Making data analysis as easy as asking a question

Loblaw’s Data, Insights & Analytics platform gave vendors access to valuable business performance data, but the experience lived on a third-party tool that limited our control over the user experience and product roadmap.

Users relied on the platform for data, but often struggled to find what they needed, then exported and reorganized it elsewhere to make it useful. This created a business risk: if vendors saw the product as a difficult layer between them and the data, they had less reason to keep paying for the platform experience itself.

With no dedicated product manager on the project, I worked closely with the Director of Data to shape the MVP scope and define the strongest starting point for bringing the platform experience in-house. I led the design of the first release, starting with the most-used report and creating a scalable foundation for the product’s core reporting capabilities. I also designed the first conversational AI experience for Loblaw Advance and used tools like Cursor and Figma Make to rapidly prototype key interaction patterns.

The MVP created a scalable foundation for bringing the platform experience in-house, pairing clearer information architecture with thoughtful conversational AI patterns that helped users get to insights faster. As the product grows and is released to more users, it is expected to support revenue growth through stronger subscription retention and new vendor subscriptions.