IBM Workforce Experience Platform

Prototyping a retail mobile product concept

Contributions

Visual/UI Design
User Experience
Prototyping

Timeline

1-2 Months

Overview

A Lead Account Partner (LAP) was spearheading a collaborative effort with Samsung and Workday to develop a mobile solution aimed at improving productivity and retention for frontline retail workers. The concept sought to replace handheld scanners, radios, shift clocks, and back-room PCs while integrating inventory management and HR systems into a unified mobile platform. I joined the team as the visual designer after early conceptual exploration and played a key role in translating the idea into a tangible, interactive prototype. Working closely with the LAP, I designed illustrative personas, developed workplace scenarios, and built a functional prototype to bring the mobile platform concept to life for prospective clients.

Objectives

Create a compelling, interactive prototype to support a sales pitch
Develop realistic user scenarios and illustrative personas to ground the concept in day-to-day retail workflows
Design UI concepts and interactions that align with industry standards while enabling future customization
Support a client-specific pitch that later evolved into a scalable, non-client-specific offering

Preliminary Research

After establishing high-level requirements with the LAP, I conducted research on existing retail management tools, inventory systems, and mobile productivity platforms to better understand industry conventions and design patterns. This informed both the interface and interaction design strategies for the prototype.

Use Case & Scenario Development

Collaborating with the LAP, I helped define key personas representing frontline retail roles. I then developed a structured process for iterating on scenarios, task flows, and corresponding UI screens. We reviewed flows collaboratively in real time, allowing for rapid adjustments and refinement of both interactions and narrative framing.

Rapid Prototyping

I owned the initial UI design, prototyping, and interaction design for the mobile platform. The prototype included high-fidelity screens and interactive flows illustrating inventory management, scheduling, communication, and HR functions. While the original concept was tailored for a specific client, the project pivoted midstream to a more generic, scalable solution. A senior designer later collaborated with me to re-skin the prototype in alignment with IBM’s branding and design standards.

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The Storytelling Approach

Because the project’s primary purpose was to support a strategic sales pitch, the final deliverable was a narrative-driven pitch deck. This included:

Detailed personas
Workplace scenarios
Embedded videos of the interactive prototype in action

This storytelling approach positioned the solution within a realistic retail context, illustrating the day-in-the-life value proposition for prospective clients.

Final Product Design (not owned by my team)

Outcome

Although my team operated within sales and not product delivery, our concept and prototype directly influenced the final product design. The sales pitch and demo experience made a significant impact, shaping the direction of the eventual retail mobile solution showcased by the delivery teams.

Watch IBM's video to learn more.

Takeaway

This project highlighted the power of rapid prototyping and storytelling in sales-driven environments. By developing a realistic, user-centered narrative paired with a polished prototype, we were able to transform a conceptual pitch into a persuasive, scalable offering with long-term influence.