Cisco Commerce Workspace
Simplifying B2B Buying Experience
Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW) is a 21-in-1 Enterprise commerce platform for quoting, configuring, and ordering Cisco products, services, and subscriptions. This unified tool aims to enhance efficiency for Cisco partners, resulting in faster bookings and significant productivity gains across the sales lifecycle.
Overview
CCW faced a significant challenge: their vast product ecosystem lacked consistency in user experiences and inefficient development processes across their tools.
Challenge
Slow deal cycle completion due to cluttered and overwhelmed user interfaces
Goal
Reduce deal cycle times and improve user satisfaction
Result
Partners produce five times as many quotes, complete deal cycles three times faster, and increase their productivity by 95%
Personal Impact
Initial Findings
B2B deals were taking weeks to close and partners spent hours daily troubleshooting. The existing platform was a digital labyrinth, overwhelming users with choices and unclear progress indicators. We needed to simplify without sacrificing functionality.
High-level Business Goals
Create a cohesive experience for users within CCW
Reduce the Deal Cycle Time to bring in revenues
CCW screens prior Redesign Project
How Might We
Streamline the B2B buying process without compromising on features?
Reduce deal cycle times while improving user satisfaction?
Create a cohesive experience across multiple tools and user types?
Research
We rolled up our sleeves and dove into the trenches with our stakeholders, sales teams, and partners. What we found was eye-opening:
A staggering 90% of partners felt swamped by choices, while users grappled with a maze of unclear progress indicators and inconsistent features. The overwhelming choices and inconsistent features led us to prioritize a unified experience strategy. We knew we needed to simplify without sacrificing functionality.
One-on-one interviews painted a picture of partners drowning in multiple deal versions, with troubleshooting tasks gobbling up over 5 hours daily. If we could create a clear, linear progression, we could save partners valuable time.
Support ticket analysis exposed a critical platform challenge: 90% of users navigate a feature minefield, where discounts, configurations, and add-ons appear unpredictably across tools, creating a complex puzzle that partners must meticulously solve to ensure consistent functionality. The cognitive overload partners experienced pushed us to focus on information structure optimization. By implementing a hierarchical structure, we could help users focus on critical details without feeling overwhelmed.
Pain Points
90% of partners are overwhelmed with contents at any given moments.
Insights Challenge to complete task and making decisions
Partners take weeks/months working on a deal
Insights Users may abandon tasks or make errors if they feel overwhelmed due to cognitive overload
No clear progress trackers where users are
Insights Users are not confidence to complete tasks or abandon due to frustration
Repetitive features with different names and experiences between CCW tools
Insights Reduce efficiency and productivity between tools
“
CCW tool is like a Jackson Pollock painting.
- a User Feedback
Ideate
After synthesizing our research insights, we conducted a series of collaborative brainstorming sessions to generate innovative ideas:
User Personas
During synthesizing, we ran into a pattern of 4 repeated users. We turn them into four key user personas: Managers, Internal User, Distributors, and Partners. Each representing a different facet of our user base. These personas help guide every decision we make.
Outcome: By developing these personas, we ensured that our solutions addressed the specific needs of each user type. For example, we tailored the Workspace tool for each persona differently to focus on team/personal performance metrics, while Partners' interfaces prioritized deal progression and configuration tools.
Click on image to view in details
User Journey Map
We created detailed user journey maps for each of our key personas, identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement at every stage of the B2B buying process. This exercise helped us visualize the entire user experience, from initial product discovery to final order placement.
Outcome: The journey maps revealed critical pain points, such as the lack of progress indicators and inconsistent features across tools. This insight directly informed our decision to create a streamlined process visualization and develop a unified experience strategy across all CCW tools.
an User Journey Map example for a CCW Feature. Click on image to view in details
Restructure Partner Workflow
We reimagined the CPQ process, creating a streamlined linear progression for partners and external users. By allowing internal approvals to happen behind the scenes, we eliminated repetitive data entry and reduced wait times. This transformation turned a once slow and agonizing process into a smooth, time-saving experience for our partners.
Outcome: This resulted in the Streamlined Process Visualization solution. Users like Logan and Jeremiah now had a clear, linear progression through the CPQ process, replacing scattered tab designs and providing a sense of progress and accomplishment.
Click on image to view in details
Prioritize Information
We tackled information overload head-on, especially for complex enterprise-level deals. Our solution? A clean, focused interface that displays essential product information at first glance. For those needing more details, we implemented an intuitive slide-in panel, giving users control over their information consumption without overwhelming them.
Outcome: This evolved into the Information Structure Optimization solution. For instance, Jeremiah, the internal user, could now focus on critical details for closing deals while easily accessing deeper information when needed, improving decision-making efficiency and client relationships.
Click on image to view in details
Enriching Dashboard
We transformed Cisco Workspace tool into a powerful productivity hub. By leveraging APIs and graph technology, we created a dynamic dashboard that provides real-time insights into tool performance across CCW. This bird's-eye view empowers users to track their efficiency, spot bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to boost their productivity.
Outcome: This contributed to the Intuitive Navigation Framework, helping users like Christina (Partner) and Logan (Distributor) navigate complex product configurations and deals with ease, reducing cognitive load and improving task completion rates.
Click on image to view in details
Data-Driven Decision Making
We didn't rely on our gut feelings. We let data drive our decisions, conducting A/B testing, surveys, and one-on-one interviews to inform our choices.
Design Sprints
We conducted 2 weeks design sprints, bringing together cross-functional teams of designers, engineers, analysts, and project managers to rapidly prototype and validate new and existing revamp features.
Concept Testing
We developed low-fidelity prototypes of our top ideas and conducted concept testing sessions with a select group of partners. This early feedback helped us refine our solutions before moving into full-scale development.
Solutions
Our design process explored numerous innovative solutions, each addressing a critical pain point in the user experience. While we developed multiple approaches, four key solutions emerged as transformative:
Implementation and Rollout
Given the scale of the project, we knew we couldn't just flip a switch and hope for the best. We adopted a phased rollout approach:
Gradual Feature Releases
We introduced new features incrementally, allowing for continuous improvement and feedback. Our unified experience strategy was the first step towards the new design system.
Pilot Program
We cautiously launched with Cisco internal users first, gathering valuable feedback before releasing to all users.
Feedback Loop
We established an ongoing system of surveys and one-on-one feedback, allowing us to quickly address issues and iterate on features.
Outcome
Our comprehensive redesign transformed CCW from a complex maze into a streamlined superhighway of B2B commerce. By reimagining every touchpoint, we turned a frustrating platform into a powerful tool that accelerates deals, empowers partners, and redefines how Cisco does business.
3x
Faster Deal Cycle Time
5x
More Quotes Enhancement in Partner Productivity
85%
of All Customer Interactions Powered by AI Chatbot
These weren't just numbers - they represented real improvements in partner productivity and customer experience in the B2B buying process.
What I Learned
By combining deep user research, collaborative ideation, and iterative design processes, we were able to create a solution that truly met user needs and business objectives. It reinforced the importance of aligning UX strategy with business goals and leveraging cross-functional collaboration. This journey wasn't just about redesigning a platform - it was about reimagining the entire B2B buying experience. Yes, the project took time to complete. But in the process, we didn't just transform CCW - we transformed how our partners work, how deals are closed, and ultimately, how Cisco does business.
