Cisco
Redefining the B2B Commerce Experience
Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW) is a 21-in-1 Enterprise commerce platform for quoting, configuring, and ordering Cisco products, services, and subscriptions. This unified tool aims to enhance efficiency for Cisco partners, resulting in faster bookings and significant productivity gains across the sales lifecycle.
Led the end-to-end redefining effort of Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW), a 21-tool B2B enterprise platform serving global partners.
Reduced deal cycle time by 3x, enabled 5x more quotes, and boosted partner productivity by 95%.
Delivered 200+ features and built a scalable design system adopted org-wide.
Worked as both IC and mentored a core team of 5 designers
Initial Findings
Cisco’s Commerce Workspace (CCW) combined 21 fragmented internal tools used by partners and internal users to configure, price, quote, order, and manage services/subscriptions Cisco solutions. These tools lacked UX consistency, had redundant features, and overwhelmed users with cluttered interfaces.
Platform Chaos and Frustration
Workflows led to long deal cycles and frequent user errors. Partners often spent weeks (months in some cases) troubleshooting, sometimes abandoning deals entirely.
Inconsistent UIs and Naming Conventions
Features were duplicated under different names and layouts across tools. This fragmented UX made it difficult for users to complete tasks efficiently or build confidence in the platform.
Rising Support Costs and Slowed Sales
Internal support teams were overwhelmed with tickets due to usability issues. Sales productivity dropped as users struggled to complete even simple quoting workflows.
How Might We
Streamline the B2B buying process without compromising on features?
Reduce deal cycle times while improving user satisfaction?
Create a cohesive experience across multiple tools and user types?
What We Had to Solve
Redesign CCW to serve as a single, coherent UX platform across all tools and user types, with measurable business outcomes:
Create a Unified Platform
We was tasked with transforming CCW into a cohesive, enterprise-grade experience that could unify all tools under one design system, streamline the quote-to-order journey, and scale for future enhancements.
Reduce Deal Times and Boost Productivity
Our goal was to drastically cut down on the average time it took to complete a B2B deal while increasing user satisfaction, trust, and adoption across Cisco’s partner ecosystem.
Build a System for Long-Term Growth
We needed a flexible UX foundation that could be reused across teams and tools without sacrificing quality or performance. That meant creating an enterprise design system from scratch.
How We Tackled It
01
Uncovering the Root Problem
Through a mix of stakeholder/sales teams/partners interviews, system logs, and support ticket analysis, patterns quickly emerged around confusion, friction, and information overload. Many users were navigating through duplicated features that behaved differently across tools. It became clear that the platform's fragmentation was slowing people down before they even began.
02
Bringing Personas into Focus
Four consistent user types surfaced from the research: Internal Users, Distributors, Partners, and Managers. Each had unique pain points, goals, and blockers across the quote-to-order journey. Mapping their day-to-day workflows helped anchor design decisions around real priorities.
03
Rethinking the CPQ Journey
The quoting process was turned into a guided, linear experience based on role-specific needs. Progress indicators replaced scattered tabs, giving users more confidence and clarity. What was once a maze now felt like a clear and achievable path for partners from start to finish.
04
Designing for Structure and Consistency
Navigation was simplified into a cohesive, step-by-step architecture that scaled across tools. This reduced context switching and helped users stay focused during complex tasks. Each touchpoint became predictable, consistent, and intentionally placed.
05
Building the Foundation with a Design System
A shared design system was created to unify components, visuals, and interaction patterns across all tools. It was built to scale, maintain, and evolve with the product — not just to look consistent. Engineers, PMs, and designers all worked from a common language for faster delivery and fewer errors.
06
Making Complex Information More Usable
Dense content was restructured to highlight what mattered most first. Secondary details lived in slide-in panels, so users could access depth without distraction. The result was an interface that felt lighter, smarter, and more intuitive.
07
Speeding Up with Agile Sprints
Work was delivered in fast, focused two-week design sprints. This cadence gave space to explore, validate, and iterate with real input from cross-functional partners. Each sprint brought us closer to clarity and helped us course-correct early.
08
Choosing the Right Problems to Solve
Feature ideas were evaluated with a prioritization matrix that balanced user impact with technical feasibility. This focused our efforts where they’d matter most, not just where they were easiest. Trade-offs were transparent, and decisions were aligned across design and product.
09
Rolling Out the Right Way
Features were launched in phases, starting with internal Cisco teams to reduce risk. Real-time feedback from surveys and support logs shaped rapid improvements. Instead of one big reveal, the rollout felt more like a conversation with our users.
The Outcome
Our comprehensive redesign transformed CCW from a complex maze into a streamlined superhighway of B2B commerce. By reimagining every touchpoint, we turned a frustrating platform into a powerful tool that accelerates deals, empowers partners, and redefines how Cisco does business. These weren't just numbers - they represented real improvements in partner productivity and customer experience in the B2B buying process.
3x
Faster Deal Completion
5x
More Quotes
95%
Boost in Productivity
40%
Reduce Number of Clicks
25%
Improve Time to Capability
What I Learned
Design as Strategy
This project showed me the power of design systems as both UX enablers and organizational tools. Creating structure within chaos helped multiple teams align around shared goals and improve delivery at scale.
Measure Early and Often
One improvement I’d make next time: embedding analytics dashboards from day one to track usability KPIs, adoption trends, and friction points in real time.
Leading Through Complexity
Enterprise transformation requires not just great UX, it also demands influence, trust-building, and persistence across silos. Navigating legacy systems, politics, and ambiguity was as important as pushing pixels.
