Our physical products offered hundreds of variations leading to millions of possible configurations. While competitors provided advanced digital configuration tools, we were still relying on person-to-person interactions.

• Positioning as a cartridge solutions provider

  Creating a digital presence that showcased our cartridge expertise and closed the gap with competitors.

• Making cartridge solution configuration effortless

  Empowering customers to seek out the perfect solution, reducing reliance on sales support and increasing order accuracy.

• Aquire a major cartridge manufacturer partnership

  A well-designed platform is a powerful tool for attracting new partners.

• Streamlining manifold
  design process

  Saving our engineers precious time on repetitive calculations and tasks.

Six months to showtime. This was our completely unrealistic, non-negotiable deadline for the hydraulics exhibition where we planned our grand reveal. After spending 2 months on research, initial designs and iterations, development pushed back.

Even though we collaboratively stripped down functionality to bare minimum, building a full manifold configurator in that timeframe wasn't feasible.

• Tech trade-off

  We had to integrate the new functionality into the existing Product Finder, limiting what we could build.

• Limited user access

  I couldn’t interview external customers due to B2B sensitivity, so I had to rely solely on internal engineers.

• Data blindness

  We had no analytics in place, so there was no baseline to measure against.

• Market mismatch

  Releasing in the U.S. market first created friction with pricing systems and user permissions that were designed for Germany.

Working between two teams, Customer Experience and Digital Tools, I wore multiple hats as researcher, designer, and actively participated in product strategy. I owned the entire design process from initial stakeholder interviews through post-launch optimization planning. My approach centered on rapid collaboration cycles.

• Daily
  prototyping sessions

  Iterating on newly discovered information with the product manager and innovation team.

• Bi-weekly
  stakeholder reviews

  To validate direction and gather feedback.

• Ad-hoc
  cross-team alignment

  Internally, on our design system with Webshop team to ensure design consistency as well as externally, with our development team.

I began by conducting interviews with our internal specialists to map out how engineers design manifolds. Their main painpoints were repetitive tasks and manual calculations eating their time. I drafted a flow that would digitilize the process and built a simple prototype to present to our SMEs and check if we found a common understanding.

After multiple rounds of iterations we landed on a product that stakeholders were happy about. I presented the prototype to our external development team and that's when we hit a wall. We had only 4 months to develop the app, and the development flagged it as too big of a scope to be able to make it in time.

Due to limited resources, product team made a decision it won't be a standalone app, as it was initially planned. The tool had to live inside Product Finder, which meant for me, that functionality and design had to be radically simplified. I proposed we split the project into two: deliver Cartridge Selection Tool now, and postpone Manifold Configurator for later.

With a split product, we needed to reframe what our product vision was. I facilitated an MVP prioritization workshop using the MoSCoW method, categorizing features into must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and won't-haves, focused on separating the 2 products. This session became our north star when making trade-offs later.

Even though simplified, the application launched on schedule and functioned flawlessly at the 0 day. More importantly, we secured the cartridge manufacturer partnership - validating our entire approach.

• Task completion
  rates increased

  As we simplified the prototype, our test users found it easier to use.

• First cartridge
  orders placed

  In week 1 from the official launch

• Overwhelming
  positive feedback

  Engineers found filtering capabilities especially useful

Internal users liked the MVP so much, they started demanding the same experience across all our tools. The filtering search functionality I designed for cartridge selection became the benchmark for our entire Product Finder redesign.

Two months of initial design work had to be scrapped when we discovered technical constraints. Early developer involvement would have saved significant time and effort.

Operating without metrics is like designing in the dark. I should have made analytics setup a precondition for project kickoff, not an afterthought.

We had no go-to-market strategy, no official release, no fireworks. The anti-climactic launch diminished the team's achievement and missed an opportunity for internal adoption momentum.

The Manifold Configurator remains in development, building on the patterns and learnings from our initial release of Cartridge Selection Tool. What started as a sales demo became the blueprint for Hawe's digital transformation in the German market.

• MVP
  methodology

  Proved effective even in a traditional industry, enabling us to start small with a clear path forward.

• Cross-functional
  collaboration

  Our design system documentation became essential for aligning with the external development team.

• Streamlined
  quote preparation

  Automated bill of materials reduced back-and-forth between internal engineers, sales team and external users.

• Digital-first
  customer interaction

  Paved the way for digital services, removing barriers for customers and empowering engineers to focus on what matters most.

• Evolve into the Manifold Configurator

  Build on the Cartridge Tool foundation in small iterations to support complete manifold design online.

• Establish
  analytics tracking

  Introduce metrics to measure adoption, accuracy, and impact on sales processes.

• Unify the
  product ecosystem

  Align the Product Finder, Cartridge Tool, and upcoming applications into a seamless customer journey.

Scoping a realistic MVP can be quite a challenge. However, together with my team, I turned constraints into direction, guiding the project from an overwhelming scope to a focused, achievable MVP. If you’re looking for a designer who can turn complexity into clarity and be a partner in shaping product strategy, let’s connect.