NAPA Prolink

Auto Replenishment Solutions

Details

My Role

Skills

Product design

Stakeholder management

Interactive prototyping

Timeline

2025

Services

UI/UX design

Category

Mobile app

Client

Stonks inc.

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THE CHALLENGE

Design an engaging product discovery experience

Our high-level goals were to:

1. Provide an engaging learning experience for our varied audience.

2. Create an environment that helps customers confidently choose their ideal vehicle.

Understanding the needs of diverse users

THE DISCOVERY

Early Insights from the Field

A range of experience levels

The primary customers included individuals with varying levels of expertise, from novices to experts.

Diverse career backgrounds

Customers span various careers, using vehicles for both work and leisure.

Willingness to learn

Customers were eager to learn about vehicles and features useful for their rides.

INITIAL RESEARCH

Developing a header enhancement

Hypothesis

Advanced Cameras

Selfie-takers.

Movie-makers.

Boundary-breakers.

Apple-Designed Chips

The kind of fast

you can feel.

Battery

The power of great

battery life.

Innovation

Beautiful and durable,

by design.

Personalize Your iPhone

Make it you.
Through and through.

Peace of Mind

Helpful safety features.
Just in case.

Privacy

Your data. Just where you want it.

Environment

Recycle. Reuse. Repeat.

Advanced Cameras

Selfie-takers.

Movie-makers.

Boundary-breakers.

Apple-Designed Chips

The kind of fast

you can feel.

Battery

The power of great

battery life.

Innovation

Beautiful and durable,

by design.

Personalize Your iPhone

Make it you.
Through and through.

Peace of Mind

Helpful safety features.
Just in case.

Privacy

Your data. Just where you want it.

Environment

Recycle. Reuse. Repeat.

What is NAPA's ProLink Platform?

A B2B platform for complete parts and shop solutions.

A B2B auto shop platform delivering complete solutions for professionals, including inventory management, shop training, service facility support, technician tools, reordering, and more.

The Challenge

Modernizing a B2B interface

After diving into the research, it became clear that our three main competitors prioritized a seamless experience, centering their platforms around powerful search features, robust shop management tools, and automated stock replenishment. Their goal? To keep customers fully stocked with minimal effort, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted operations.

Project goal

Redesign the platform with a modern, user-friendly interface, streamline functionality for greater efficiency, and update features to stay competitive with top market rivals.

Existing Users

The redesign prioritized ease of use and familiarity to ensure a seamless transition for the platform's older, experienced user base.

New & Incoming Users

New users appreciated the features but expected a more polished experience, including better responsiveness and an upgraded UI.

  • Developing an initial hypothesis and testing the IA

    The Prolink IA was sketched to identify usability gaps, optimize structure, and enhance competitiveness.

  • Competitor 1: Advanced Pro IA

  • Competitor 2: AutoZone IA

  • Competitor 3: O'Reilly's IA

Analyzing the research

Focusing on the essentials

After diving into the research, it became clear that our three main competitors prioritized a seamless experience, centering their platforms around powerful search features, robust shop management tools, and automated stock replenishment. Their goal? To keep customers fully stocked with minimal effort, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted operations.

Advanced Pro, one of our top competitors, went beyond a standard management system to enhance user engagement. They offered animated explanations for complex services, technical training for shop employees, and a Pro Rewards system that incentivized repeat purchases, adding value at every touchpoint.

Competitor research findings

After studying the IA of Prolink and its competitors, I found that:

Competitors simplified search, enabling users to find parts quickly and effortlessly with minimal steps, eliminating friction for a seamless experience.

They offer a vehicle sorter that saves previous searches, enabling faster parts lookup.

Shop catalogs featuring parts from past and current years, enhanced technical training, and additional services.

In addition to the findings mentioned above, the sites offer a more responsive experience, ensuring users can easily view them across various devices.

Design

Focusing on the essentials

We approached the redesign in phases, prioritizing the most-used areas in phase one. Rather than taking the entire platform down, we opted for a gradual rollout, allowing users to adapt seamlessly. With this in mind, I mapped out user flows for these key areas before diving into wireframes and UI design.

The team recognized that the search feature needed more refined results. Given its importance to the platform, we decided to save its development for last, ensuring it received the attention it deserved.

Competitor research findings

After studying the IA of Prolink and its competitors, I found that:

Competitors simplified search, enabling users to find parts quickly and effortlessly with minimal steps, eliminating friction for a seamless experience.

They offer a vehicle sorter that saves previous searches, enabling faster parts lookup.

Shop catalogs featuring parts from past and current years, enhanced technical training, and additional services.

In addition to the findings mentioned above, the sites offer a more responsive experience, ensuring users can easily view them across various devices.

Results page analysis

Users wanted a quicker way to preview parts without leaving their screen and a dedicated checkout page for a smoother experience. We addressed this by adding a preview modal and a separate checkout page for better flexibility.