Company
JPMorganChase
Department
Legal - Vendor Management
My role
Lead Product Designer
Team
UX researcher, PM, engineering
Deliverable
End-to-end web application
Platform
Salt Design System (J.P.Morgan)
About SMEx
JPMorgan Chase's Legal department managed thousands of vendor relationships but lacked a centralized system to manage them. Supplier data lived across multiple databases and a separate data repository that the company had tried to consolidate for years. Internal employees searching for approved vendors had to manually comb through external directories. They then prepared presentations to justify their choices and presented them to the Supplier Management Team for approval. This process was slow, inconsistent, and completely invisible to those trying to get work done.
I was brought in as lead designer to help fix that. SMEx, or Supplier Management Expert, is the product we built. It is a centralized, searchable web application that gives internal teams a single place to find, evaluate, and request vendors. It also provides the Supplier Management Team with a structured solution to maintain and publish a vetted supplier list that aligns with JPMorgan's sustainability, diversity, and compliance goals.
My Role
I led design end-to-end, from the first whiteboarding session through final delivery. I was the sole designer on a cross-functional team working with a UX researcher, product manager, and engineering.
One of the most complex parts of the project happened before any wireframe was drawn. The company wanted to consolidate multiple databases and a separate data repository into one unified interface. I facilitated whiteboarding sessions with business stakeholders and product and engineering teams. We mapped the existing data, identified its locations, and defined its structure in the UI. This work directly shaped the information architecture and helped engineering plan the required data integrations.
From there, my responsibilities included:
- Leading discovery and evaluative research - user interviews, surveys, and an Importance Score methodology to prioritize what data fields mattered most to users.
- Designing the full interface using J.P. Morgan's internal design system, later replaced with Salt Design System (used for this case study), ensuring consistency with internal tools and reducing engineering effort.
- Creating and testing prototypes with internal users, iterating on search filters, supplier profiles. and request workflows based on feedback.
- Partnering with developers through implementation to ensure the delivered product matched the intended experience.
Challenge
The Supplier Management Team (SMT) at JPMorgan Chase faced a significant challenge: they needed a centralized system for managing vetted suppliers. This fragmented approach caused inefficiencies for internal teams tasked with finding suppliers for new projects. Employees often had to:
- Search across multiple websites to identify potential suppliers.
- Create detailed presentations to justify their choices to managers.
- Call the SMT for approval, often with delays due to their high workload.
This process was time-consuming, inconsistent, and prone to errors. Additionally, it needed to align supplier selection with broader company goals, such as prioritizing suppliers with sustainable practices or minority-owned businesses. These inefficiencies delayed projects and risked missing out on the best suppliers.
Solution
To address these challenges, we designed and delivered Supplier Management Expert (SMEx), a user-friendly web application that streamlined supplier management and selection processes. This software-as-a-service (SaaS) tool served two primary user groups:
The Supplier Management Team (SMT): Responsible for creating, updating, and managing the list of vetted suppliers. The tool enabled them to:
- Vet suppliers more efficiently.
- Ensure compliance with company standards, including sustainability and inclusivity goals.
- Publish an up-to-date, centralized supplier list for internal teams.
Internal Employees: Tasked with finding and selecting suppliers for projects. The tool allowed them to:
- Search and filter pre-approved suppliers by criteria like expertise, location, and ratings.
- Access detailed supplier profiles with rates, testimonials, and contact information.
- Submit requests for new suppliers to be vetted and added to the system.
Key Features:
- A comprehensive search bar and filter system for quick supplier discovery.
- Supplier profiles are structured to surface critical information, such as past engagements and ratings.
- A streamlined request form for adding new suppliers to the vetted list.
Process
Discovery Research
- Conducted user interviews to understand pain points in supplier tracking and selection.
- Gathered input from the SMT and leadership to align the tool with business goals such as sustainability, inclusivity, and negotiated rates.
Information Architecture (IA)
Before defining the IA, we needed to understand the data landscape. More than three separate databases and a data repository that each held different parts of the supplier picture. I facilitated sessions with business and engineering to map what existed, identify gaps, and determine what consolidation was required before the Ul could work as intended.
- Conducted workshops and surveys to obtain a ranked list of the information needed to help us outline the data anticipated for searching and filtering and organize the suppliers’ profiles.
- Calculated survey respondents' Importance Score to rank data fields in order of priority.
Design Testing
- Created wireframes and user flow diagrams to visualize navigation and usability.
- To ensure consistency and expedite development, I designed the interface using Salt Design System J.P. Morgan's design system.
- Conducted usability testing sessions with internal users to gather feedback.
- Iterated designs to improve workflows, search filters, and the display of supplier profiles.
Scenario: Finding the Right Vendor for a High-Stakes Project
Before the Tool
Sarah, a project manager, faced a frustrating and disjointed process when searching for suppliers. She had to:
- Manually search through multiple external directories.
- Create lengthy presentations to justify her choices.
- Call the SMT for vetting, often with delays.
This inefficiency delayed her project timeline and made supplier selection stressful and error-prone.
After the Tool
With the new application, Sarah’s workflow transformed:
- She uses the search bar and filters to find suppliers with relevant expertise and high ratings.
- She reviews detailed supplier profiles, including testimonials from colleagues.
- When no pre-approved supplier met her needs, she quickly submitted a new supplier request via the tool, which was vetted and added by the SMT.
The result? Sarah completed her supplier selection process in half the time, allowing her to focus on delivering her project efficiently.
Result
User feedback highlighted several benefits:
- Employees found the tool intuitive and reported smoother workflows when searching for and evaluating suppliers.
- SMT members noted that managing the vetted supplier list became more efficient, with fewer delays and manual processes.
- Collaboration between internal teams and the SMT improved, making the supplier selection process more cohesive and productive.
While specific metrics were not captured, the overall response to the tool was positive, demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing key pain points.
Reflection
This project underscored the importance of partnership throughout the design and development process. Collaborating closely with stakeholders during discovery ensured the tool aligned with business goals like sustainability and diversity. Involving my UX colleagues during design helped maintain consistency with other internal tools, reducing user confusion and fostering adoption.
Working with accessibility experts during implementation ensured the final product was inclusive and met the needs of employees with disabilities. Each release was delivered on time and within budget, showcasing the value of a well-structured UX process.
If I were to revisit this project, I would further streamline the vendor request process to reduce back-and-forth communication. Despite this, I am proud of the outcome, which improved workflows and made supplier selection more efficient and satisfying for employees.