Coupa Procurement Suite · 2024–2025

Coupa
Item 360

Revolutionizing inventory visibility — a comprehensive redesign that unified fragmented procurement data into a single, collaborative source of truth for buyers, suppliers, and planners.

Lead Product Designer Enterprise UX Procurement Suite
Duration
3.5 Months
My Role
Lead Product Designer
Platform
Web Application
Team
Design · Eng · PM
Coupa Item 360 — live product screenshot in MacBook Pro
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The cost of fragmentation

Enterprise businesses struggled with inventory data scattered across multiple systems — leading to stockouts, excess inventory, and entirely reactive decision-making.

📉
25%
Revenue loss attributed to stockouts from poor inventory visibility
💰
$2.3M
Tied up in excess inventory per average enterprise customer annually
40h
Hours per week spent on manual inventory management tasks
🔗
30%
Supplier coordination inefficiencies due to siloed data systems

What users were struggling with

🧩
Fragmented Information
Critical inventory data scattered across multiple screens and disconnected systems, forcing constant context-switching.
⚙️
Manual Processes
Time-consuming manual inventory checks and reconciliations consumed hours that should be spent on strategic work.
🔀
Siloed Collaboration
No shared workspace for buyers, suppliers, and planners led to overstocking and stockouts from missed signals.
🕳
Decision Delays
Insufficient data visibility forced teams into reactive rather than proactive inventory management strategies.

Who we designed for

Interviews with procurement managers, inventory specialists, and suppliers across industries surfaced four core personas — each with distinct responsibilities and unmet needs.

Brenton - Strategic Buyer
Brenton
Strategic Buyer
  • Reviews supplier commitments
  • Monitors stock positions
  • Tracks delivery schedules
  • Negotiates with suppliers
Core Need
Clear replenishment signals and supplier accountability metrics
Subal - Supplier Partner
Subal
Supplier Partner
  • Manages inventory for customer items
  • Maintains VMI agreements
  • Updates quantity on hand
  • Suggests replenishment schedules
Core Need
Easy tools to update Quantity on Hand, Min/Max Orders, and Suggested Replenishment
Putri - Demand Planner
Putri
Demand Planner
  • Tracks demand vs. available stock
  • Forecasts future requirements
  • Optimizes inventory levels
  • Coordinates replenishment timing
Core Need
Early warnings for potential shortages or overstocking situations
Washington - Warehouse Manager
Washington
Warehouse Manager
  • Tracks item consumption patterns
  • Manages inbound stock receipts
  • Oversees warehouse operations
  • Reports on inventory accuracy
Core Need
Real-time performance and consumption metrics with operational dashboards

Restructuring navigation

The old structure scattered item data across three disconnected modules. We unified everything under a single hub — one consolidated place for all inventory context.

IA diagram

Before — Old Structure

Inventory
↳ Items (scattered data)
Setup
↳ Items (configuration only)
Reports
↳ Multiple separate reports

After — New Structure

Inventory
↳ Items 360 (unified view)
Item Details
Warehouses
Suppliers
Forecasting Integration

How we got there

01
Discovery
15+ interviews with procurement managers, inventory specialists, and suppliers to uncover core pain points.
02
Architecture
Redesigned navigation to centralize all inventory data under a unified Item 360 hub with logical sub-sections.
03
Design
Modular dashboard with smart linking, visual hierarchy, and responsive tables built for all screen sizes.
04
Validation
Iterative testing with real users across all personas, refining interactions and ensuring WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

Key Research Insights

What interviews revealed that shaped our design direction:

🔍
Users needed a single source of truth — switching between screens to piece together data was a daily frustration.
📡
Real-time supplier stock visibility was mission-critical for demand planners and buyers alike.
📈
Integration between forecasting tools and actual inventory levels was entirely absent — a major gap.
📱
Mobile and tablet responsiveness was essential for warehouse staff working on the floor.

What we built

The Item 360 view provides a consolidated perspective of an item across procurement, planning, and supplier collaboration — with all stakeholder data surfaced in one unified place.

01 · Item 360 Dashboard

Unified inventory hub with proactive alerts

A modular layout organizing information into logical sections — Details, Warehouses, Suppliers. Contextual shortage alerts surface critical issues at the top of the page, before they impact operations.

  • AI-powered shortage forecasting alerts at the top of the page
  • Item details, tags, commodity, and manufacturer data in one panel
  • Quick-access New Comments and Shortage notification actions
  • Smart linking to orders, forecasts, and contracts throughout
Item 360 full view

Item 360 — Full item view with shortage alert & tables

02 · On-Hand Balances & Supplier Tables

Enhanced tables with real-time inventory signals

Redesigned inventory tables with significantly improved UX and powerful new columns. Tables adapt to screen sizes, support bulk actions, and surface calculated fields for instant decision-making.

  • Per-warehouse: Qty on Hand, Reserved Qty, Available to Promise
  • Open Order Quantity with color-coded urgency indicators
  • Supplier stock visibility with contract expiry and warning flags
  • Savings %, Min Order Qty, Lead Time, and Order Increment visible
On-Hand Balances and Supplier tables

On-Hand Balances & Suppliers — detailed table views

03 · VMI Replenishment Process

End-to-end replenishment workflow

The VMI process maps the complete journey from inventory need detection through supplier action, approval, fulfillment, and system update — with each persona's touchpoints clearly defined.

VMI Replenishment Process flow

VMI Replenishment Process — end-to-end workflow

Built to perform & scale

⚡️
Performance Optimization
  • Lazy loading for large data tables with hundreds of rows
  • Caching with smart refresh patterns for real-time data
  • Minimized server calls through intelligent data bundling
♿️
Accessibility
  • WCAG 2.1 AA — color contrast and full keyboard navigation
  • Screen reader support with semantic markup throughout
  • Touch-friendly interactions for warehouse users (V2)
📱
Responsive Design
  • Mobile-first approach for warehouse floor operations
  • Adaptive table columns based on available screen width
  • Touch gestures and optimized tap targets throughout

What Item 360 delivers

By unifying fragmented data into a single collaborative hub, Item 360 gives every stakeholder the visibility they need to make faster, better inventory decisions.

Single Source of Truth
All inventory data — procurement, planning, supplier collaboration — in one unified view for every stakeholder.
Proactive Decision-Making
Early warning signals and forecasting integration empower planners to act before shortages or overstock arise.
Supplier Accountability
Buyers get clear replenishment signals and supplier performance metrics for more effective negotiations.
Operational Efficiency
Warehouse managers gain real-time dashboards and bulk actions, dramatically reducing time on manual work.