Trucks Dealer Portal - T.D.P.
Trucks Dealer Portal - T.D.P.
Trucks Dealer Portal T.D.P.
2024 - 2025
2024 - 2025
The Trucks Dealer Portal (T.D.P.) is a comprehensive digital platform designed for Volvo and Mack Trucks dealers. It enables them to efficiently manage sales, access training resources, register for events, stay updated with news and bulletins, track recalls, and much more—all in one centralized hub.
After interviewing around 130 people across the U.S., our team, along with the BIO agency team, pinpointed some key challenges our dealers were facing with our portals—and uncovered opportunities to elevate their experience. Using insights from these conversations and the Volvo Group Design System (which I led the development), I redesigned the portal with a fresh focus on accessibility and ease of use.
The Trucks Dealer Portal (T.D.P.) is a comprehensive digital platform designed for Volvo and Mack Trucks dealers. It enables them to efficiently manage sales, access training resources, register for events, stay updated with news and bulletins, track recalls, and much more—all in one centralized hub.
After interviewing around 130 people across the U.S., our team, along with the BIO agency team, pinpointed some key challenges our dealers were facing with our portals—and uncovered opportunities to elevate their experience. Using insights from these conversations and the Volvo Group Design System (which I led the development), I redesigned the portal with a fresh focus on accessibility and ease of use.
The work with the BIO agency was divided in 9 main phases.
1 - Stakeholder interviews
12 x 1-hour interviews with business stakeholders to understand key content delivered to dealers across departments, business goals, challenges and opportunities.
2 - Virtual focus groups
We conducted 7 virtual focus groups with Burr Trucks & Mountain West to enrich our understanding of how smaller dealerships leverage the portal.
3 - Product walkthrough
4 sessions with the Volvo team to understand the Truck Dealer Portal capabilities and features and roadmap.
4 - Dealership visits
Across 6 different cities, 36 in-person focus groups were conducted to get first-hand insight into how dealers use TDP and their processes in the store.
5 - Current state audit
Assess information architecture, interaction and usability, of the Truck Dealer Portal.
The work with the BIO agency was divided in 9 main phases.
1 - Stakeholder interviews
12 x 1-hour interviews with business stakeholders to understand key content delivered to dealers across departments, business goals, challenges and opportunities.
2 - Virtual focus groups
We conducted 7 virtual focus groups with Burr Trucks & Mountain West to enrich our understanding of how smaller dealerships leverage the portal.
3 - Product walkthrough
4 sessions with the Volvo team to understand the Truck Dealer Portal capabilities and features and roadmap.
4 - Dealership visits
Across 6 different cities, 36 in-person focus groups were conducted to get first-hand insight into how dealers use TDP and their processes in the store.
5 - Current state audit
Assess information architecture, interaction and usability, of the Truck Dealer Portal.
T.D.P. Satisfaction Rating - Parts
UX Audit - Score
6 - Best-in-class research
Explored leading employee and customer-facing experiences, to uncover opportunities within the dealer journey.
7 - Documentation review
Learned context through analysis of shared documentation, such as: TDP and Dealer Insights analytics usage report, outputs from Capability Mapping & Role Simplification pre-studies.
8 - Data & tech assessment
Discussions with the development team to understand technology roadmap, architectural guardrails and understand data flow to Truck Dealer Portal.
9 - Functionalities ideation
An initial proposal from the BIO agency was delivered to provide a basis for starting the T.D.P. revamp.
6 - Best-in-class research
Explored leading employee and customer-facing experiences, to uncover opportunities within the dealer journey.
7 - Documentation review
Learned context through analysis of shared documentation, such as: TDP and Dealer Insights analytics usage report, outputs from Capability Mapping & Role Simplification pre-studies.
8 - Data & tech assessment
Discussions with the development team to understand technology roadmap, architectural guardrails and understand data flow to Truck Dealer Portal.
9 - Functionalities ideation
An initial proposal from the BIO agency was delivered to provide a basis for starting the T.D.P. revamp.
Lean UX
Once the research and initial ideation phase was completed by the BIO agency, I reviewed what was made by them, and my full-time participation began by validating assumptions based on the collected data, aligning business goals with stakeholders, ideating once again, and providing prototypes to assess the overall experience and refine features individually. Ideally, I would do a second round of wireframing, but I didn't because we already had a good base, and at Volvo, time constraints don’t always allow for extensive iterations. Adaptation was key, so I leveraged pre-made components from our design system in Figma to rapidly design the portal and prototype it in Protopie.
Lean UX
Once the research and initial ideation phase was completed by the BIO agency, I reviewed what was made by them, and my full-time participation began by validating assumptions based on the collected data, aligning business goals with stakeholders, ideating once again, and providing prototypes to assess the overall experience and refine features individually. Ideally, I would do a second round of wireframing, but I didn't because we already had a good base, and at Volvo, time constraints don’t always allow for extensive iterations. Adaptation was key, so I leveraged pre-made components from our design system in Figma to rapidly design the portal and prototype it in Protopie.
Feedbacks
We presented and validated the prototypes with stakeholders and partners before proceeding with development. Below, you can see a comparison of the portal before and after the revamp.
Feedbacks
We presented and validated the prototypes with stakeholders and partners before proceeding with development. Below, you can see a comparison of the portal before and after the revamp.
Main improvements
Navigation - Previously, we used a tree-style navigation in a side menu, but dealers found it confusing as they were more familiar with Volvo’s website, which features a megamenu. To enhance usability, we introduced a redesigned megamenu with a modern look and added descriptions to menu items. This allows users to understand each page’s purpose at a glance, reducing unnecessary clicks and improving efficiency.
Search - The design has been updated to align more closely with the Volvo Group Design System. Descriptions have been added to items in the search results, and preview images will be introduced in a future release.
Applications - Users no longer need to open an application just to understand its purpose. By clicking the info button, they can access a side tab with descriptions and the necessary actions to enable the application. Additionally, they can now favorite or unfavorite applications using a button that appears on hover, improving ease of access.
News / Bulletins / Recalls - The three most popular content types have been grouped into a single card, allowing dealers to quickly switch between them as needed.
Calendar - A new calendar widget has been added, enabling dealers to stay informed about upcoming events and easily register for them.
Notifications - Previously, notifications appeared as a large banner at the top of the page. In the new version, they have been replaced by a more subtle side panel that opens when clicking the notification bell, offering a more familiar experience similar to social media platforms.
Preferences - Dealers frequently expressed frustration with having to log in separately for Volvo and Mack. The new version allows them to switch brands with a single click in the preferences section. They can also customize their profiles with tailored widgets, change markets, and seamlessly toggle between dark and light mode thanks to the implementation of the Volvo Group Design System.
Responsiveness - Previously, the portal was not responsive. The new version is fully optimized for all screen sizes, ensuring a seamless experience across devices.
Main improvements
Navigation - Previously, we used a tree-style navigation in a side menu, but dealers found it confusing as they were more familiar with Volvo’s website, which features a megamenu. To enhance usability, we introduced a redesigned megamenu with a modern look and added descriptions to menu items. This allows users to understand each page’s purpose at a glance, reducing unnecessary clicks and improving efficiency.
Search - The design has been updated to align more closely with the Volvo Group Design System. Descriptions have been added to items in the search results, and preview images will be introduced in a future release.
Applications - Users no longer need to open an application just to understand its purpose. By clicking the info button, they can access a side tab with descriptions and the necessary actions to enable the application. Additionally, they can now favorite or unfavorite applications using a button that appears on hover, improving ease of access.
News / Bulletins / Recalls - The three most popular content types have been grouped into a single card, allowing dealers to quickly switch between them as needed.
Calendar - A new calendar widget has been added, enabling dealers to stay informed about upcoming events and easily register for them.
Notifications - Previously, notifications appeared as a large banner at the top of the page. In the new version, they have been replaced by a more subtle side panel that opens when clicking the notification bell, offering a more familiar experience similar to social media platforms.
Preferences - Dealers frequently expressed frustration with having to log in separately for Volvo and Mack. The new version allows them to switch brands with a single click in the preferences section. They can also customize their profiles with tailored widgets, change markets, and seamlessly toggle between dark and light mode thanks to the implementation of the Volvo Group Design System.
Responsiveness - Previously, the portal was not responsive. The new version is fully optimized for all screen sizes, ensuring a seamless experience across devices.
What's next?
With the release of the updated T.D.P., the next phase of the project focuses on gathering user feedback to assess the platform’s performance and identify further areas for improvement. By analyzing dealer interactions and usability insights, the goal is to refine the experience, ensuring that the portal remains intuitive and efficient.
What's next?
With the release of the updated T.D.P., the next phase of the project focuses on gathering user feedback to assess the platform’s performance and identify further areas for improvement. By analyzing dealer interactions and usability insights, the goal is to refine the experience, ensuring that the portal remains intuitive and efficient.