Chewy currently maintains over 15 internal tools, with more expected to be built in the future. However, these platforms lacked a standardized left-navigation component. Each team either built a custom-built left navigation component specific to their platform or relied on external libraries like MUI.
Problem Statement
Chirp, Chewy’s design system, lacked a standardized left-navigation component for the enterprise platforms, leading to inconsistent navigation design and patterns across platforms. This resulted in inconsistent user experiences, duplicated efforts from design and engineering teams, and increased maintenance costs.
Solution
I designed a scalable, reusable left-navigation component for the internal platforms with a focus on usability, scalability, extensibility, and consistency.
What are the key user needs?
In the discovery phase, I analyzed left-nav implementations on platforms like YouTube, Amazon, and Confluence. I then conducted stakeholder interviews to understand internal platform needs and evaluate how current navigation solutions support or fall short.
Key needs identified were consistency, extensibility, scalability, and usability. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of standardized interaction patterns and visuals, support for multi-level nested menus, flexibility for future features like in-nav notifications, and an intuitive, accessible experience for both new and experienced users.
I began with low-fidelity prototypes to explore ideas and gather early stakeholder feedback, laying the groundwork for future iterations. Collaborating with Mark, an accessibility stakeholder, and Annie, an engineering stakeholder, helped surface key considerations and constraints, guiding refinements. After multiple iterations, I designed a standardized left-nav tailored to the AudienceHQ platform.
This was my final hi-fi prototype.
Given the short 10-week timeline, I wasn’t able to fully tackle stretch goals like dark mode support or extended usability testing—areas I’d be excited to explore further with more time and resources. Within the scope, I focused on delivering the most impactful work.
Before I departed, I also shared full documentation and specs with the engineering team to kickstart component development discussions.