Lin Bele Jacobsen

Projects

The grocer

New tool for Norway's largest grocery wholesaler.

Role
UX · Agile Product Owner
Client
NorgesGruppen
Year
2018
Team
12 in dev team in Oslo
The finished bulk food ordering tool, showing a list of upcoming orders with delivery dates, quantities and status indicators.
The finished tool — managing bulk orders across thousands of product lines.

My key takeaways

The customers represented a variety of segments and appeared quite diverse at first glance. However, upon conducting a comprehensive analysis, we discovered that the majority of users shared similar values, objectives, and requirements for the tool.

Project goals

  • Develop a new bulk food ordering tool for 40% of Norway’s grocery shops
  • Simplify onboarding process, eliminating the need for extensive onsite training

Research and development process

Initial research

  • Conducted comprehensive interviews with shopkeepers and employees
  • Identified common values and needs across diverse shop profiles

Design and strategy

  • Facilitated ideation workshops for functionality
  • Led product strategy, KPIs, roadmap, and user-story development
  • Collaborated closely with a skilled UI designer, enhancing mutual expertise
Three colleagues sketching an early concept on a whiteboard during a design workshop.
An early ideation workshop.

Implementation and testing

  • Managed user stories and backlog in Jira
  • Conducted daily meetings with developers as Product Owner
  • Performed extensive user testing with over 30 shopkeepers across multiple iterations
A product detail panel for Red Bull cans, letting the shopkeeper choose a pack size and quantity before adding it to the order.
Choosing pack size and quantity for a product line.

Challenges and solutions

Team composition

  • 90% consultant-based team with limited industry-specific knowledge
  • Leveraged customer willingness to provide insights and support

Stakeholder management

  • Navigated distributed ownership across departments
  • Overcame initial delays by ensuring consistent stakeholder involvement

Project outcomes

  • Successful implementation
  • Increased efficiency, allowing shopkeepers more time for customer and employee interaction
  • Positive user feedback on the tool’s impact on daily operations

This e-commerce solution has significantly improved the bulk ordering process for Norwegian grocers, streamlining their operations and enhancing their ability to focus on core business activities.