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The potential user base of our software is demand planners. Depending on the size of the company can be part of sales & marketing or even finance teams. These people are in charge of predicting how much of a product will be needed makes changes to the predictions. They do this when they notice something the computer model might miss, like upcoming sales, new trends, or unexpected events. It’s like adjusting the weather forecast when you know a big storm is coming that wasn’t in the original prediction.
Currently, demand planners have to manually import data from the ERP system and organize it through manual entry. Our team wanted to simplify this action using our desktop software.
The ability to view monthly forecasts by category > subcategory > product is possible in Excel too, but the setup is complicated, and it's difficult to view the data at a glance.
Interaction: Use the most common and intuitive filter method to control grouping for ease of use.
"Filters streamline user journeys and drive engagement by increasing efficiency and content discovery. - Filter UI and UX 101 – An In-Depth Guide"
Visual Layout: Instead of displaying depth horizontally, represent it like a funnel, where the deeper levels become more detailed as you go downward.
"This design mirrors the shape of a physical funnel, displaying a progressive reduction in data values from top to bottom, which can help in tracking conversion rates and analyzing user behavior patterns. - A complete guide to funnel charts by Mike Yi"
Drawing inspiration from existing knowledge of common interactions used in interface design, and specifically taking cues from common practices in desktop software, I was able to propose a design direction for our solution.
Initial Design
Feedback
Final Design
