LeasePlan
Partner Portal
Turning complex operational processes into a scalable self-service platform for partners across 30+ markets
LeasePlan worked with a large network of external partners responsible for services throughout the vehicle lifecycle. Many of these interactions depended on fragmented processes, different user roles and local ways of working.
I led the product design of a new partner portal, working with business stakeholders, Product and Engineering to understand those processes and translate them into a self-service experience that could support different types of partners, roles and markets.
My contribution
Product discovery
I worked with business stakeholders and users to understand how different partners operated, where existing processes created friction and which capabilities needed to move into self-service.
Product design
I translated complex operational workflows into clear journeys, from early concepts and prototypes through validation and detailed interaction design.
Information architecture & permissions
I designed a role and permission model that allowed organisations to give different employees access to the tools and information relevant to their responsibilities.
Designing for scale
I worked within a product intended for more than 30 markets, designing patterns that could accommodate different partner types, organisational structures and local requirements without creating a separate solution for each market.
The challenge
The product request was to create a common LeasePlan platform that would allow account managers to better manage their partners and to boost the SME indirect sales in their countries by automating many manual steps in the indirect sales channel, and by this allowing countries to focus on growing their business.
The main business requirements of the portal were:
Easy vehicle configuration
Direct and correct quotations on lease prices
Fully responsive interface so you can do your business on any device (laptop, tablet or smartphone)
Digital SME onboarding including eSign so contracts can be completed in minutes
A new Vehicle Management System (VMS)
Quick creation and storage of all quotes created in the portal
Able to quote for any type of lease contract (new contract, mid-lease change, end-off lease calculation etc.)
Understanding how partners actually worked
I started by investigating the different partner types, roles and workflows behind the portal.
Through interviews and analysis of existing processes, I mapped how people interacted with LeasePlan, which tasks belonged to different roles and where existing ways of working created friction.
One of the important findings was that we couldn’t design around a single generic “partner user.” The same organisation could contain multiple people who needed different capabilities and different levels of access.
That insight influenced both the structure of the portal and one of its foundational capabilities: user roles and permissions.
Designing around responsibilities and complex permission management
In collaboration with the business analyst in the team, we identified and mapped the different functionalities available for each role in the process - customer, sales agent, partner manager, account manager, sales manager, pricing analyst and sales director. Each of these roles have different rights and options in the portal, specially in the quote amendment flow shown below.
Making operational workflows self-service
I translated existing operational processes into workflows that allowed partners to complete common tasks themselves, while reducing the amount of internal complexity they needed to understand.
I used prototypes to make these workflows tangible and validate them with users and stakeholders before moving into detailed design.
The goal wasn’t to reproduce existing processes on a screen. It was to determine what information people needed, what decisions they needed to make and what the product could handle for them.
Based on the findings from both UX research and validation sessions, we were able to come up with a list of changes that were addressed and updated in the prototype:
Created a dashboard on the homepage allowing partners to see latest numbers and achievements in a glance
Added option to adjust vehicle list and accessories prices manually, as this information can be outdated in the system
Created of more compact site navigation by eliminating unnecessary scroll, allowing partners to quickly navigate through the configurator
Introduced an elastic search, with the option to upload a configuration file, allowing partners to get to the vehicle without going through the configurator
From product model to implementation
I worked closely with Product and Engineering as the portal moved from concepts into detailed design.
The work included defining interaction behaviour, edge cases and reusable patterns needed across the different workflows, while continuously balancing partner needs with business and technical constraints.
Rather than treating design specifications as the end of the process, I stayed involved as the product moved toward implementation so decisions could evolve when technical or operational realities required it.
Outcome
A scalable foundation for partner self-service
The Partner Portal established a common digital environment through which LeasePlan could move previously fragmented partner interactions towards self-service.
The role and permission model allowed the same product to support organisations ranging from individual users to larger partners with specialised responsibilities, while reusable interaction patterns provided a foundation for expansion across more than 30 markets.
The project turned a collection of operational processes into a product model that could evolve as more partner services moved online.
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