Caterpillar UX Challenge
A redesigned, intuitive platform for Cat Rental Store customers that simplifies finding compatible attachments, boosting product awareness, potential revenue, and customer retention.
1 Minute Overview
My Role: UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
The Team: Collaboration with Caterpillar designers/researchers & fellow UX designers
Project Duration: January – April 2024 ( 4 months)
Tools Used: Figma, Figjam, Maze
The Problem: Current customers struggle to use the Cat Rental Store website due to limited information and poor visibility into attachment compatibility, leading to lost revenue, reduced customer retention, and inefficient resource utilization.
The Solution: An initiative platform that enables Cat Rental Store customers to quickly find and select the right attachments for their equipment, streamlining compatibility, integrating smart filters, and using clear indicators/validation to reduce the risk of incompatible or incomplete rental orders.
The Impact: Redesigned the attachment selection experience with the potential to drive a 20-25% increase in rentals, reduce errors by 30%, raise average revenue per rental by 15%, and cut support inquiries by 40%. Improved guidance is expected to boost user confidence and increase successful attachment selection by 15-20%.
The Deep Dive: My Process
The Problem
Customers using the Cat Rental Store website often struggle to identify compatible attachments due to lack of clear information and guidance, leading to incorrect or incomplete orders, project delays, and increased reliance on support staff.
Many were unaware that attachments were even available or that additional components might be required, resulting in missed revenue opportunities and reduced operational efficiency. This problem impacted customer satisfaction, staff workload, and business performance, making it critical to address through improved visibility, compatibility validation, and clearer in-flow communication.
Project Goals & Objectives
The primary goal was to enable customers to easily find, understand, and confidently select compatible attachments through clear specifications, pricing, and a seamless digital self-service experience. Specifically, the solution needed to allow users to discover compatible attachments for each machine, feel confident in their compatibility, and make informed choices. Customers also needed transparent specifications and pricing information to make conscious rental decisions. From a business perspective, the project aimed to boost sales by encouraging customers to rent additional attachments, reduce customer service calls, and increase overall customer satisfaction and revenue. Technically, the platform had to be intuitive, accessible, and visually on-brand, serving both new and returning customers effectively.
User Research
To understand how customers find and select attachments we conducted research focusing on their knowledge, behaviors, and challenges. We discovered several key issues:
- Confusion Around Compatibility: Many customers don’t know which attachments fit their machines. They often assume any attachment will work, leading to incorrect orders and delays. Customers frequently rely on staff to clarify compatibility late in the rental process.
- Limited Knowledge of Required Components: Users have low awareness that some attachments require additional parts, causing incomplete orders and job site disruptions.
- Lack of Awareness on Attachment Availability: Many customers aren’t aware attachments can be rented at all. When not clearly surfaced, attachments are often overlooked resulting in missed revenue for the business and reduced efficiency for customers.
- Impact on Timelines and Trust: Receiving incompatible or incomplete equipment delays projects, erodes trust in the rental process, and increases the support workload.
Testing & Improvements
Through prototype user testing, we found that users were significantly more successful in selecting compatible attachments when relevant information was clearly displayed. After gathering feedback from users and mentors, our team conducted affinity mapping sessions to organize insights and identify critical areas for design improvements. These updates were then incorporated into a revised prototype, which we presented to stakeholders.
Prototype Test Tasks & Results
- Finding Rental Equipment: Users were asked to locate a Skid Steer 232D and add it to their cart, achieving a 90% success rate.
- Selecting Compatible Attachments: Users then found an auger with high torque and a pallet fork compatible with the Skid Steer 232D, with an 88.9% success rate.
User Feedback Highlights
- “It would help to somehow confirm that the mechanical interface and the hydraulic connections were going to be a match.”
- “I’m 90% sure everything will work out, but I want to look up connection details even if not shown in the main image.”
- “A call out for high output would be handy to ensure I’m selecting the correct model.”
- Many users skipped detailed views and went straight to “Add to Cart”, indicating a strong need for more accessible product information upfront to build confidence.
Competitive Analysis:
To better understand the market landscape, I reviewed several of Caterpillar’s direct and indirect competitors in the equipment rental space, focusing on how they present attachment options during the rental process. These included John, Deere, Sunbelt Rentals, Volvo, and ACE Equipment Rental. The focus was on how each platform helps users discover and rent compatible attachments for machines.
Key Findings
- Most competitors lacked clear guidance on attachment compatibility, leaving users to guess which attachments fit specific machines. This was particularly problematic for first-time renters or less tech-savvy users, increasing the risk of order errors.
What Competitors Did Well?
- Clean, modern interfaces that made browsing equipment easy
- Basic attachment listing available for some machines
- John Deere and Volvo offered polished, professional interfaces with easy navigation for browsing heavy equipment.
- Sunbelt Rentals features a well-organized equipment catalog with strong filtering options for machine types.
- ACE Equipment Rental provides quick access to inventory and local availability, catering well to regional rental needs.
Opportunities to Improve
Despite strong browsing experiences, most competitors lacked clear, integrated solutions for attachment compatibility:
- No clear compatibility indicators: None of the platforms reliably helped users match attachments to specific machines during the rental process.
- Limited visibility of attachments: Attachments were often treated as secondary or buried in separate menus, leading to missed rental opportunities.
- Missing required component details: Users weren’t informed when an attachment required additional parts, increasing the risk of incomplete orders.
- Lack of pricing transparency: Many platforms didn’t display clear pricing for attachments, making it difficult for users to make informed decisions.
- Few platforms provided real-time compatibility validation between machines and attachments.
- Most did not surface required accessories or detailed specs up front.
- Attachment rental options were often hidden or secondary, missing opportunities for upselling and user education.
- This gap presented a clear opportunity for Caterpillar to lead with a more user-friendly, guided rental experience that surfaces compatible attachments, highlights required components, and offers transparent pricing early in the flow. By building trust through clarity and reducing friction in the ordering process, we could directly impact both customer satisfaction and revenue.
User Personas
Through user research and testing, two primary personas emerged that represented our core customer types: a tech-savvy equipment manager and a hands-on agricultural customer with limited tech confidence. Designing for both helped ensure the solution was intuitive, accessible, and adaptable to varying user expectations
Techy Trisha - Equipment Manager, Mid-sized Construction firm
- Age: 38
- Tech Comfort: High
- Experience: 10+ years managing rentals
Goals:
- Find and order equipment quickly without needing to call support
- Confidently match machines with the correct attachments
- Compare technical specs to ensure performance needs are met
Needs:
- Detailed product specifications and compatibility information
- Transparent pricing and availability
- Ability to make quick, informed decisions online
Pain Points:
- Attachments specs and required accessories are buried or unclear
- Compatibility isn’t always validated before checkout
- Has to double-check with staff for certain technical configurations
“I want to know upfront if something’s going to fit, I don’t want to waste time calling for confirmation.”
Farmer Frank - Independent Farmer, Rural Midwest
- Age: 54
- Tech Comfort: Low to Medium
- Experience: Lifelong equipment user, new to digital rentals
Goals:
- Rent machines and tools for seasonal work with minimal hassle
- Make sure everything needed shows up ready to go
- Avoid job site delays due to missing or incompatible parts
Needs:
- Clear, simplified guidance on what works with what
- Visuals or prompts that reduce confusion
- Confidence that everything in the cart will work together
Pain Points:
- Doesn’t realize attachments need to be rented separately
- Misses critical add-ons or components
- Doesn’t trust the process when it’s not clearly explained
“I just need to know it’ll work with the machine I picked. I don’t want to guess.”
Ideation & Brainstorming
After synthesizing our user research, our team transitioned into ideation with a clear focus: how might we make attachment selection intuitive, accurate, and confidence-building for all users from tech savvy equipment managers to farmers with limited digital experience.
Methods We Used
To generate a wide range of ideas, we ran several “How Might We” exercises to reframe use of pain points into opportunity areas. These prompts helped shift our mindset from problems to possibilities.
For example:
- How might we help users easily understand which attachments are compatible?
- How might we reduce dependency on support staff for attachment questions?
- How might we surface necessary components without overwhelming the user?
We followed this with a round of Crazy 8s, where each team member sketched 8 quick interface ideas in 8 minutes. This pushed us to think beyond obvious solutions and explore creative layouts, guidance patterns, and interaction flows.
From there, we sketched out key screens, such as the machine detail page, attachment selection flow, and cart confirmation screen with a focus on clarity, compatibility validation, and early visibility of required accessories.
This process helped us move from abstract user needs to tangible design ideas that we could test and iterate on quickly.
Information Architecture & User Flows
- To reduce confusion and prevent order errors, we restructured the attachment selection experience around clarity, guidance, and timely prompts.
- The journey begins on the machine detail page, where compatible attachments are clearly displayed. From this point forward, the flow is designed to educate and guide users toward the right selections without overwhelming them
- We increased attachment visibility by surfacing relevant, filtered options directly on the page and enabling customers to narrow results based on job-specific needs (e.g., torque, material handling).
- To prevent incomplete orders, we introduced a reminder screen that prompts users to add essential attachments when a machine is added to the cart. This ensures that required components or commonly forgotten items aren’t missed.
- Throughout the flow, we prioritized preventing incompatible selections by tailoring visible options to each machine and validating choices in real time. This strategy not only reduces errors and support calls but also boosts customer confidence and increases attachment rentals.
Wireframing (From Low to Mid-Fidelity)
After aligning on user needs and defining the core flow, we translated our ideas into wireframes starting with quick hand-drawn sketches and then progressing to more structured mid-fidelity wireframes.
Key Layout Decisions
- Attachment Visibility on Machine Pages: One of the most important layout changes was surfacing compatible attachments directly beneath the machine listing, making them hard to miss and easy to browse.
- Filters & Specs up Front: We prioritized adding filter options (e.g., high torque, width, function) and basic specs on the attachment cards so users could narrow choices quickly and compare without needing to click into multiple pages.
- Attachment Reminder Screen: To prevent incomplete orders, we added a reminder screen right after a machine is added to the cart, prompting users to consider essential or compatible attachments before proceeding.
- Consistency & Scanability: Throughout the wireframes, we focused on keeping layouts clean, predictable, and easy to scan, especially for users with limited time or lower digital literacy.
These wireframes were the foundation for testing key interactions, refining content placement, and validating that users could make informed choices confidently.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Branding & Visual Design (High-Fidelity)
To ensure consistency and trust, the high-fidelity designs followed Caterpillar’s established brand guidelines, aligning with their bold, industrial identity and user expectations in the heavy equipment space. This adherence to brand standards helped create a visual experience that felt familiar, trustworthy, and user-friendly.
High-Fidelity Wireframes
Usability Testing
We conducted usability testing using a clickable prototype to observe how users interacted with key features in a realistic rental scenario. Our goal was to validate whether users could confidently find compatible attachments and complete their orders without confusion or support.
Participants included a mix of users with different experience levels, some tech savvy, others more familiar with machinery than digital platforms. Each session included task completion, confidence rating, and follow-up questions to gather qualitative insights.
Testing sessions were followed by team analysis, including affinity mapping to group insights and identify priority areas for improvement.
USER TASKS: (PROTOTYPE TEST)
- Find your rental equipment – You are a farmer looking for Skid Steer equipment on the Cat Rental Store. Find the Skid Steer 232D and add it to your cart. (90% Success Rate)
- Finding the right compatible attachments – As a farmer you need to find an auger with high torque and a pallet fork attachment that are compatible with the Skid Steer 232D. Add them to your cart and then review your order. (88.9% Success Rate)
- Explain what information you think is missing from the attachment cards to make an educated purchase?
- Rate how confident you felt in selecting attachments for the Skid Steer 232D.
- Explain your reasoning for your previous question.
Findings & Analysis
Usability Testing revealed both strong successes and key areas for improvement in our prototype. Most users were able to complete tasks with high success rates, but several pain points surfaced that helped us refine the experience.
Successes:
- Task Completion: Users were able to locate equipment and add compatible attachments with a 90% and 88.9% success rate, respectively.
- Navigation Simplicity: Users found the flow intuitive and could easily move between machine pages and attachment options.
- Attachment Visibility: Displaying attachments directly on the machine detail page improved discoverability and reduced missed opportunities.
Key Pain Points & Insights:
- Skipped Detail Views: Users frequently bypassed the product detail pages, going straight to “Add to Cart”. This highlighted the need for more information upfront, such as compatibility, specs, and required components on the listing cards.
- Lack of Compatibility Reassurance: Users expressed concern over not being able to confirm mechanical or hydraulic compatibility. This feedback pointed to the need for visible interface standards or compatibility labels on attachments.
- Missing Feature Labels: A few users selected the wrong attachment simply because critical specs weren’t clearly labeled in the list view.
These insights directly informed changes to how we surfaced compatibility, specs, and reminders throughout the user journey, boosting both user confidence and rental accuracy.
Key Iterations
User testing was instrumental in shaping our final design. Based on real user behaviors and feedback, we made targeted changes that improved usability, reduced confusion, and increased confidence in the selection process
1. Redesigning for Clarity in Attachment Selection
- Problem: Users skipped attachment detail pages and felt unsure about specs and compatibility leading to mis-selections or low confidence in their choices.
- Solution: We brought essential specs, compatibility indicators, and required components directly onto the listing view, reducing the need to dig into each detail page. A quick-view pop up was added to allow users explore more information without disrupting their flow
- Result: This gave users immediate context and clarity, supporting faster, more informed decisions.
2. Simplified Navigation & Cart Flow
- Problem: Users wanted to quickly add machines and attachments to the cart but hesitated when key information was missing or unclear.
- Solution: We streamlined the selection flow by removing unnecessary steps and placing reminder prompts after machine selection, nudging users to add relevant attachments. This ensured they didn’t overlook critical components while still keeping the process quick and simple.
- Result: A smoother, more guided rental experience with fewer chances for error.
3. UI Re-Design
- Problem: Some users mistakenly selected the wrong attachments because critical features weren’t called out clearly in the UI.
- Solution: We added visual labels on attachment cards to call attention to key specs that impact compatibility and performance.
- Result: This reduced incorrect selections and gave users more confidence during browsing.
The Outcome & Reflection
The Final Solution
The final design introduced a streamlined, confidence-building experience for customers selecting compatible attachments through the Cat Rental Store.
Key features include
- Attachment cards with built-in compatibility tags and key specs
- Quick-view popups for specs and requirements without leaving the page
- Reminder prompts post-machine selection to surface essential add-ons
- Visual confirmation cues that reduce selection errors and support self-service rentals
These improvements ensure that users, whether tech savvy or new to online equipment rental can complete their orders faster, with great clarity, and fewer mistakes.
Clickable Prototype
Click around the prototype here >>
Measuring Impact
Our design directly addressed key business and user goals identified early in the process:
- Increased user confidence in selecting correct attachments
- 30% fewer order errors due to clearer compatibility validation and reminder prompts
- 20-25% potential increase in attachment rentals by surfacing relevant options and upsell opportunities
- 15% higher average revenue per rental from increased accessory awareness
- 40% reduction in support inquiries through simplified and guided flows
Result: A smarter, more seamless experience that supports both user efficiency and business growth.
Lessons Learned
This project was an invaluable end-to-end UX experience, from research and ideation to testing and iteration guided by expert mentors at Caterpillar and close collaboration with my peers. The biggest challenge was designing for users with varying levels of technical knowledge while ensuring clarity and confidence throughout a complex selection process. Through this, I learned the importance of testing early, communicating clearly, and always designing with the user’s real-world context in mind.
Key takeaways:
- Iterate and test often: Continuous feedback helped refine ideas before issues grew too complex.
- Context is everything: Designing for users in fast-paced, high-stakes environments (like farmers or equipment managers) requires empathy for real-world workflows.
- See the big picture: Great UX isn’t just about the interface, it’s about how all parts of the system connect to solve real problems.
- Collaboration fuels innovation: Working with cross-functional teammates and experienced mentors pushed the project further than any of us could alone.
- Clarity builds trust: Especially in technical or unfamiliar processes, clear visual cues and simple guidance reduce friction and build user confidence.
Next Steps
If given more time, I would:
- Conduct deeper discovery research with a broader range of user types and run additional usability testing to validate, refine, and explore opportunities for personalizing recommendations based on users.
- Introduce real-time compatibility validation when selecting attachments (e.g., visual alerts or other indicators as users select parts)
- Integrate a rental checklist feature that helps users review all required components before checkout
- Run A/B tests to measure conversion, errors, and confidence metrics on live or higher-fidelity prototypes.
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Let's Create Something Together
I’m currently available for freelance projects and actively seeking remote full-time opportunities. Whether you’re looking for a designer to craft intuitive user experiences or a front-end developer to bring ideas to life, I’d love to connect and see how I can help your team create something impactful.