Modernising Procurement from the Ground Up
Led the design of a new B2B platform that transformed outdated procurement workflows into a streamlined, efficient, and scalable digital experience — from sourcing to supplier management.
Project Overview
I joined DeepStream at its inception, with a mission to build a procurement platform from 0 to 1. Designed for the energy and heavy industries, the product aimed to replace outdated, manual workflows with a modern, user-centred SaaS solution. I led the entire design process, from research and ideation to interface design and front-end implementation. The result was a modular, intuitive platform tailored to both buyers and suppliers, driving clarity, trust, and efficiency across the procurement lifecycle.
Status
Shipped
Role
Lead UI/UX Designer
Year
Q3 2016 - Q1 2019
Product & Audience
B2B Procurement
Skills
Product Design
Front-End Development
Web & Mobile Responsive
Design Systems
Final Solution
We successfully transformed procurement workflows with a streamlined, scalable platform that delivered measurable results for sourcing teams.
Highlights
A from-scratch procurement platform built to improve visibility, compliance, and efficiency across the sourcing and supplier management journey.
Understanding the Problem
The procurement industry—particularly in oil, gas, and energy—relied heavily on outdated tools like Excel, emails, and PDFs. These manual workflows created inefficiencies, a lack of transparency, and compliance risks. DeepStream’s goal was to build a platform that made procurement simple, clear, and trustworthy.
Key Challenges
Research & Insights
I conducted market and user research to understand how teams were currently managing procurement and where the biggest pain points existed.
Competitor & Market Analysis
I analysed platforms such as Flexport, DueDil, and other energy-industry tools, identifying gaps in usability, speed, and modern workflows.
User Research
I interviewed both buyers and suppliers, mapped their workflows, and ran surveys that gathered hundreds of data points. This helped define real user needs.
Qualitative Research
I organised focus groups and 1:1 interviews to go deeper into motivations, frustrations, and unmet needs, helping shape both the product vision and user flows.
Defining the Users
To guide product decisions, I created three proto-personas based on our findings:
Ideation & Product Direction
Following research, I worked with the founders and engineers to align on the MVP scope, roadmap, and product values.
I created user stories, mapped edge cases, and led team workshops to ensure clarity on every user path.
Wireframes & Early Prototypes
I explored multiple layout directions through low-fidelity wireframes to identify which flows best supported real-world use cases.
These were tested with user groups to validate whether:
User Testing & Iteration
I built low-fidelity prototypes to run usability tests with our focus group users, gathering feedback on layout, terminology, and task completion.
Feedback was organised into themes:
This process helped guide the next design iterations ahead of MVP launch.
Core Design Values
The platform was designed around three guiding principles:
Final Design & Implementation
With a validated design direction, I created a modern yet grounded interface, using colour, layout, and typography to convey clarity and security.
I also:
Dashboard Overview
Once onboarded, users land on a dashboard offering a full overview of their activity: sourcing requests, supplier responses, compliance checks, and more.
Everything is segmented into clean, intuitive modules for transparency and control.
DeepStream Network
The platform includes a built-in marketplace where buyers and suppliers connect. Users can:
This feature replaced manual sourcing via spreadsheets and searches, enabling faster, smarter procurement.
Core Features
These screens showcase the key workflows that make up the DeepStream procurement platform. Each feature was designed to simplify complex tasks while maintaining flexibility and control for both buyers and suppliers.
Responsive Design
Given that users often accessed DeepStream from email notifications, I designed the platform to be fully responsive. The mobile experience maintained all core functionality while adapting to smaller screens — no feature was compromised.
