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END-TO-END PLATFORM REDESIGN

MANHEIM REIMAGINED

In just 3 weeks, we reimagined the Manheim.com experience from the ground up to inspire executive stakeholders. This concept prototype unified key workflows, introduced AI personalization, native mobile app concepts, and set the strategic vision for the platform’s future.

Overview

This initiative began as a request from a VP during the winter holiday slowdown to explore "what's possible" with no technical, business, or legacy constraints. In just three weeks, we delivered a fully conceptual redesign of the Manheim.com platform, rethinking the end-to-end experience for buyers and sellers in digital car auctions.


This wasn’t a production-ready effort - it was a strategic vision deck created to inspire, not implement. The project unified core workflows, introduced AI-powered personalization, mobile-first enhancements, and gamified engagement features that excited executive leadership and influenced future planning.

Goals

  • Create a provocative, blue-sky concept of the Manheim.com experience
  • Align executive stakeholders around a shared vision of innovation
  • Surface opportunities for personalization, simplification, and speed
  • Provide a foundation for future roadmap exploration

My Role

UX Design and Strategy Lead

I led the strategy and UX direction for a future-forward redesign of Manheim.com, working with a lean team over a three-week sprint during the holiday lull. The goal was to produce a bold, unconstrained concept to reimagine the digital auction experience and inspire executive stakeholders.

Responsibilities

  • Shaped the UX vision for a zero-constraints redesign across buyer and seller flows
  • Facilitated discovery and ideation to define ideal-state user journeys
  • Directed prototype development and feature prioritization for an executive presentation
  • Partnered with a visual designer to deliver a compelling, high-fidelity concept
  • Developed a phased roadmap to show how the vision could be gradually realized

Process

I kicked off the project with a rapid discovery and alignment phase, leveraging competitive and cross-industry analysis to spark ideas and identify innovation opportunities. Using updated user journey maps, we uncovered pain points and key moments for improvement across both buyer and seller workflows. I also gathered input from executive leadership to ensure our vision would resonate with their strategic objectives.


From there, the team moved into conceptual design exploration. The redesigned experience centered around a unified Search Results Page (SRP), reimagined as the primary hub for actions like browsing, bidding, and post-sale tasks. We introduced a Natural Language Model (NLM) chatbot to make inventory searches more intuitive and conversational. New features like “Second Spin” and “Smart Picks” delivered personalized recommendations based on user behavior, while the pre-login experience was enhanced with localized inventory surfacing and trust-building content. We also conceptualized a gamified Buyer Profile system to drive loyalty and engagement.


Mobile was treated as a first-class citizen throughout the design, with improvements such as dynamic filters, native push notifications, and a streamlined, scroll-friendly layout to simplify access and speed up interactions on the go.


To bring the vision to life, I partnered with a visual designer to develop a high-fidelity prototype. We wrapped the sprint by packaging our work into a narrative deck and interactive walkthrough tailored for stakeholder presentation - built to excite, not instruct.

Pre-Login State

Post-Login State

Native Mobile

Outcomes

Strategic & Organizational Impact

Described by VP as “incredible work - you can take the rest of the year off”

Helped shift executive mindset toward bold UX transformation

Created alignment around future roadmap possibilities and prioritization


User Experience Innovations

Personalized inventory recommendations and smart filters for faster decisions

Gamified loyalty via Buyer Profiles to boost repeat visits and user satisfaction

Consolidated workflows and simplified navigation across web and mobile


Vision-Driven Design

Not intended for immediate development - a conceptual foundation to challenge assumptions and guide future work

Continues to inform ongoing UX strategy conversations and north-star planning

Impact

  • Delivered a fully formed UX vision in under 3 weeks during a holiday window
  • Sparked executive excitement 
  • Secured buy-in for long-term strategic initiatives to shape multi-year roadmap