DOCUMENT PRINTING

E-commerce Online Printing Platform

Big printer inside a staples store with hand holding iphone

MY ROLE

I directed a team of six UX and UI designers in a strategic redesign of Staples’ online document printing service. I took full ownership of task allocation, carefully assigning responsibilities to leverage each team member’s strengths and streamline workflow. I facilitated daily stand-ups to ensure alignment, led retrospectives to enhance team processes, and provided weekly progress updates to senior leadership. I conducted regular design reviews, offering constructive feedback to uphold design quality and support the professional growth of my team. I maintained accountability for all deliverables, ensuring we consistently met project milestones within a strict timeline.

HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE

3 (and counting) years

MAKE OF THE TEAM

1 Product Designer Lead (Me)

6 other Product Designers

20+ Developers

2 Marketing Managers

Product Manager

Product Owner

3 Merchant Managers

KEY GOAL

24% Conversion

OBJECTIVE

Background & Need

Staples was spending $2 million each year on an outdated third-party tool used for printing uploaded documents.
Despite maintaining a 23% conversion rate for over a decade, the platform’s complexity signaled the need for transformation.
In 2017, I was brought on to lead the redesign and manage a team focused on delivering a more user-centered solution.

The old outdateder platform with a lot og complex information

A screenshot of the outdated complex third-party tool before the redesign

New Printing Platform Goals

Create a tool that preserves all existing features (e.g., finishing options, paper types, accessories) while greatly improving usability.
Ensure a smooth user experience without sacrificing any critical capabilities from the older system.
Aim for a 24% conversion rate (or higher) as the key performance indicator (KPI).

Stakeholder Collaboration & Challenges

Several setbacks arose due to the involvement of multiple key stakeholders with varied priorities.
Strong relationships were essential for balancing both business objectives and user needs.
Worked closely with remote Staples US headquarters, holding regular meetings with product managers, merchants, customer service reps, store associates, developers, and top management.

Long-Term Strategy & Team Leadership

Over a three-year period, established quarterly targets and consistently updated upper management on progress.
Led a team of product designers, assigning clear ownership of tasks and removing obstacles to maintain momentum.
Emphasized open communication and goal clarity to ensure each milestone was met on time.

A spreadsheet with my teams full quarters work broken down into individual items

RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY

Competitive Analysis & Platform Audit

I Undertook out a detailed competitive analysis of leading printing platforms to benchmark features, usability, and design patterns.
The audit of our current printing platform revealed several issues: inconsistent design elements, navigation challenges, and limited customisation capabilities.
These insights underscored the need for a more cohesive, user-centered redesign that better aligns with industry best practices and emerging market trends.

A series of photos from my in store shadowing observation. Showing the store associate laminating, cutting, hole punching and binding a document

Observations & Early Redesign

Conducted store visits to observe associates printing, binding, and laminating documents, uncovering issues not initially addressed by business goals.
Led a rigorous card sorting exercise using over 80 paper types—with all samples shipped in for comprehensive testing—to streamline product categorization.
Collaborated with merchants and developers to map dependencies, resulting in a unified site map for improved clarity.

1/1

A ven diagram mapping the card sorting results

Progressive Disclosure & Product Alignment

Identified that complex finishing options (page size, paper, lamination, binding) were overwhelming users; proposed a “stepper” or “configurator” approach, inspired by a pizza-ordering builder, to gradually reveal options.
Validated this approach through research and user testing, building strong stakeholder support.
Worked with product managers to shift from marketing products separately (e.g., “sell sheets,” “resumes”) to a unified strategy, leveraging user upload data to ensure consistency between user needs and business goals.

DESIGN PART 1:
ITERATIONS AND USER TESTING

Project Breakdown & Collaboration

I collaborated with the product team to segment the project into smaller, manageable pieces.
I assigned tasks across key elements, including landing pages, SKU pages, the uploader, multiple configurator builders, and the cart page.

Design Iterations & User Testing

Developed several clickable prototypes, evolving from initial sketches and flow diagrams to detailed UX wireframes.
Conducted extensive user testing—both in-house and remotely via usertesting.com—with each test following a structured plan (defining goals, user profiles, tasks, and follow-up questions).
Analyzed test results and shared insights with the team, using user feedback as a critical driver to refine the design and validate our approach.

DESIGN PART 2:
UI MOCKUPS AND ACCESSIBILITY DOCUMENTATION

Flow Documentation & Incremental Release

Each part of the flow was broken down into breakpoints for mobile, tablet, and desktop, and the team's key documentation included interaction guidelines, accessibility standards (transitioning from ADA to WCAG), and marketing copy.
This documentation involved a close collaboration with the frontend team's UI and the marketing team's copy, ensuring that every element was accurately captured.
Once the individual pieces were available on staging, the UI's reviews were conducted, and any necessary edits were promptly addressed.
Each section was released incrementally while the old platform remained live, with careful communication to current users and a gradual redirection until all issues were resolved.
After the release, collaboration with the analytics team's insights led to thorough data analysis and the implementation of A/B testing using Google Optimize.

Accessibility Documentation

The accessibility documentation included detailed guidelines on colour contrast, tab order, and focus indicators.
Working closely with the marketing team's copy, alternative text was provided and clear error messaging was developed.
In coordination with the development team's efforts, semantic HTML was determined and correct ARIA labels were implemented to ensure full accessibility compliance.

RESULTS

The project was codenamed 'Hercules', and it certainly proved to be a Herculean effort to bring the platform to life. Internally, it was referred to as 'The Game', with the understanding that if this was the only project we completed successfully that year in the company, it would still be considered a win.

Despite various challenges, the conversion KPI target of 24% was exceeded, reaching nearly 33% after several updates.
Weekly sales increased significantly from $1.1 million on the old platform to almost $1.4 million on the new one.
Replacing the outdated third-party tool saved $2 million in annual fees.
Overall yearly sales rose by $10 million, marking the project as a resounding success that far surpassed expectations.