From Complexity to Clarity: Innovation in HVAC&R industry
Role
UX Design Lead
Company
Lennox International Inc
Year
2007 - 2019
THE CHALLENGE
The HVAC&R industry is inherently complex. Contractors, engineers, and sales teams all had specialized workflows. Configuring refrigeration systems involved intricate calculations, a variety of equipment combinations, and integration with multiple backend systems like SAP Hybris for e-commerce, CRM & CPQ for pricing and quoting, and SAP ERP for operations.
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On top of this, Teams were unfamiliar with user-centered design process, and leadership had limited awareness of its potential impact.
THE APPROACH
1. Understanding the Complexity
I immersed myself in the technical and operational details: refrigeration load calculations, equipment configurations, and SAP integration. By fully understanding the workflows and technical dependencies, I identified where user frustration and inefficiencies arose.
I focused on simplifying the multifaceted tasks involved in creating refrigeration solutions from supermarket freezers to cold-storage warehouses. By applying a systems thinking approach, I identified the interconnected parts of the workflow and understood how they influenced the overall user experience.
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Basics of refrigeration load calculation
​Determining the required capacity for refrigeration systems involved several variables—room environment, wall load, air load, and product load.
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​Each of these elements needed to be accurately calculated to ensure that the system would function optimally.
Understanding the equipment configuration
Once the load calculations were complete, the challenge shifted to configuring the equipment for wide variety of refrigeration needs—combination of condensers, unit coolers, and ship-loose options
—all while integrating seamlessly with existing SAP systems.
Technical feasibility aspects for design
Ensuring that the complex configurations were technically feasible required seamless integration between multiple SAP systems
—Hybris for e-commerce, CPQ for configuring, pricing, and quoting, and SAP ERP for backend operations.
2. Mapping for Clarity
I created holistic visualizations of the entire business process from initial customer inquiry to final installation.
These maps aligned diverse stakeholders across contractors, engineers, IT, and sales, fostering shared understanding and clarifying interdependencies in the workflow.
3. Co-creating Solutions with Users
To ensure solutions addressed real pain points, I led co-creation workshops with contractors and engineers. Observing their work, gathering feedback, and collaboratively iterating on ideas allowed us to uncover hidden challenges and reimagine workflows in ways that simplified tasks and reduced errors.
4. Iterative Prototyping & Agile Delivery
Adopting Agile practices, I integrated research, design, and usability testing into iterative development cycles. Each iteration transformed complex processes into intuitive, user-friendly flows while ensuring technical feasibility.
Driving Innovation
THE HUB didn’t just streamline existing processes—it redefined how refrigeration solutions were designed, priced, and quoted. The system supported diverse configurations, automated complex calculations, and improved efficiency for contractors and engineers.
THE IMPACT
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48% increase in customer registrations for THE HUB
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27% faster task completion for application engineers
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30% reduction in post-launch bugs
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24% acceleration in design and development cycles
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Streamlined equipment configuration workflows
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Established a user-centered culture and a dedicated UX practice
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Beyond "THE HUB":
My work extended beyond THE HUB with iCON, a multi-site optimization tool, and THE LIINK, enhancing employee productivity.
