Understanding The Vision

When AACIPL reached out to us through Twitter, they were struggling with a common problem. They had tried building internal tools using platforms like Airtable, but the lack of customization left them frustrated. 

Their sales process was scattered across multiple tools, making it impossible to track inquiries, manage quotes, and monitor orders effectively.

We knew this wasn't just about building another dashboard. This was about creating a system that would transform how their entire organization operated.

Visual Design Identity

We started the visual identity process by creating several branding directions for the client to choose from.

Since this was an internal sales platform for a chemical manufacturing company, we needed something that felt both professional and user-friendly.

The mood-boarding phase helped us explore different approaches before settling on the client's preferred direction.

Once they selected their favorite option, we committed fully to that visual language and applied it consistently across all modules and user personas.

Creating Sales Workflows

The first challenge was understanding AACIPL’s complex sales process. They serve three different groups:

• Customers raising inquiries

• Sales teams handling quotes, and…

• Management overseeing operations. 

Each group had unique needs and access requirements. We spent weeks documenting every touchpoint in the process, from inquiry to final delivery. 

What we found was a web of interconnected tasks, not a simple, linear workflow.

Designing Role-Based Access Control

In the next phase, we tackled user permissions. We needed to make sure that each user group had the right access, without overwhelming them or compromising security.

We designed a granular permission system where customers saw only their inquiries, sales teams handled their accounts, and management had full access. The goal was to keep it seamless for the users.

The answer? – Contextual interfaces that only displayed what was relevant to each user at the right time.

Intuitive Inquiry Management

The inquiry system was another key feature for the platform. Customers needed an easy way to request chemicals, set quantities, and provide requirements.

We built a routing system to make sure each inquiry reached the right sales reps. In addition, we also created a sidebar interface to guide users through the process. It was straightforward and intuitive, without any forms or decisions to make. 

What made it work was the ability for customers to track their inquiries in real-time, seeing exactly where they stood in the process.

Building For Mobile-First

AACIPL's customers weren't always at their desks. They needed to check order statuses, review quotes, and place orders while on the move. This meant every screen had to work perfectly on mobile devices.

We designed mobile-first, then scaled up to desktop. The inquiry dashboard, quote negotiations, and order tracking all worked seamlessly across devices. 

The challenge was maintaining functionality while simplifying the interface for smaller screens.

Streamlining Quote Negotiations

The negotiation process was where most deals got stuck. Customers would receive quotes, want to negotiate, and then face weeks of back-and-forth emails.

We turned this into a streamlined conversation within the platform.

Customers could counter-offer directly on quotes, sales teams could respond immediately, and both parties could see the negotiation history. This transparency reduced confusion and accelerated deal closure.

The two-way flow we created meant negotiations happened in real-time, not over days of email exchanges.

Seamless Order Conversion

Once a quote was accepted, converting it to an order had to be effortless. We designed a one-click conversion system. All negotiated terms, quantities, and specifications carried over automatically. 

This eliminated manual data entry, which drastically reduced errors and saved tons of time. The system then automatically generated order confirmations and kicked off the fulfillment process.

Our key idea here was to create a seamless transition from a “Yes” to an active order. 

Sample Tracking System

Chemical buyers often need samples before placing large orders. We built a dedicated sample management system that worked alongside the main inquiry process.

Customers could request samples during inquiry creation, track sample shipments, and reference sample results when placing final orders. 

This integration meant no information was lost between sample evaluation and order placement.

Performance Dashboards

For Sales Teams

For the sales team, we created dashboards that provided real-time data on revenue, sales volume, and product performance. This component included a leaderboard that turned sales tracking into a competitive game.

By recommending incentives based on rankings, AACIPL could now increase team motivation. 

This transformed the dashboard into a valuable tool for driving better sales outcomes.

For Customers 

On the customer side, we designed an intuitive dashboard to help them track their activities in real-time. They could monitor inquiries, quotes, orders, and sample shipments easily. 

This self-service feature empowered customers while reducing the need for support, creating a seamless experience for both users and AACIPL.

Management Overview Portal

To give the AACIPL management a clearer view of all operations, we then created a dashboard with customizable filters for date, salesperson, product, and client. 

This allowed leadership to identify key trends, spot bottlenecks, and find areas that could be improved for better decision-making.

Admin Control Center

Once the management dashboards were created, we moved to building the admin control center. We designed an intuitive admin panel that helped the client easily manage different components such as: 

• Team members

• Product catalogs

• Settings 

Our process was driven to simplify things as much as possible, since we were designing this functionality for non-technical users. 

This helped eliminate the need for constant developer involvement, while also empowering AACIPL’s management by giving them full control over the platform. 

Activity Notifications 

In addition to the dashboards and quote negotiation systems, we also created a smart notification system. The goal here was to improve communication without overwhelming users. 

We added the ‘Notifications’ component to alert teams & customers on important updates like inquiries, quotes and order status. 

This kept everyone on the same page and minimized the need for manual check-ins, streamlining the entire process.

Feedback & Handoff

Instead of static mockups, we delivered an interactive prototype that AACIPL could test with both internal teams and customers. This allowed them to gather feedback early on, refining workflows before development.

Thanks to our detailed design system, developers could jump in and bring the platform to life faster.

Conclusion

We provided AACIPL with a complete design and tested prototype, which allowed them to begin development quickly.

The entire process took just two months. Our clear design system helped developers work efficiently, transforming scattered tools into a streamlined platform for their sales operations.