Understanding the work behind the screens

Our research explored how dealers, designers, and sales representatives used the portals in their daily work. We combined dealer interviews with task-based observation and interviewed sales representatives about meeting preparation, account information, order tracking, and work in the field.

The findings reinforced the value of the existing platform. Dealers used it regularly, and participants described it positively compared with other vendor portals. They also identified specific opportunities to improve it.

For dealers and designers, one question dominated: when will the order arrive? Answering it could require searching several fields, opening documents, or calling a sales representative. On the homepage, participants scrolled past summary and rewards content to reach their orders. Product resources and forms were difficult to locate, with organization that varied across brands.

Sales representatives faced related challenges. They wanted to help dealers sell more cabinets, but preparing for those conversations meant gathering information from multiple systems. Tracking down orders and checking request statuses competed with time spent supporting customers.

These findings established a clear priority: put the information people need to make decisions closer to the tasks they are trying to complete.

Making everyday dealer tasks easier in Salesforce

Salesforce’s existing UI and Lightning Design System defined the boundaries of the work. Within those boundaries, we designed an updated dealer experience focused on navigation, information hierarchy, and access to essential actions.

A homepage organized around immediate needs

The updated homepage surfaces lead times by brand, active support cases, and prominent announcements. This direction responded to what participants actually sought when they logged in: information that would help them answer customer questions and move work forward.

Order information that is easier to scan

The existing order list compressed many columns into a limited space. Dealers adjusted column widths, scanned for urgent orders, and opened individual records to answer basic questions.

The updated design gives the order grid the full width of the page, improved filtering, and clarified labels and hierarchy. Direct access to the order list made this frequent task easier to reach. Together, these changes were designed to help users assess order status with less searching.

The order details direction applied the same principle. Delivery milestones received greater emphasis, while shipping, account details, line items, and invoicing were organized for faster scanning. The goal was to help users find the details needed for a customer update without sorting through less relevant information first.

A clearer starting point for new orders

The documented starting flow required seven clicks just to begin an order. Finding the right forms added further friction.

The updated navigation introduces a New Order action available throughout the portal, with access to standard, replacement, and sample ordering. The ordering experience also includes drafts, contextual forms, and lead times and updates within the flow. Bringing those resources into the task was intended to help users prepare an order with fewer detours.

Supporting sales conversations and follow-through

Our sales-team research extended the opportunity beyond dealer ordering. Representatives needed quick access to account performance, pricing, resources, and outstanding issues so they could prepare for customer conversations and respond confidently.

Recommendations focused on making account reporting easier to find and interpret, improving access to pricing agreements, and making credit requests easier to locate and track. Clearer status information and notifications were identified as ways to reduce repeated checking while requests moved through approval.

The research also challenged the idea that both portals needed to look the same. Sales representatives were generally comfortable with their different interfaces. Consistent, accessible information mattered more to them. That finding supported a focus on each audience’s tasks and information needs.

Mobile access emerged as another opportunity. Representatives wanted account details, product resources, and order information available during customer visits. The research documented those priorities for future improvements; it did not establish a completed mobile redesign.

Connecting usability improvements to reliable information

Both audiences described difficulty trusting some shipping dates and order statuses. Dealers contacted sales representatives for clarification, and representatives sometimes contacted customer support for the same reason.

The recommendations therefore addressed both findability and data reliability. Clearer labels and better hierarchy could help people interpret information, while accurate, current data remained essential to making that information useful.

This distinction gave the client a more complete view of the work ahead. Screen-level changes could improve access and clarity, while issues involving data consistency, cross-brand processes, and information access needed broader attention.

Dealer portal improvements launched in August 2026

The dealer portal updates launched in August 2026, bringing the research-informed design improvements into the experience dealers use every day. LunarLab performed the research and design work, with the dealer rollout plan sequencing improvements around development effort and dependencies.

The project also delivered recommendations for the sales portal, covering account information, pricing, request tracking, and access to information in the field.

The launch put a more focused dealer experience in place within the manufacturer’s existing Salesforce platform. The updates are designed to make critical information easier to find, support more confident ordering, and reduce avoidable support outreach.

The project demonstrates how LunarLab approaches Salesforce UX design: understand the work people need to do, identify the decisions that matter, and recommend improvements that respect the platform’s constraints.

Client identity is withheld for confidentiality.