Responsive eCommerce Website I B2B I Hardware

Increasing online orders and reducing support calls

Streamlined complex products using systems thinking, delivering significant cost savings, and reimagined the purchasing experience for engineers with a smart, modern approach that elevated the Mini-Circuits brand

BACKGROUND: Mini-Circuits is an innovative eCommerce company that leverages wave technology to design and develop hardware solutions for Fortune 500 companies worldwide, driving a faster, smarter, and more connected future.

2021

DURATION: 3 Months

PLATFORM: Responsive eCommerce Website

ROLE: Senior UX Designer, Lightmatter

SKILLS & METHODOLOGIES:
User Experience, Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Content Strategy, User and Stakeholder Interviews, Cognitive Walkthroughs, Requirements Gathering, Alignment Workshop, Lean Canvas Workshop, Lean Persona Creation, Prototype

TOOLS & FRAMEWORKS:
Sketch, Google Sheets, Google Documents, Miro, InVision

PROBLEM:
Mini-Circuits’ eCommerce experience was outdated, with an antiquated checkout process, poor user experience, and a cumbersome back-end architecture. Users struggled to find products and often resorted to calling customer service to make a purchase.

SOLUTION:
Lightmatter was tasked with designing a modern eCommerce experience that allowed users to easily purchase products, discover intelligent companion offerings, and elevate the Mini-Circuits brand.

OUTCOME:

Applied systems thinking to simplify complex products, we increased online orders, reduced support calls, and achieved significant cost savings

Indirectly impacted the ERP system, and improved overall operational efficiency

Full case study ~6 min read

Setting the Stage

Mini-Circuits, a global leader in wave-based hardware solutions, was ready to modernize its outdated eCommerce experience. Engineers struggled with product discovery, a clunky checkout, and poor backend performance — often resorting to support calls just to place orders. Lightmatter was brought in to rethink the experience from the ground up. In just 3 months, we applied systems thinking and user-centered design to create a smarter, more intuitive platform that streamlined ordering, reduced support calls, and strengthened the Mini-Circuits brand.

Problem

Mini-Circuits’ eCommerce experience was outdated, with an antiquated checkout process, poor user experience, and a cumbersome back-end architecture. Users struggled to find products and often resorted to calling customer service to make a purchase.

Solution

Lightmatter was tasked with designing a modern eCommerce experience that allowed users to easily purchase products, discover intelligent companion offerings, and elevate the Mini-Circuits brand.

DISCOVERY:

What We Did

We had 2 weeks to understand their business and marketing goals, product vision, and user problems and needs. We knew we couldn’t capture everything in 2 weeks, therefore our discovery and requirements definition continued throughout our process.

Planning

  • Understand Mini-Circuits' products and market

  • Identify stakeholders and organizational structure

  • Review documentation and analyze data

  • Conduct workshops to address gaps

User Goals

  • Easy product discovery, exploration, and comparison

  • Streamlined checkout process

  • Transparency in ordering and billing

  • Self-sufficiency in managing orders

Business Goals

  • Modern UX/UI and tech stack

  • Empower users with online ordering and order transparency

  • Integration with marketing systems

Key Learnings

  • Mini-Circuits is an industry knowledge hub, but there's room for improvement in areas like ERP, product comparison, and market positioning

  • The checkout experience needs significant enhancement

  • Constant communication and flexibility are essential for success

  • Automating order and billing updates will reduce reliance on support teams and improve the user experience

  • Users increasingly seek self-service options, and the website must evolve to meet these needs

APPROACH:

Delivering with Precision

After finalizing the website architecture, we developed a modular template strategy for efficiency and reuse. A design system was created for consistency across components. We designed wireframes for both desktop and mobile, then created high-fidelity mock-ups. Due to time constraints, we worked with Mini-Circuits’ engineers to validate the designs.

Key Deliverables

  • Roadmap with design sprints

  • Hypotheses and metrics

  • Sitemap, wireframes, and prototypes

  • Product-based content strategy

  • Scalable data analytics strategy

  • Detailed design system and module matrix

Baseline Metrics:

  • Reduction in Support Calls

  • Increase in Online Orders

  • Improvement in Customer Satisfaction Rates

3 Hypotheses

Self-Sufficiency

Enhanced product pages will help users validate and compare products, making them more independent and increasing online orders.

Efficiency

A persona-based dashboard will save users time and money by providing order visibility and management.

Satisfaction

Automated order communications will improve the user experience and increase satisfaction.

INSIGHTS:

Areas of Opportunity

Improved navigation and product search

Basic and advanced product filtering

ERP improvements

Product watchlist functionality

VISUALS:

Final Form

Hero Components
Bold product shots on every main page brings a modern edge and elevates the browsing experience

Cart
Easily manage and plan your projects straight from your cart

Product Discovery
Created multiple ways to browse products

Simplified Filtering Systems
A familiar yet frictionless, making it easy to use — saving users time

Mega Menu
Created clarity for reduced cognitive load and improved product discovery

Design System
Developed a system of components and patterns for consistency and reusability

Watchlist
Enabled users to save and compare products side by side for easier decision-making

Product Pages
Key specs and critical details were surfaced at the top of each product page to support faster, more informed decisions

Order Tracking Module
Centralized order tracking gives users instant visibility into their purchase status — and reducing customer support calls

RESULTS:

Shaping Bold Outcomes

Indirectly impacted the ERP system, and improved overall operational efficiency

Applied systems thinking to simplify complex products, and we increased online orders, reduced support calls, and achieved signifigant cost savings

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