2024
Reducing blind spots:
Alert Center redesign increases user engagement
I redesigned our legacy Alert Center to work across multiple entities in our new B2B procurement platform. By simplifying alert creation, adding email notifications with inline data, and introducing mute controls, we increased alert creation by 40% and email open rates by 35% within the first month after launch.
The business problem:
Critical feature at risk
Our procurement platform was being rebuilt from scratch, but a critical feature from the legacy system, Alert Center, was tied to an entity that would be discontinued. Without alerts, negotiations would lose their early-warning system for price variations and cost-saving opportunities.
The stakes were high: our users rely on personalized alerts to generate savings and cost avoidance for their companies.
Users and needs:
Procurement professionals managing high-stakes accounts
Our users are procurement specialists and category managers who negotiate large corporate accounts. They need to:
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Monitor multiple cost indicators, cost models, and content simultaneously
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Receive timely notifications about price variations or market changes
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Avoid information overload from irrelevant or duplicate alerts
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Access alert details quickly without hunting through emails
My role in the project
I led the discovery and design for the Alert Center redesign. I collaborated with our Product Manager, Eng Team, and CS team to validate requirements and iterate on solutions.
My responsibilities included conducting in-depth user interviews with internal teams (TSO, CS) and platform users, designing user flows and screens, and defining success metrics with the Product team.
The process: From research to solution in 6 weeks
Week 1-2
Research
I conducted in-depth interviews with our Technical Sales Operations team, Customer Success team, and five active platform users to understand current pain points and workflows. Key findings:
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Users were creating duplicate alerts because they couldn't name them
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Corporate email systems blocked attachments, causing missed notifications
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Users added to others' alerts received irrelevant emails with no way to opt out
Week 3-4
Design & iteration
Based on research insights, I designed:
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A centralized alert dashboard listing all user-created alerts
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"Create Alert" buttons on entity detail pages (Indicators, Cost Models, Content)
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An activity log to track alert changes
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Custom naming for alerts to prevent duplicates
Week 5-6
Email notification redesign
We solved the corporate email blocking issue by displaying variation data directly in the email body instead of attachments. Each email now includes:
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Inline variation data
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Download button for detailed reports
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Direct link to the entity detail page
We also added a "mute" feature, allowing users to pause alerts for custom time periods—solving the irrelevant email problem.
Key design decisions
Inline email data instead of attachments
Previously, notification emails included file attachments, which were frequently blocked by corporate email systems. Now we display variations directly in the email body with two CTA buttons: one for downloading the full report, another linking to the entity detail page.
Alert muting controls
Since users can be added to alerts created by others, we introduced mute functionality. Users can now pause any alert for their preferred timeframe, reducing email overload while maintaining team visibility.
Activity log
To increase transparency and prevent confusion when multiple users manage the same alerts, we created a change log tracking all alert modifications.
Success metrics
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Number of alerts created (target: 30% increase)
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Email open rate (baseline: 22%)
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Email click-through rate (baseline: 8%)
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Download vs. platform access ratio (understanding user preference)
Early results
(first month post-launch):
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Alert creation increased by 40%
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Email open rates improved to 35%
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Platform access from emails increased by 28%