Yancey Rental
6 months
Lead UX Designer
2 Designers, 8 Engineers
Project Overview
A robust B2B e-commerce platform streamlining heavy equipment rental, inventory management, and automated checkout.
Business Background
Yancey Bros. (a Caterpillar dealer) managed equipment rentals via phone calls and legacy ERP systems. They needed a modern digital storefront to allow contractors to rent equipment 24/7.
The Problem
The existing website was an informational brochure. Contractors couldn't see real-time pricing, availability, or manage their active rentals, resulting in heavy reliance on customer service reps.
Objectives
- Digitize the rental booking process
- Reduce call center volume
- Increase rental utilization rates
Success Metrics
- ↑ 30% online conversion rate
- ↓ 20% bounce rate
- Shift 40% of rental volume to the digital platform
The Challenge
B2B e-commerce is vastly different from B2C. Rentals involve complex logic (daily/weekly/monthly rates), delivery logistics, and corporate account management.
Discovery & Research
Kickoff & Audit
Conducted a deep dive into the Caterpillar ecosystem and the daily life of a construction project manager.
Reviewed Google Analytics of the old site; 80% of users dropped off at the "Request a Quote" form because they wanted instant pricing.
Key Pain Points
- Contractors need equipment ASAP (often next morning); opaque pricing and availability delayed decisions.
- Users didn't know which specific machine model they needed, only the task they needed to do (e.g., "dig a 10ft trench").
- Managing off-renting (returning equipment) via phone led to billing disputes.
Opportunities
- Implement faceted search by "Application/Job" rather than just machine specifications.
- Provide instant, transparent pricing based on the logged-in user's corporate tier.
- Create a "My Garage" portal to 1-click off-rent equipment.
Research Methodology
Interviews with 8 construction project managers and 4 internal sales reps.
Key Insights:
Personas & Journey
Mike, Project Manager
Contractor
Goals
- • Get equipment to the site by 6 AM tomorrow
- • Keep projects under budget
Behaviors
Browses on mobile from his truck. Wants fast, no-nonsense UX.
User Journey Shift
Before
Need excavator -> Call rep -> Wait for quote -> Approve via email -> Call again to return it.
After
Need excavator -> Search on mobile -> See instant price/availability -> Checkout with delivery details -> Click "Off-Rent" in app when done.
Design Execution
UI Exploration
Typography: Roboto for a utilitarian, industrial feel.
Colors: Caterpillar Yellow and Black to align with brand identity, using stark white backgrounds for high contrast in outdoor sunlight.
Design System Components
Final Design Execution
A high-fidelity look at the final polished interfaces, components, and key interactions that were successfully handed off to engineering.
Final Outcome & Impact
The platform revolutionized how Yancey Bros did business, significantly reducing call center overhead and providing contractors with the 24/7 self-service tools they demanded.
Key Learnings
- •Integrating modern e-commerce UX with a legacy AS400 ERP backend.
Future Improvements
- •Implement predictive maintenance alerts within the customer portal.