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Redefining the eAuction Experience for Enterprise Procurement

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Overview

Procurement teams handle millions of dollars through online auctions, but legacy tools make decision-making slow and stressful.

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Our goal was to reimagine the eAuction experience - making it intelligent, transparent, and effortless for both procurement managers and suppliers.

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💡 Every interaction was designed to feel “guided” by AI, not controlled by it.

Personas

Buyer (Procurement Manager)

Creates and monitors auctions, negotiates with suppliers, and makes purchase decisions. Needs clarity, confidence, and instant visibility.

Supplier (Vendor)

Participates in auctions, revises bids frequently, and competes for contracts. Needs simplicity, fairness, and quick mobile access.

Research & Insights

User Interviews

We interviewed procurement managers and suppliers to understand their pain points.

Key Findings:

  • Buyers felt overwhelmed by too much data, too little context

  • Suppliers found existing platforms stressful and opaque

  • Both personas wanted trust and guidance, not just data

Competitive Review

SAP Ariba, Coupa, and Jaggaer revealed a gap:​

None offered gentle, assistive AI that helps humans think better rather than think for them.

The AI Philosophy - Assist, Don’t Overwhelm

Our AI features were designed as subtle, confidence-building nudges.
 

  • AI Recommended Actions:
    smart suggestions on extending, splitting, or analyzing bids
     

  • AI Supplier Matching:
    pre-selects reliable suppliers
     

  • AI-Suggested Messages:
    helps buyers communicate clearly
     

  • Risk Alerts:
    flag unreliable or unusual bidding patterns

Think of it as a co-pilot - quiet when you’re confident, active when you’re uncertain.

Information Architecture

Buyer Flow: Dashboard → Create Auction → Live Auction → Analytics
 

Supplier Flow: Auction List → Place Bid → Revise Bid → Rank Feedback

Design Solutions

1. Buyer Dashboard - Command Center

  • High-level KPIs: Total Savings, Active Auctions, Response Rate

  • AI cards suggest next best actions (e.g., “Auto-extend auction”)

  • Modern card layout + white space = calm data reading
     

💬 Procurement managers described this as “clear, confident, and human.”

Mockup: Buyer Dashboard with AI Recommended Actions 👇
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2. Live Auction View - Data with Context

  • Displays current bids, supplier ranks, and total savings

  • Contextual AI nudges (e.g., “Splitting award could save 8%”)

  • Trust cues: supplier ratings, performance history, and risk alerts
     

💬 This view reduced decision fatigue by showing just the right amount of data at once.

Mockup: Buyer’s Live Auction Screen (Supplier Rankings & Insights) 👇
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3. AI Chat Assist - Humanized Negotiation

  • AI drafts polite, contextual messages

  • Helps maintain fairness during negotiation

  • Keeps tone professional and transparent
     

💬 Turns negotiation anxiety into constructive communication.

Mockup: Buyer-Supplier Chat with AI-Suggested Message 👇
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4. Auction Creation - Guided Setup Flow

  • Simple two-step wizard for quick auction setup

  • AI recommends suppliers based on relevance and trust score

  • Progress indicators reduce cognitive load
     

💬 40% faster auction creation in usability tests.

Mockup: Step 1 - Define Line Items 👇
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Mockup: Step 2 - AI-Powered Supplier Matching 👇

5. Supplier Experience - Speed Meets Simplicity

  • Real-time rank indicator: “Top 3 - Your bid is competitive”

  • Transparent ranking explanation builds confidence

  • Mobile app lets suppliers bid anytime, anywhere
     

💬 Suppliers called it “stress-free and fair.”

Mockup: Supplier Auction Screen (Desktop) 👇
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Mockup: Tooltip “How Ranking Works” for Transparency 👇
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Mockup: Mobile View - Revise Bid on the Go 👇

Usability Testing & Validation

  • 10 participants (5 buyers + 5 suppliers)

  • 2 testing rounds → Iterative refinements
     

Results:
✅ 100% of buyers found AI insights helpful
✅ 90% of suppliers preferred the new mobile workflow
✅ Average setup time ↓ 35%
✅ Interface clarity rated 4.8/5

Reflections

This project reminded me that AI’s role in design is not to decide - it’s to support.

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Balancing enterprise complexity with human emotion taught me how to:

  • Build trust through transparency

  • Design for two mindsets in one ecosystem

  • Blend data density with visual calmness

Outcome

The redesigned experience positioned the product as a smart, human-first eAuction platform - ready for large-scale deployment across enterprise procurement teams.

  • Buyers gained confidence.

  • Suppliers gained flexibility.

  • The system gained trust.

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