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Solutioning

​After completing feature prioritization, I moved on to exploring solutions. This phase typically takes time as we iterate until we feel confident in the direction. During this stage, wireframing, mid-hi fidelity mockups, and design reviews happen simultaneously. Since this feature relied heavily on backend data, I worked closely with the PM to understand the reordering formula and identify which data was most important for merchants. I usually started with hand-drawn sketches because they were quick and allowed me to focus solely on the information architecture.
[2] Sketch 2
[2] Sketch 1
[2] Mockup_tooltip.png

1.4

Provide Information and Ensure Transparency
Some technical terms are familiar to experienced merchants, while others may use different terminology. To ensure all users understand, we explained these terms in tooltips and provided links to a glossary. Additionally, we aimed to make our formulas and calculations fully transparent. Each data point includes an explanation of the formula and a link back to its source report, allowing merchants to verify where the numbers come from. This approach promotes transparency and builds trust in the system.
2_Report_Low stock.jpg

1.3

Row Highlight on Hover
To enhance navigation and improve focus during item review, each table row highlights on hover, making it easier for users to track their place when scanning large volumes of data.
Lightspeed POS  

Designing Smart Reordering Tool

Designing a Lightspeed Analytics feature that transforms sales and inventory data into powerful, actionable reordering suggestions

My role

Sole product designer for the reordering suggestion tool, working closely with the product manager from user research to roadmap planning and with engineers through handoff, delivering a feature that became a key selling point of the product

Team

1 PM, 7 Engineers, 1 Support Specialist, 1 Designer (myself)

Timeframe

Design process : 6 weeks
Production : 3.5 months

Overview

Lightspeed Analytics is a robust data app that helps merchants analyze business performance. We saw an opportunity to go beyond passive reporting - to create actionable insights that help merchants make smarter decisions, faster.

Our vision

We set out to leverage merchants’ rich inventory and sales data to provide clear, data-driven guidance on what to reorder, how much to reorder, and which vendor to order from. By transforming raw data into automated, intelligent suggestions, our goal was to streamline the reordering process, save merchants time, and minimize the risks of costly stockouts or overstocking.

Discovery & Research

PM led the interview of 6 merchants who actively use Lightspeed Analytics across a mix of retail sizes and industries.

We asked:
  • “Walk us through your current PO process.”
  • “How do you usually decide what and how much to reorder?”
  • “What tools do you use to track or summarize inventory?”
  • “How does seasonality affect your calculation?”
[2] User interview.png

Key insights

  • Excel is still king: 100% of merchants exported reports to Excel to manipulate reorder data.
  • Reordering decisions are gut-based: Even with data, most merchants rely on past experience or feel.
  • PO creation is a bottleneck: Splitting orders by vendor adds friction, especially when managing dozens of SKUs.
  • Data is underused: Many merchants weren’t aware Analytics could already surface some of the needed metrics.

Current user journey

Current user journey (1).png

This process was

  • Manual and repetitive
  • Error-prone due to data handling across tools
  • Time-consuming, especially for multi-vendor ordering
  • Prone to human error

Proposed user journey

[2] Proposed user journey.png
We aimed to relieve merchants of the data preparation and calculation tasks by having the system handle them, while still giving merchants control over what to order.

HMW #1

help merchant have the information they need to create a PO, so that they don’t need to go outside LS system to decide on their order

HMW #2

help merchant generate a PO by vendor based on data we have, so that they don’t have to manually create PO by vendor one by one

Solution MoSCoW

The PM proposed features aimed at meeting our users’ needs. Given the timeframe, the 'Triangle' (PM, lead engineer, and I) discussed feasibility and prioritized the features using the MoSCoW method.

M

Must-Have:

  • Auto-generated reorder suggestions using inventory and sales velocity

  • Group items by vendor for easier PO creation

  • Allow merchants to adjust quantities before creating POs

S

Should-Have:

  • Integration with existing Lightspeed PO flow

  • Vendor filtering and bulk actions

  • Quick access to sales history per item

C

Could-Have:

  • Set up their safety stock level, vendor lead time, sales cycle in report setting

  • Integration safety stock and avg. lead time into calculating reordering quantities

  • Suggested reorder dates

W

Won’t-Have:

  • Automated vendor outreach / PO dispatch

  • Advanced scheduling reorder

Must-Have Solution #1 
to help merchants have information to create a PO

2_Report_Low stock.jpg

1.1

Spreadsheet-Like Table
I chose a spreadsheet-like table layout that merchants are already familiar with to display suggested reorder items based on key metrics:
  • Quantity on hand
  • Quantity on order
  • Sell-through rate
  • Safety stock
  • Historical sales patterns

I prioritized legibility, data density, and scannability, enabling merchants to easily compare values and take action without visual clutter. This allows them to quickly identify items that need attention without switching between windows or tabs.
2_Report_Low stock.jpg

1.2

Filter, Sort & Search Functionality
Our merchants typically manage between 3,000 and over 10,000 rows of items, so we added sorting, filtering, and search tools to reduce cognitive load and help merchants quickly find the items they are looking for. Merchants can filter by location, category, or vendor for targeted views, while sorting by reorder urgency helps prioritize high-impact decisions. A search bar enables quick access to specific items. These enhancements allow merchants to find relevant items faster, minimizing the time spent scanning or scrolling.

Must-Have Solution #2
to help merchants create PO by vendor

3_Report_Preview POs.jpg
Purchase Order by Vendor View
Our merchants send POs by vendor, so I introduced a vendor-specific view that allows them to review and generate purchase orders for each vendor - all within the same screen. This significantly reduces the need to switch between tabs or external tools, while making it easier for merchants to review orders by vendor.

Must-Have Solution #3
to give merchants control over the system

Mockup.png
Editable Inline Quantities
Since new systems often take time for merchants to trust, our mid-way feedback revealed that they would still compare their own data against ours. To address this, I added the ability for merchants to manually adjust reorder quantities within the dashboard, overriding system suggestions before finalizing POs. This provides flexibility, preserves merchant control, and helps them gradually build confidence in the system’s recommendations.

Testing & Feedback

I created a high-fidelity clickable prototype and, together with PM, conducted usability tests with the 6 previously interviewed merchants.

Tasks included:
  • Review reorder suggestions
  • Adjust quantities for at least 3 items
  • Create a PO for a selected vendor

Feedback:
“I love that I don’t have to switch between apps anymore. I always wished everything could be in one place and this gets me a lot closer to that.”

“It’s great that I can still edit quantities directly here. It helps me double-check before finalizing orders.

“I like that I can hover on the sales history data in the table. It’s subtle but really useful.”
2_Report_Low stock.jpg
3_Report_Preview POs.jpg

Results

100% of interviewed merchants said they would use the new tool. This is a strong signal of that the tool addresses real merchant pain points.


Significant internal excitement: Sales and support teams called out this feature as a major value-add, particularly for driving sales conversations and onboarding new merchants.

Reflection

I was genuinely excited to be part of this project as someone who believes in turning data into actionable insights. It was incredibly rewarding to design something merchants truly needed and see it directly improve their day-to-day operations.

This project reinforced an important lesson: the most impactful design often comes from reducing friction, not adding features. By understanding how merchants already work with data, we created a tool that simplifies decision-making and supports real business needs.

Looking back, there are still areas for improvement, for example, incorporating more data into our formulas to make suggestions even more accurate. Our goal on the Lightspeed Analytics team remains the same: let the data do the heavy lifting so merchants can focus on what they do best - running their business.

Note

For confidentiality reasons, the design mockups shown here have been modified and may differ slightly from the final version implemented in the product. These visuals are intended to illustrate the design thinking and process, not the exact UI of the released tool.
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