Improving Wayfair's IPA Tool for Suppliers
Wayfair
User Interviews, Tree Testing, Usability, Heuristic Evaluation, SUS I B2B Research I Impact: Product Strategy & Roadmap
As a Lead User Researcher at Wayfair, I worked on a crucial project to improve the usability of the Inventory Planning and Analytics (IPA) tool for suppliers. The project began when a Product Manager (PM) approached me, concerned that the IPA tool wasn't adequately meeting supplier needs. Our research focused on understanding how suppliers use inventory planning tools and whether the IPA tool fit into their existing workflows.
The Problem
How could we transform the IPA tool into a more effective, supplier-facing product?
After lots of back and forth we aligned on these research questions:
How can we get the current IPA tool to be transformed into a usable supplier-facing tool?
What are suppliers workflows for the replenishment journey? Does this current tool aid or fit within their workflows and meet their needs for this type of work?
Research Methodology
I conducted 1-hour, moderated user interviews with five suppliers via Google Meet to uncover workflow challenges. Additional methods included:
Secondary research on logistics workflows
Tree testing
Usability testing
SUS surveys (System Usability Scale)
Findings
Mismatch in workflows: Suppliers’ existing workflows didn't align with the IPA tool’s design.
Tool as a supplemental resource: Suppliers viewed the IPA tool as an additional resource, not their primary planning tool.
Granularity of data: While suppliers appreciated the detailed data, they struggled with integrating it into their existing processes.
Terminology confusion: Complex terms within the IPA tool caused usability issues.
The findings were structured into tiers of insights, ranging from short-term usability improvements to long-term strategic recommendations. This format enabled Product Managers to identify immediate next steps and revisit relevant insights throughout the product development lifecycle.
Impact
Our insights didn’t just fix usability issues, they reframed how the product team approached the tool altogether. In the short term, our recommendations improved the supplier rollout experience. In the long term, they reshaped the roadmap so the tool could evolve around real supplier workflows. Leadership approved new enhancements directly tied to our findings, marking a turning point in how research informed strategy.
My Role
I led UX Research for this project, partnering closely with the Supplier-Facing Product Manager and Designer to plan and execute an end-to-end study.
Guided the team through the research process, managing multiple complex stakeholders and introducing some to UX Research for the first time
Moderated all sessions and conducted in-depth analysis of findings
Synthesized insights and delivered a comprehensive readout to Product, Design, and Engineering, helping align the team on key focus areas
Reflections
What I Learned
This project deepened my understanding of how UX Research can drive meaningful impact in complex enterprise systems. Working on Wayfair’s supplier logistics platform taught me how to navigate and align a diverse group of stakeholders, many of whom were unfamiliar with UX Research, by clearly articulating and, later, demonstrating the value of user insights.
Key takeaways for me:
Driving impact in enterprise environments: I learned how research can clarify complexity and create alignment across large, operationally driven teams.
Balancing generative and evaluative methods: Running both discovery and usability studies helped me refine a mixed-methods approach that balanced exploration with validation.
Framing insights for action: By tying findings to both supplier goals and business priorities, research outcomes became directly actionable, informing roadmap decisions and improving key workflows.
Advocating for users in efficiency-driven spaces: I saw firsthand how research can uncover opportunities for clarity and simplicity in tools often optimized only for scale or speed.
In hindsight, I’d formalize a stakeholder education component earlier in the process, introducing non-UX partners to our methods upfront would have accelerated buy-in and decision-making. Overall, this experience reaffirmed that even in deeply operational contexts, UX Research is a catalyst for alignment, efficiency, and better product experiences.