project snapshot
Role | Senior Product Designer |
|---|---|
Team | UX Research, Product, Engineering, Business Stakeholders |
Duration | 1 Year |
Platforms | Web & Mobile |
Focus | Research, Information Architecture, Design Systems, E-commerce |
Impact | Created the UX foundation that guided future commerce initiatives across Dentsply Sirona's digital ecosystem |
Overview
Dentsply Sirona operated a large ecosystem of commerce websites serving dental practices, assistants, office managers, hygienists, and specialists.
As the organization expanded its digital presence, inconsistent user experiences, fragmented workflows, and a lack of standardized design practices began creating operational inefficiencies for both customers and internal teams.
As Senior Product Designer, I helped lead a year-long transformation initiative focused on establishing a scalable UX foundation, redesigning key purchasing workflows, and introducing reusable systems that could support future growth.
My responsibilities included facilitating discovery workshops, defining information architecture, establishing design system foundations, and designing responsive commerce experiences across desktop and mobile.
Business Challenge
Dentsply Sirona's digital commerce ecosystem had grown across multiple websites without a shared UX foundation.
Customers struggled with fragmented purchasing workflows, while internal teams lacked consistent design standards and reusable patterns.
The organization needed a scalable approach that could:
Improve product discovery and purchasing workflows
Reduce friction throughout the ordering process
Create consistency across multiple commerce properties
Establish a sustainable design foundation for future growth
Research & Discovery
Rather than immediately redesigning the experience, our team began by understanding the people responsible for purchasing and managing supplies within dental practices.
Over several collaborative workshops, stakeholder interviews, and research sessions, we worked with business leaders to identify key customer segments and map their day-to-day workflows.
Key Personas
During our initial workshop session, I facilitated proto-persona development with the primary stakeholder and cross-functional teams to establish baseline user understanding.
While several personas emerged, two became especially influential in guiding product decisions:
Office Managers
Responsible for coordinating inventory, managing budgets, comparing vendors, and ensuring practices remain operational.
Dental Assistants
Frequently responsible for researching products, communicating with sales representatives, and placing or influencing purchasing decisions.
User Personas | Office Manager & Dental Assistant
Office Manager Journey Map
Key Research Insights
Across interviews, journey mapping sessions, and stakeholder workshops, several recurring themes emerged:
Insight | Impact |
|---|---|
Product discovery was difficult | Users struggled to locate products quickly |
Ordering workflows were fragmented | Customers frequently switched between systems and vendors |
SKU-based ordering created friction | Many users relied on sales representatives for routine purchases |
Inventory management was inefficient | Practices maintained manual tracking systems |
Trust in pricing and availability was inconsistent | Users frequently compared multiple suppliers before purchasing |
The most important realization was that users were spending significant time managing procurement rather than patient care.
The purchasing experience needed to become faster, clearer, and more predictable
Strategy
Using our research findings, I created a framework that focused on three primary opportunities:
Simplify Product Discovery
Users needed to find products quickly through intuitive navigation, search, and SKU lookup capabilities.
Streamline Purchasing Workflows
The ordering process needed to reduce unnecessary steps and support common purchasing behaviors.
Establish Scalable Design Foundations
Future products and initiatives required reusable patterns that could improve consistency and accelerate delivery.
To align stakeholders and validate implementation feasibility, I developed detailed workflow diagrams and future-state experience maps.
Solution
Modernized Product Discovery
The redesigned product detail experience improved content hierarchy, product visibility, and responsive behavior across devices.
Shop.DS.com | Product Detail Page
Streamlined Cart & Checkout
The purchasing flow was redesigned to reduce friction while supporting the complex requirements of dental procurement.
Improvements included:
Simplified cart management
Improved order visibility
Responsive checkout experiences
Clear pricing and inventory information
Shop.DS.com | Cart
Shop.DS.com | Checkout
Consistent Responsive Framework
A shared system of reusable patterns helped establish consistency across desktop and mobile experiences while reducing duplicated design effort.
This foundation also created a starting point for future design system work across the organization.
Impact
The initiative established Dentsply Sirona's first scalable UX foundation while improving the purchasing experience for dental practices across multiple commerce properties.
Customer Experience
Reduced friction throughout purchasing workflows
Improved product discovery and navigation
Increased consistency across commerce touchpoints
Better support for mobile purchasing scenarios
Organizational Impact
Established foundational UX processes and artifacts used by multiple teams
Created reusable design patterns that improved consistency
Helped align stakeholders around a shared customer-centered vision
Introduced scalable design practices that informed future initiatives
Redesigned experiences were implemented across Dentsply Sirona's commerce ecosystem and became the foundation for future digital initiatives.
Perhaps most importantly, the project shifted design conversations from feature requests toward user needs, creating a stronger foundation for future digital transformation efforts.
