Transforming Pharmacy
Supply Chain at Scale

Role: Lead Product Designer | Company: Walgreens Pharmacy

Quick Facts

Role: Lead Product/Service Design

Company: Walgreens Pharmacy

Scope: Supply chain workflow redesign + enterprise design system migration

Impact: ↓22% drop in call center inquiries; 30% reduction in fulfilment time

The Challenge

However, the objective wasn't just a visual "reskin." We had to keep the pharmacy operations running ("keep the lights on") while simultaneously scrapping and replacing inefficient, legacy workflows. If a process was identified as a hurdle to accuracy or speed, we rebuilt it from scratch—even if it meant the pharmacists had to retrain.

Why This Mattered

Inefficient workflows were slowing down inventory tracking and approvals, leading to revenue loss and pharmacist fatigue
As a mandatory pivot point, any "nice-to-have" stayed as-is to ensure continuity
Critical inefficiencies were redesigned entirely to ensure the new platform was a high-performance asset

My Role

I led a research-driven redesign initiative—identifying root causes of inefficiency, deciding what to keep and what to kill. I spent time in pharmacies to understand exactly which parts of the old system were non-negotiable so that we wouldn't break critical habits during the migration.

Key Insight

When presented to the executives to get their buy-in for a system-wide transformation, we concluded that the problem wasn’t just the interface.

The workflows themselves were broken—impacting how the supply chain operated day-to-day. Fixing the UI without rethinking the system would only recreate the same problems in a new design language.

Approach

1. Deconstruct the Inefficiencies: I used contextual inquiry to watch pharmacists interact with the inventory. If a workflow forced them into manual workarounds or "memory-heavy" tasks, I flagged it for a total rebuild rather than a migration.

2. Developed New Interaction Standards: For the scrapped workflows, I designed new interaction patterns within the Microsoft Fluent framework. These weren't just new looks; they were new ways of working—engineered for speed and error prevention.

3. Validate the "New Normal": Because we were introducing new ways of working, I used usability testing to ensure the new workflows were intuitive enough that the "learning curve" for retraining was as short as possible.

The Transformation

From: A cluttered system of "legacy habits" and inefficient inventory tracking
To: A high-speed, omnichannel ecosystem built on modernized logic and proprietary control

The Result

I restructured the platform’s information architecture and proposed a new dashboard model based on familiar patterns—using table-based layouts to support large-scale data visibility and drill-down workflows. This aligned quickly with stakeholders and secured initial approval.

Speed to Value: The new workflows cut fulfilment time by 30% almost immediately
System Stability: We successfully navigated a "non-negotiable" overhaul of critical tasks without disrupting nationwide pharmacy service
Reduced Overhead: Cleaning up the logic at the root caused a 22% drop in calls to the help desk

Refine — Challenge assumptions

Rather than stopping at approval, I questioned whether the solution truly improved the experience.

I explored an alternative: a list-based view—allowing users to scan global data and access details inline.

It reduced clicks and improved real time decision-making.

Scale — Extend across contexts

The new pattern:

Reduced interaction steps
Improved data visibility and speed of use
Scaled naturally to mobile, through nested adaptive views

Final Outcome

The result was a more efficient, flexible system that not only solved the original workflow challenges—but improved how users interact with data across devices.

Transforming Pharmacy Supply Chain at Scale

The Challenge

Why This Mattered

Inefficient workflows were slowing down inventory tracking and approvals, leading to revenue loss and pharmacist fatigue

As a mandatory pivot point, any "nice-to-have" stayed as-is to ensure continuity

Critical inefficiencies were redesigned entirely to ensure the new platform was a high-performance asset

My Role

I led a research-driven redesign initiative—identifying root causes of inefficiency, deciding what to keep and what to kill. I spent time in pharmacies to understand exactly which parts of the old system were non-negotiable so that we wouldn't break critical habits during the migration.

​

Key Insight

When presented to the executives to get their buy-in for a system-wide transformation, we concluded that the problem wasn’t just the interface.

​

The workflows themselves were broken—impacting how the supply chain operated day-to-day. Fixing the UI without rethinking the system would only recreate the same problems in a new design language.​​​​

Approach​

The Transformation

From: A cluttered system of "legacy habits" and inefficient inventory tracking

To: A high-speed, omnichannel ecosystem built on modernized logic and proprietary control

The Result

I restructured the platform’s information architecture and proposed a new dashboard model based on familiar patterns—using table-based layouts to support large-scale data visibility and drill-down workflows. This aligned quickly with stakeholders and secured initial approval.

​

Speed to Value: The new workflows cut fulfilment time by 30% almost immediately

System Stability: We successfully navigated a "non-negotiable" overhaul of critical tasks without disrupting nationwide pharmacy service

Reduced Overhead: Cleaning up the logic at the root caused a 22% drop in calls to the help desk

Transforming Pharmacy
Supply Chain at Scale

The workflows themselves were broken—impacting how the supply chain operated day-to-day. Fixing the UI without rethinking the system would only recreate the same problems in a new design language.

Approach