Caterpillar Student Design Challenge
Redesigning the CAT Rental Store.
Role - Researcher, Designer | Tools - Figma, Maze | Duration - 2 Months | Team - 4 Other Designers
Problem
A Complicated Rental Process Hurts Customer Experience and Business Revenue.
The current Cat Rental Store website lacks a simple and intuitive way for customers to rent equipment attachments, leading to compatibility issues and incomplete rental orders. This confusion leaves some customers unaware of available options, resulting in missed rental opportunities and potential revenue loss for the business.
The Solution
Modernizing the Cat Rental Store with a Simple, Mobile-First Rental Experience.
Our mobile redesign of The Cat Rental Store revolutionizes the way customers rent equipment attachments. By prioritizing user-friendly navigation, compatibility checks, and a streamlined rental process, the new design ensures a seamless and accessible experience, allowing customers to efficiently manage rentals anytime, anywhere.
Key Features
Improving User Experience
Organization
Our redesign was based on a handful of key features, including: organization, clarity, simplicity, and confidence.
Our new catalog pages provide a clean
and simple grid layout that makes browsing and selecting effortless.
By showcasing only significant product information, we ensure customers can make decisions quickly and confidently.
Clear Display
The product screens provide a clear overview of pricing options and simple rental selection tools. The inclusion of compatible attachments ensures customers can easily find and add the right equipment to complete their orders seamlessly.
Simplicity
The cart screen provides users with a clear and organized summary of their selected rentals. Key features such as estimated pricing, delivery or pick-up options, and customizable rental dates ensure customers have full control over their rental experience.
To redesign the Cat Rental Store website, we first needed to understand where users struggle and what the business hopes to achieve. Our research focused on uncovering pain points in the rental process and identifying ways to make equipment selection simpler, faster, and more reliable.
The redesign aimed to create a seamless, intuitive rental experience for Cat Rental Store customers while supporting the business’s operational and revenue objectives.
Simplify equipment attachment selection
Reduce compatibility errors
Enable faster rental completion
Increase successful rental transactions
Minimize customer confusion
Boost overall rental revenue
Research
Understanding The Challenge
Goals & Objectives
A comprehensive analysis of key competitors, focusing on their approaches to rental layouts, user experience navigation, inventory management, and pricing strategies. This research highlights best practices and potential gaps that will guide innovative solutions.
Mapping the Customer Journey
A detailed visualization of the steps users take to browse, select, and complete their attachment rental process. This flow highlights opportunities to streamline interactions and enhance user satisfaction.
Persona Profile
In order to better understand the challenges and needs of our users, we created a persona representing a Cat Rental Store customer. This persona highlights the frustrations, goals, and behaviors of someone navigating the site to rent equipment.
Brainstorming & Sketching
To begin shaping solutions, we started with a “How Might We” exercise to reframe our main consumer problem into actionable opportunities. From there, we moved into sketching, using quick visuals to translate ideas into tangible concepts. These early concepts gave us a clearer sense of direction and guided how we approached more detailed design decisions.
Why Mobile?
The Final Prototype
Measuring Impact
My team and I decided on a mobile approach because we recognized it would better suit the needs of our target demographic—busy or inexperienced customers frequently on the go who rely on convenience and accessibility.
Usability Testing
To validate our design decisions, we conducted live usability testing using Maze. Participants were asked to complete key rental tasks, and their interactions were recorded and analyzed.
Project Impact
Our final design simplified equipment selection, reduced confusion, and enabled faster rental completion. Usability testing showed a 100% task success rate, confirming that the design met our key goals. These results indicate that users can navigate the rental process more efficiently and confidently, while the business benefits from fewer incomplete orders and increased potential revenue.
Lessons Learned & Future Developments
Iteration Matters: Had we been given more time, we could have explored design solutions in greater depth, conducted more prototyping cycles, and refined the testing phases.
Desktop View: Focusing only on the mobile version limited the scope of the design. I learned that considering a desktop view addition later in the process could provide a broader understanding of user needs across different devices.
User Testing: We saw that conducting more extensive user testing at different stages could have uncovered potential issues earlier.
Testing showed a 100% task success rate, confirming our streamlined navigation and simplified equipment selection. While no major issues were found, the results validated our design approach and highlighted areas for potential future improvements.
Below are images of our early wireframes, where we focused on simplicity and efficiency.
Excuvator 311
Pricing
Horsepower: 172 hp
Operating Weight: 49,600 lbs.
Max Reach / Dig Depth:
32.4' / 22.1'
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Suggested Attachments
Excavator 325
Pricing
Suggested Attachments
Reviews
Horsepower: 161 hp
Weight: 57,100 lbs
Maximum Reach: 32’1”
Approximate Depth: 22’0”
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Excavator Attachments
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Excavator Attachments
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Clean-Up Bucket
1500mm
Width: 60 in
Capacity: 1.33 yd
Weight: 1389 lbs
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Add to Cart
Insights for Innovation
Ideation
Goals
Rent the correct excavator & attachment for her project
Complete order quickly & confidently
Avoid mistakes that can delay her installation
Get clear information on options without expert knowledge
Frustrations
Website navigation is confusing
Unsure which attachments are compatible with her machine
Rental process feels inefficient and overwhelming
Afraid of missing the right equipment due to lack of clarity
Likes
Dislikes
Straightforward instructions & clear guidance
Visual aids/examples that help her understand product differences
Quick checkout process
Confidence in her purchases
Sam Johnson
Soccer Mom
32 years old
Springfield, IL
Homeowner/DIY enthusiast
Has 3 young kids and a dog
Sam is planning a backyard project to install a pool. To get started, she needs to rent an excavator but realizes she may also need a different bucket than the default configuration to handle breaking up mud on her property. Sam wants a clear and efficient way to select the right equipment and attachments, but she often feels confused and unsure when navigating her options. This leaves her frustrated and worried about making a costly mistake or missing out on the right rental for her project.
Background/Scenario
Complicated or hidden information
Long product descriptions she doesn’t understand
Wasting time searching for parts
Feeling unsure or second-guessing her rental decisions
