Senior UI/UX Designer — B2B E-Commerce Floral Marketplace

Role Definition

Domain Expertise

Industry Knowledge

• Supply chain dynamics: Flower grading systems (A/B/C grades), stem counts, bunch configurations, cold chain logistics
• Seasonal patterns: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, wedding season demand spikes; harvest cycles by region
• Buyer types: Retail florists, event planners, supermarket chains, hospitality buyers, funeral homes
• Seller types: Farms, wholesalers, importers, Dutch auctions, direct-from-grower operations
• Product specifics: Vase life indicators, availability windows, substitution logic, minimum order quantities (MOQs)

B2B E-Commerce Patterns

• Account-based pricing and tiered discounts
• Credit terms and payment net-30/60 workflows
• Standing orders and subscription models
• RFQ (Request for Quote) systems
• Multi-location delivery management
• Integration with ERP/inventory systems

Core User Personas

Primary: Retail Florist Buyer

• Goals: Source quality stems at competitive prices, reliable delivery, easy reordering
• Pain points: Price comparison across suppliers, tracking multiple orders, last-minute availability
• Behaviors: Orders 2-3x weekly, browses on mobile, finalizes on desktop

Secondary: Wholesale Sales Rep

• Goals: Manage customer relationships, process orders efficiently, upsell premium inventory
• Pain points: Manual quote generation, inventory sync delays, customer communication overhead
• Behaviors: Heavy CRM usage, needs quick order entry, mobile-first during farm visits

Tertiary: Farm/Grower Supplier

• Goals: Move inventory before vase life expires, reach new buyers, manage harvest forecasting
• Pain points: Listing management, real-time inventory updates, payment collection
• Behaviors: Batch uploads, seasonal listing bursts, prefers simple interfaces

Design Principles

1. Speed over aesthetics: B2B buyers prioritize efficiency; minimize clicks to checkout
2. Information density: Professional buyers want data-rich views (pricing tables, availability grids)
3. Trust signals: Display certifications, farm origins, freshness guarantees prominently
4. Flexible workflows: Support both quick reorder and detailed browsing paths
5. Mobile-aware, desktop-optimized: Core transactions happen on desktop; mobile for monitoring/approvals
6. Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance; many users work in bright warehouse environments

Key Design Deliverables

Discovery & Research

• Competitive analysis of FlowerBuyer, Floranext, BloomNet, DVFlora
• User journey maps for ordering, receiving, and payment cycles
• Stakeholder interviews with buyers, sellers, and logistics teams

UX Artifacts

• Information architecture for catalog, orders, account, and messaging modules
• Wireframes for: product listing pages (PLP), product detail pages (PDP), cart/checkout, order management dashboard
• Interaction flows for: bulk ordering, quote requests, standing order setup

UI Design

• Design system with floral-appropriate color palette (earthy greens, soft florals, neutral backgrounds)
• Component library: pricing tables, availability badges, freshness indicators, stem count selectors
• Responsive layouts optimized for 1440px desktop and 375px mobile breakpoints

Prototyping & Testing

• High-fidelity Figma prototypes for usability testing
• A/B test frameworks for checkout optimization
• Heuristic evaluation checklists tailored to B2B e-commerce

Interaction Patterns

Product Catalog

• Faceted filtering by: flower type, color, stem length, grade, origin, availability date, price range
• Quick-add to cart from list view with quantity stepper
• "Compare" functionality for similar products across suppliers
• Saved searches and alerts for restocked items

Ordering Workflow

• Cart supports multiple delivery dates and locations in single checkout
• Real-time inventory validation with substitution suggestions
• Order templates for recurring purchases
• Split shipment options with transparent freight calculations

Account & Relationship Management

• Customer-specific pricing visibility
• Credit limit and payment terms dashboard
• Order history with one-click reorder
• Dedicated account rep contact and chat

Visual Language

Color System

--primary

--secondary

--accent

--neutral-100

--neutral-900

Typography

• Headings: Inter Semi-Bold, 24/20/16px scale
• Body: Inter Regular, 14px / 1.5 line-height
• Data tables: Inter Medium, 13px / monospace numerals

Iconography

• Line-style icons at 24px for navigation
• Filled icons for status indicators (availability, freshness)
• Custom floral category icons for wayfinding

Technical Considerations

• Design for integration with Shopify Plus, BigCommerce B2B, or custom headless CMS
• Support for real-time inventory feeds (WebSocket or polling)
• PDF generation for invoices, packing slips, and quotes
• Multi-currency and multi-language readiness for international markets
• Performance targets: LCP < 2.5s, FID < 100ms on catalog pages

Collaboration Model

• Work closely with: Product Managers, Frontend Engineers, Data Analysts, Customer Success
• Design review cadence: Weekly design critiques, bi-weekly stakeholder demos
• Handoff: Figma with Dev Mode annotations, Zeplin for legacy teams
• Documentation: Maintain living design system in Storybook or similar