CPQ platform.
Main Competitor we have analyzed are
Salesforce CPQ
Oracle CPQ
SAP CPQ
Key Strengths Across Competitors | Identified Gaps and Challenges | Opportunities for Differentiation |
Seamless IntegrationsMost competitors offered robust integrations with CRMs, ERPs, and other business systems, enabling smooth data flow. | Complex InterfacesSome platforms had steep learning curves due to cluttered and non-intuitive interfaces. | Unified NavigationA consistent and simplified IA to eliminate platform switching. |
Guided SellingCompetitors featured intuitive workflows to guide users through complex quoting processes, reducing errors and training needs. | Limited CustomizationWhile configurable, certain tools lacked deep customization for unique business needs. | User-Centric DesignFocus on reducing cognitive load and streamlining complex workflows. |
ScalabilityPlatforms supported dynamic scalability for adding new products, pricing models, and geographies. | Data Synchronization IssuesDelays or inconsistencies in data updates across integrated systems. | Assisted QuotingReal-time suggestions for configurations and pricing based on historical data. |
PersonalizationAdvanced configuration options allowed users to tailor quotes to customer-specific needs. | High Cost of ImplementationMany platforms required significant investment for setup and customization. | Cost-EfficiencyProvide an agile, scalable solution with a lower implementation cost compared |
AnalyticsReal-time reporting and dashboards provided insights into quote performance and sales trends. | Fragmented WorkflowsSwitching between modules or platforms to complete a quote was a common pain point. | Integrated DashboardsOffer a single-pane view for tracking quote lifecycle and user performance metrics. |

A Scalable CPQ platform that streamlines workflows, reduces errors, and integrates seamlessly with business systems to drive efficiency, boost adoption, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Proposed Solution

Some More like
Guided SellingÂ
Automated workflows to guide sales reps through product selection and pricing.
Real-Time Collaboration
Shared workspaces to enable seamless collaboration between sales reps and managers.
Integrated Dashboards
A central view of key metrics, such as quote status, conversion rates, and sales performance.
Automation
Features like auto-completion for repetitive tasks and intelligent suggestions based on previous quotes.
Step 3 - Design
Phase 1

Generating Ideas

.
After the workshop , we identified and prioritize the ideas and worked on some concepts generated during ideation. we evaluated each idea based on criteria such as feasibility, impact on users, and alignment with business goals. Prioritization helps us focus efforts on the most promising concepts.
Conceptualizing
After prioritizing the ideas, we explored various ways to implement them. This phase encouraged creativity and generated multiple design concepts or solutions. It involved activities like sketching, brainstorming, and creating rough prototypes to visualize different approaches.
What I Did
Mapped user pain points to potential solutions using affinity diagrams.
Developed preliminary concepts for key features, emphasizing automation, error reduction, and usability.
Presented early concepts to stakeholders for feedback and validation.
Results
Refined concepts into actionable design elements aligned with stakeholder expectations.
Secured stakeholder buy-in for proposed solutions, ensuring smoother implementation in subsequent phases.
Component & Composition
Core Components
Headers and Navigation Bars:
| Dashboards and Overview Panels:
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Form Elements:
| Guided Selling Tools:
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Workspaces for Collaboration:
| Action Buttons:
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Compositions and Layouts
Grid Systems:
| Content Hierarchies:
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Pop-ups and Modals:
| Panels and Sidebars:
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Visual and Functional Enhancements
Icons and Imagery:
| Progress Indicators:
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Color Coding:
| Typography:
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Interaction Components
Hover and Click Effects:Visual cues for clickable items or actionable elements. Expandable/collapsible elements for additional information. | Drag-and-Drop Features:For reorganizing or customizing dashboards and workflows. | Dynamic Filters and Sorting:Interactive tools to refine and view data (e.g., by date, priority, or type). |
Feedback Mechanisms
Notifications:
| Tooltips:
| Error Messages:
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User-Specific Components
Role-Based Dashboards:
| Personalized Recommendations:
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Building Information Architecture (IA) and Navigation
What I Did:
Organized the platform’s content into logical categories and hierarchies to create a clear structure.
Designed intuitive navigation patterns to reduce cognitive load for users.
Conducted card sorting sessions to validate IA with actual users.
Results:
Established a streamlined IA that allowed users to access key features with minimal effort.
Improved discoverability of functionalities, reducing the time users spent searching for tools or information.
 Understanding the Use Case
This involved analyzing workflows for generating complex quotes and identifying key areas that hindered efficiency.
To ensure a user-centric approach, I developed detailed use case scenarios reflecting real-world tasks. These efforts resulted in a comprehensive understanding of user workflows and challenges, enabling effective prioritization of features.
Ultimately, this ensured the platform was designed to address actual user needs rather than hypothetical requirements. Some of the use case are below
User should be able to Quote a new Transactional contract for 1-5 US sites for a Domestic Customer for Internet, Access, CPE and Managed Services |
User should be able to establish a new RTB contract 25 Domestic sites or above (can go upto 1000s of sites) for a large enterprise |
User Should be able to Order services on a previously established RTB Contract for customer to transfer his network in a phased |
User Should be able to Amend the existing transactional or right to buy contracts to add/change additional products, pricing and discount structure |
User should be able to Quote a new Transactional contract for 1-5 US sites for International Customer for Internet, Access, CPE and Managed Services |
+more |
Building User Flows and Journeys
I mapped user journeys for key tasks like quote creation, approval, and collaboration, designing step-by-step user flows to identify and address friction points. After iterating flows based on usability testing feedback, I created streamlined journeys that minimized redundancy and improved task efficiency, ultimately reducing time-to-quote by 30%.
Wireframing & Prototype
I created low-fidelity wireframes to define layouts, content placement, and functionality, iterating them based on stakeholder feedback and user testing. These wireframes validated design concepts early, serving as a solid foundation for high-fidelity prototypes and minimizing risks in later stages
Stakeholder Review and Socialization
In our next step we presented the designs to stakeholders and all the three legacy platform owners to gather their feedback and ensure alignment with business goals. We focused on clearly communicating the proposed solutions and their value to the platform.
Stakeholders found the quote creation process clear but suggested streamlining multi-step tasks further.
ales managers requested a quick summary view of quote statuses across teams.
Stakeholders emphasized the need for better validation feedback during quote creation to prevent errors.
+more
We focused on iterating some which are really needed and then move further with the Usability study
Usability study
We planned to conduct usability testing with real users to validate the design and gather actionable insights. Based on the feedback, we refined and iterate the designs to ensure they address user needs effectively.
Usability study has been done by CMI team and we have shared the requirement with them and based on that they shared the Key findings with us.
The study Revealed area in quote creation and approval processes, leading to workflow optimization.
Team also validated key features, ensuring alignment with user expectations.
User mentioned that it will reduced average task completion time as well.
+more
Continuous improvement
Regular Feedback Collection
Focused on Implementing ongoing feedback mechanisms to capture real-time user insights.
Periodic Usability Testing
Planned on Scheduling quarterly usability tests to evaluate the effectiveness of new features and identify areas for further enhancement.
Monitoring Key Metrics
Continuously tracking performance metrics like time-to-quote, error rates, and user adoption to measure improvement over time.
By integrating usability insights into a continuous improvement cycle, the platform remains responsive to user needs, scalable, and aligned with business objectives.
Outcomes
Improved Workflow Efficiency
Streamlined the quote creation process by reducing redundant steps and clarifying user actions.
Enhanced Navigation and Usability
Simplified navigation with clear labels and contextual tooltips, making the platform more intuitive for new users.
Reduced confusion around multi-step processes by grouping related actions and providing visual guidance.
Error Prevention and Validation
Introduced real-time validation messages to minimize input errors during quote creation.
Customizable Features
Incorporated customizable dashboards based on user roles, improving accessibility and productivity.
Enabled users to save frequently used configurations, enhancing convenience for repeat tasks.
Key Challenges
Balancing user needs with business goals required continuous alignment with stakeholders. |
Complex Legacy Data:Â Ensuring data integrity during migration. |
Alignment Across Teams:Â Balancing diverse stakeholder priorities. |
Change Management:Â Encouraging adoption of the new platform. |
Key Learnings
Early involvement of stakeholders and iterative testing were critical to project success. |
Placing users at the center of the design process is essential for driving adoption and satisfaction. |
Close collaboration with cross-functional teams ensures alignment with business objectives. |
Building modular and flexible systems is crucial for long-term success. |
Early and frequent collaboration with stakeholders ensures alignment and avoids rework. |
Usability testing is crucial to validate designs and identify areas for improvement. |
Conclusion
This project exemplifies the power of a research-driven, iterative approach to UX design, delivering tangible business benefits such as improved productivity, reduced errors, and a scalable foundation for future enhancements. By incorporating continuous improvement strategies, the CPQ platform is well-positioned to evolve with user needs and maintain its value over time.
Next Steps
Hand over to VD Team
Continue monitoring platform performance and gathering user feedback for future enhancements.
Explore opportunities to further improve the system
Integrate additional tools quick tools, automating the task expanding the knowledge bases and smart suggestions.