↓ Problem
↓ Insight
↓ Idea
↓ Implement
↓ Impact
[ 2 ]
01x User Researchers
02x Business Analysts
User-Centered Research & Insights
Team Management & Mentorship
Cross-Functional Processes
$8 million reduction in operational cost achieved
90% less time to onboard new team members
The Problem
Stockouts, inefficient routes, and operational blind spots eroded both revenue and trust.
“Some days I’d be rushing between stores, calling dispatch just to figure out where I was supposed to be next. If a shelf was missing something, I’d find out way too late. We need something to help us stay ahead.”
Frontline Sales Rep, Frito-Lay
Insight
Ride-Alongs and Store Visits
To go beyond assumptions, we embedded ourselves in the field:
- Ride-alongs with sales reps surfaced pain points in delivery routes, stocking routines, and daily task flows.
- On-site interviews with storeowners exposed inventory stress, missed sales due to stockouts, and anxiety around ordering the wrong products.
A pain point tracker documented recurring frustrations and inefficiencies, informing design priorities and creating a shared backlog for product, business, and engineering.
- Reps lacked real-time tools, which made it difficult to adapt on the fly, optimize delivery routes, or respond to in-store issues. They relied on memory or outdated paperwork.
- Retailers relied heavily on guesswork, unsure of which products to reorder or when. This led to frequent out-of-stock scenarios or excess inventory that didn’t sell.
- Training new employees was time-consuming, often taking 20+ hours due to the need to navigate multiple disconnected systems and undocumented processes.
- Communication gaps between field teams and central operations created delays, confusion, and redundant tasks. No shared view of performance or product needs.
- Legacy tech limited visibility, leaving frontline workers and storeowners flying blind on stocking decisions and inventory levels.
Frito-Lay needed a system that could bring clarity, coordination, and confidence to every step of the operation from the warehouse to the shelf.
Idea
To drive alignment across a complex, multi-track program, we created a series of strategic design artifacts that clarified both the long-term vision and near-term execution.
At the core was the Golden Thread: a future-state narrative that outlined how key products like SalesHub, Handheld Ordering for large-format stores, and the B2B Snacks to You platform could deliver cohesive, user-centered experiences.
Updated each program increment and reviewed during planning, the Golden Thread became a North Star for both design and product teams.
Illustrative Golden Thread – full artifact available under NDA.
Illustrative Slice of the Golden Thread – full artifact available under NDA.
These were finalized 1–2 sprints ahead of planned delivery, helping stakeholders visualize upcoming work and confidently approve solutions before development began.
Golden Nuggets prioritized user experience feature flows and wireframes derived from the larger narrative.
Accessible across the organization, it became a shared resource for teams to understand where we were headed and how our design efforts fit into the bigger picture.