Vendor Payment Portal - Wheels

The solution is an online portal tailored for vendors (repair shops) to effortlessly request payment for services provided to Wheels clients. This portal offers a seamless platform for vendors to submit payment requests without the need for complex logins. It boasts a clean and intuitive interface accessible through web browsers, eliminating additional software installation.

To cater to vendors with varying technical skills, we streamlined the process. Users simply enter a VIN and PO#, triggering an API call to retrieve relevant repair order information. Next, users input the invoice subtotal and sales tax. If it matches the authorized service amount, they proceed to the payment screen to review service details, select a payment method, and request payment.

The portal's user-friendly design and efficiency significantly improved vendor satisfaction. Payments became hassle-free, reducing the need for direct contact with Wheels. The solution's multi-platform approach, including web and iOS, ensured accessibility. Key tools used in this project were UXPin for wireframes and prototypes and Miro for collaborative brainstorming.

I worked as the sole UX Designer on this project. The product team also included:

IT Manager

Business Analyst

Lead Developer

Director of Product Management

Business Unit Manager

Wheels is an enterprise B2B company specializing in automotive fleet management services. The design phase took 2 months, with ongoing design support during development.

UXPin: This tool was instrumental in creating wireframes and prototypes. It provided a user-friendly interface and a company design system I could pull components from.

Miro: Miro was another tool that played a crucial role in the project. It allowed me to create collaborative online whiteboards where I could visually brainstorm ideas, organize information, and create mind maps.

The problem centered around merging databases during the Legacy LeasePlan and Wheels merger. A user-friendly portal was needed for vendors, particularly small repair shops, to request payments easily. The "How might we" statements guided us to simplify access, ensure usability, streamline submissions, provide instructions, accommodate legacy vendors, optimize performance, enhance search, and ensure security.

How might we simplify the process of accessing the payment request portal for Vendors? This question addressed the need for an intuitive and user-friendly interface.

How might we ensure that Vendors with varying levels of technical proficiency can easily navigate and use the portal? The focus here was on making the portal accessible to users with different technical backgrounds.

How might we streamline the payment request submission process for Vendors, reducing the time and effort required? Efficiency was key, and we aimed to minimize any unnecessary steps in the process.

How might we provide Vendors with clear and user-friendly instructions on how to request payment for their services? Communication was crucial, and the portal needed to guide users effectively.

While the happy path for users was straight-forward, the portals asks for specific (and accurate) information based on the clients' pre-approved amounts. Significant time was spent working with the IT Architecture team to determine how best to have users prompt the API calls and to determine the limits which would trigger an error state.

After searching via the VIN and PO# fields, the vendor is then asked to input the invoice subtotal and sales tax amounts. This information was required to check if the final service amount stayed within the set variance that the client pre-approved. If the inputed amounts were within the variance level, then the vendor proceeds through the flow. If the amount is outside the variance, then the vendor is prompted to manually call the Wheels Billing Department.

Once the invoice total and sales tax amounts have been confirmed, the vendor is then asked to review their information and is given a choice on how they receive their payment.

In summary, this case study explored the design and development of an online portal for vendors at Wheels. By addressing challenges, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and actively involving stakeholders, we created a user-friendly solution that simplifies payment requests for vendors. This project not only met the needs of our users but also aligned with the organization's goals, contributing to a successful merger and ongoing client services.