Improving Wayfair's IPA Tool for Suppliers

Wayfair

User Interviews I B2B Research I Technical Tools

As a UX 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 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

1.Mismatch in workflows: Suppliers’ existing workflows didn't align with the IPA tool’s design.

2.Tool as a supplemental resource: Suppliers viewed the IPA tool as an additional resource, not their primary planning tool.

3. Granularity of data: While suppliers appreciated the detailed data, they struggled with integrating it into their existing processes.

4. Terminology confusion: Complex terms within the IPA tool caused usability issues.

Impact

Our findings led to the creation of both short-term and long-term recommendations to improve the tool’s usability and ensure it better fit into suppliers’ workflows.