Yancey Rental
A robust B2B e-commerce platform streamlining heavy equipment rental, inventory management, and automated checkout.
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
DURATION
6 months
TEAM
2 Designers, 8 Engineers
PLATFORM
Responsive Web Application
OWNERSHIP & SCOPE
B2B E-commerce UX Strategy · Search & Filtering Design · Complex Checkout Flow Optimization · Customer Portal Design (Managing active rentals)
DESIGN STACK
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.
MY ROLE & CONTRIBUTION
A seamless B2B e-commerce experience tailored to the complex needs of construction contractors.
B2B e-commerce is vastly different from B2C. Rentals involve complex logic (daily/weekly/monthly rates), delivery logistics, and corporate account management.
TARGET USER
Contractor — Browses on mobile from his truck. Wants fast, no-nonsense UX.
CORE FRICTION
Real-time inventory syncing with the legacy ERP Complex pricing structures based on customer account tiers
BUSINESS DRIVER
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.
KEY CONSTRAINTS
Real-time inventory syncing with the legacy ERP
Complex pricing structures based on customer account tiers
Handling delivery logistics for heavy machinery
Evidence & Insights
Approach: Interviews with 8 construction project managers and 4 internal sales reps. Conducted a deep dive into the Caterpillar ecosystem and the daily life of a construction project manager.
USER INSIGHT
Specs matter immensely (reach, lifting capacity, weight).
DESIGN IMPLICATION
Implement faceted search by "Application/Job" rather than just machine specifications.
USER INSIGHT
Delivery coordination is often harder than the rental itself (needs exact site contacts, gate codes).
DESIGN IMPLICATION
Provide instant, transparent pricing based on the logged-in user's corporate tier.
USER INSIGHT
A large portion of browsing happens on mobile devices while users are physically on the job site.
DESIGN IMPLICATION
Create a "My Garage" portal to 1-click off-rent equipment.
Core Architecture & Trade-Offs
Every major interface decision was evaluated against real enterprise constraints, user cognitive load, and accessibility standards.
DECISION 01
Separating "Site Contact" from "Billing Contact", as the person receiving the tractor is rarely the person paying for it.
A rugged, clean, and highly functional B2B e-commerce interface optimized for speed and clarity.
EXECUTIVE IMPACT SUMMARY
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.
WORKFLOW SIMPLIFICATION
Transformed a multi-screen, multi-step provisioning process into a guided 3-step wizard with progressive disclosure.
ACCESSIBILITY & OBSERVABILITY
Redesigned status indicators with shape, color, and text — meeting WCAG 2.1 AA and eliminating ambiguity.
SYSTEM SCALE
Contributed storage-specific UI patterns back to the global HPE GreenLake design system.
Senior Practitioner Insights
Integrating modern e-commerce UX with a legacy AS400 ERP backend.