Lowe's Pro Supply
Streamlining ordering for professional contractors
Lowe's Pro Supply's contractors run the same ordering tasks all day. I cut the navigation depth and the context-switching so routine work stopped fighting them.
- Company
- Lowe's Pro Supply
- Role
- Product Designer
- Industry
- B2B commerce
- Timeline
- 2022 – 2023
Context
Lowe's Pro Supply serves professional contractors who manage inventory, ordering, and fulfillment as part of their day. These are not casual browsers. They work in fast, operational settings and run the same flows repeatedly, so small amounts of friction add up across a shift.
The problem
Common tasks required too much navigation and context-switching, which slowed people down on work they do constantly. The challenge was simplifying operational flows without stripping out the flexibility professional users need for varied, real-world situations.
What I did
- Designed core application workflows for professional, task-focused users
- Focused the interface on repeat, operational use rather than first-time discovery
- Worked within product and engineering constraints on feasibility and scope
How I approached it
- Focused on the repeat tasks contractors run most, not one-time onboarding moments
- Consolidated related actions into focused views to cut navigation depth
- Prioritized speed and scannability so the interface kept up with operational pace
- Kept patterns consistent across workflows to reduce training and cognitive overhead
Key decisions
- Consolidated related actions into focused views to reduce navigation depth
- Prioritized speed and scannability over visual detail, because the interface is used repeatedly, not admired
- Designed for repeat workflows rather than first-time discovery
- Held patterns consistent across the app so people did not relearn it screen to screen
What shipped
Core ordering and account flows focused on speed, consistency, and repeat use, so professional users could move through routine tasks with less friction.
Reflection
Designing for professionals who use a tool all day is a different discipline than designing for first impressions. The value is in small time savings on tasks people repeat constantly, which means restraint and consistency matter more than novelty. It is a good example of designing for the actual context of use rather than the demo.