Overview

Context
Caterpillar, Inc. recognized the need to revamp shop.cat.com to provide a more streamlined and customer-focused shopping experience for both customers and dealers. The existing platform, built on parts.cat.com, fell short in guiding users through the purchasing process and heavily relied on face-to-face dealer interactions due to the high price points. Transitioning to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) from IBM Websphere presented a unique opportunity for a comprehensive redesign that could build trust and improve usability.

Problem Space
The initial challenge was ambiguity—there was a lack of clarity around the platform's core issues and how it fell short for both customers and dealers. To address this, we partnered with Tiffany Britt, a key stakeholder at Caterpillar, to define clear research goals. Our UX research team at Vervint worked to uncover critical insights from customer and dealer perspectives, shaping a strategy to transform shop.cat.com into a guided, trust-building digital experience.

Landing Page Redesign
As a design team of two, collaborating with the director of marketing at Caterpillar, we successfully revamped the landing page for Cat's Build and Price tool on shop.cat.com, creating an enticing design that aimed to attract users and provide a clear overview of the tool's features and benefits. The focus was on crafting a visually appealing and user-friendly interface to boost engagement and drive the adoption of the tool.

Recommendation for Research
We offered comprehensive research recommendations to collect valuable feedback from customers and dealers. These recommendations included strategies for conducting user surveys, usability testing, and interviews with key stakeholders. The objective was to uncover insights into user behaviors, identify pain points, and discover opportunities for improvement both in the short and long term.

User Research and Interviews
I conducted over twenty in-depth interviews with customers and dealers to gain a profound understanding of their behaviors, needs, and pain points related to the Build and Price tool. Through these interviews, we successfully identified pain points in the user journey, clarified user requirements, and gathered invaluable insights to inform the design process.

Prototyping and User Testing
In close collaboration with the Caterpillar team, I developed a prototype of the Build and Price tool. The prototype was subsequently tested with users at a large trade show to assess its usability, effectiveness, and overall user experience. Based on user feedback, I refined and iterated upon the prototype to ensure that the final product fulfilled the needs and expectations of Caterpillar’s target customers.

Insights and Recommendations
Our research uncovered key pain points, including customer hesitation and pricing confusion, which informed a series of transformative design recommendations:

• A ‘Help Me Choose’ module to provide personalized product guidance.

• A ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ module to help users understand long-term value and investment benefits.

• A ‘Financing Options’ module to offer financial clarity and empower decision-making.
  Additionally, we emphasized transparent pricing practices to build trust and reduce customer uncertainty.

Customer-Centric Outcomes
By addressing these challenges, our recommendations:

• Boosted lead conversion rates.

• Enhanced customer confidence in their purchasing decisions.

• Strengthened engagement between customers and dealerships.

• Streamlined the overall customer journey for a seamless shopping experience.

Ongoing Collaboration
Through continued partnership with the shop.cat.com team, we are committed to driving iterative improvements, reinforcing Caterpillar’s reputation as a user-focused market leader and delivering ongoing value to their customers.