Principal Product Designer, User Research, UX Strategy, Vision
Outperforming industry giants through a research-led RFP strategy and operational service blueprint.
The Challenge
The Hershey Company invited us to envision a modernized R&D and supply chain ecosystem that could seamlessly meet stringent FDA compliance standards. We identified an opportunity to transform a complex, manual traceability process into a streamlined digital experience. The goal was to provide lab technicians and warehouse personnel with a "Single Source of Truth," turning a compliance requirement into a driver of operational efficiency and factory-wide ROI.
The Solution
Our team led a research-driven strategy, conducting deep-dive interviews to understand the daily workflows on the factory floor. We collaborated to develop a comprehensive Service Blueprint and a narrative-driven prototype that visualized a complete ingredient-tracking history. By focusing on data-driven insights and user needs, we were able to present a vision that stood out for its depth and empathy. This unified approach allowed us to demonstrate exactly how improving the employee experience would lead to significant gains in efficiency and revenue.
The Results
Our research-first approach transformed the client's perspective on the project, leading to a significant competitive win for the firm.
Competitive Differentiation: The client reported that our "insight-driven" approach stood out "by far" compared to major competitors like Salesforce, who lacked our depth of user-centric data.
Secured Finalist Status: Our pitch was so compelling that we were selected to move to the final stages of the multi-million dollar engagement.
Strategic Roadmap: Delivered a validated storyline and cost-to-build estimate that aligned federal FDA compliance with operational time-savings.
