Redesigning Cenex.com for a Diverse User Base
Cenex, a leading U.S.-based energy brand, needed a modern digital experience to better serve its diverse audiences—including customers, dealers, and business partners. I led the redesign of Cenex.com to minimize friction across user types by introducing flexible page templates, advanced tools, and a scalable design system. The result is a site that delivers clear, tailored journeys and seamless functionality for every user, in every scenario.
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My Role
Lead UX Designer
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The Team
UX Designers, Product Manager, Full-stack Developers, and Project Manager
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Timeline
9 Weeks for Define, 11 Weeks for Design, 30 Weeks for Development
Problem Statement
Cenex.com plays a crucial role in strengthening relationships between Cenex and its diverse audiences. It's essential to minimize friction between all types of end-users and dealers. However, the current site lacks tailored user journeys for each audience segment.
01
Lack of Audience-Specific Navigation
The current site structure fails to effectively guide distinct user groups. It does not cater to the varying needs and behaviors of different audience segments, resulting in a lack of differentiation and clear pathways.
02
Monotonous Discovery Process
Users struggle with finding and understanding products due to the lack of curated content packages and a comprehensive product module that supports easy discovery.
Prototypes
Feature
Search for a product
Feature
Search for a location
Design Process
I led the design process end-to-end, including conducting research, interviewing stakeholders, identifying user types and pain points, crafting user journeys, developing wireframes, and refining designs through iterative improvements.
To ensure the project was grounded in user needs and business goals, I spearheaded a stakeholder interview and synthesis workshop. Collaborating closely with key stakeholders allowed me to uncover nuanced insights about the target audience and business objectives. Through this process, I identified four key user types, each with distinct motivations, pain points, and goals. These user types became the foundation for all subsequent design decisions, ensuring alignment with user expectations.
With the user types defined, I recognized the need to reassess the current user journey. Each stage of the journey was carefully analyzed, with particular attention to user needs, challenges, and emotional touchpoints. Using these insights, I designed detailed user journeys for each user type. These journeys served as a north star during the wireframing process,
Armed with a clear understanding of user needs, I began wireframing the key pages in the user flow. Each wireframe focused on optimizing the interaction flow and meeting the specific needs of different user types. During this stage, I also explored and ideated on modular components that could address diverse use cases while maintaining consistency across the platform.
Collaborating with the user researcher, I conducted user testing to evaluate the homepage's usability. The resulting click-through rate (CTR) data and user feedback provided valuable insights to inform our decisions.
Highlights
✨Featured Modules
Here’s a quick overview of selected modules with Before and After comparisons, showcasing solutions to site issues such as unclear user flow, monotonous discovery, and broken tool experiences.
Development
Development Phase includes Functional Documentation (aka annotation) and Development. Each two-week development sprint, I participated in the Sprint Kick-Off, daily work sessions, and was responsible for addressing any open questions about UX design, including interactions, breakpoints, and animation.
In addition to design deliverables, I led the creation of functional documentation to bridge gaps between designers, product managers, and developers. During this process, I identified inconsistencies in CMS(Content Management System) terminology and documentation practices. To address these challenges, I established a regular sync meeting involving leads from design, product, and development workstreams. This proactive step fostered alignment and ensured seamless communication across teams.
As the UX lead, I played an active role during the development phase to ensure a smooth implementation of the designs. I attended daily standups to address questions and provide clarifications in real-time. By managing queries directly within Jira tickets, I expedited decision-making and maintained design integrity throughout the development cycle. This hands-on support minimized bottlenecks and fostered collaboration between UX and engineering teams.
