December 11, 2025
|
Web Design
AI
UX
UI
6 min read
6 Weeks
1 Designer
As the premier procurement solution for pharmacies, SureCost has been dominating the market for over ten years.
We had proven we could modernize our interface. But when sales took our product into enterprise demos, we were getting laughed out of rooms. The app was too complex (2000+ pages, 5+ clicks for basic tasks), onboarding took months, and we didn't look like we belonged at the enterprise table.
My manager pulled me aside: "The eye of Sauron is about to land on UX. We need to show we can compete in the enterprise market. What would SureCost look like with no constraints?"
The Problem
We overwhelmed users with data instead of curating what mattered, costing enterprise deals.
The Solution
Role-based dashboards surfacing the right information for each user persona.
C-Suite/Multi-Site Manager Home
Purchase Manager Home
Inventory Home
Constraints
Limit Cognitive Load - Pharmacists are already overwhelmed and typically understaffed. Reducing information density while increasing strategic value was the highest priority.
Spare Time Design - Worked on this concept alongside three other active projects, without dedicated sprint time.
Reduce Workflow Disruption - Our users need to make fast decisions in order to maintain productivity. Helping with multi-tasking or limiting interruptions was key.
How I Solved It
With concurrent product initiatives ongoing, I structured the work methodically to not disrupt higher-priority work.
user research
I started by conducting user interviews with current enterprise clients and a professional contact in the acute care space. I asked about their biggest pain points and what made our interface feel overwhelming.
The pattern was clear: we were trying to solve every problem by showing everything. Users couldn't find what they needed because we weren't curating their experience.
Concept development
I moodboarded enterprise tools like Asana, Slack, and iMessage to understand what "sophisticated" looked like in SaaS. Then I sketched mid-fidelity concepts in Figma, testing different ways to organize information by user role.
The breakthrough was realizing we could ask users their role at onboarding and serve them a customized home page, one they'd actually want to look at every day.
Prototypes
Once the core concept landed, I brought it to life in Figma Make, fleshing out interactions like drilling down from chart locations and seeing the page respond dynamically. I added header alerts, contextual messaging, and approval flows.
I ran the design through multiple rounds of feedback with our executive team (CEO, CPO, Director of PM, Sales, Marketing) and cross-functional teams (CS, Engineering, Product). The response was overwhelmingly positive.
Challenges
The primary challenge was access. We were pivoting from our typical "mom and pop" customer base to enterprise users, which meant finding the right people to interview. The second challenge was capacity. This work needed to happen proactively, in anticipation of enterprise client requests, while I continued leading other product initiatives. I approached it strategically, conducting interviews and synthesizing insights incrementally as bandwidth allowed, ensuring the research was thorough despite the constraints.
Impact
Outcomes
Established the strategic vision for SureCost's enterprise product direction. The design earned CEO approval, with leadership saying, "This is where we need to be." One of our largest enterprise clients reviewed the concept and expressed strong enthusiasm for the direction.
“I'm very interested to understand what happens next which is what is the practical reality of implementation of this what does it cost how can we actually accelerate this” - David Wagner, CEO
“And that means that you've hit a home run, at least showing there is a very distinct look to enterprise. It's not a derivative of the original thing. It's like you designed it outside of the existence of the current thing.” - Dickinson Merrin, Director of Product Management
This work positioned SureCost to compete credibly in the high-stakes enterprise market and set the north star for future product development.
Retrospective
Given more time, I would have conducted usability testing on the role-based dashboard concept with a broader set of users to validate assumptions before moving to high fidelity. I also would have explored progressive disclosure patterns to ensure we weren't just hiding complexity but truly simplifying workflows.
The most valuable lesson: sometimes the best design work isn't about incremental improvements. It's about stepping back and reimagining what the product should be. This project gave the company clarity on where to invest next.
Related links