Caterpillar CPM Redesign

Timeline

20 Weeks

Project Overview

Caterpillar's CPM payload interface overwhelms operators with dense, undifferentiated information during active truck loading, a problem intensified by the shift to a smaller portrait display; we address this through progressive disclosure, glanceable information hierarchy, and reduced cognitive demand.

Problem Statement

The existing interface requires operators to interpret and browse at crucial periods, which increases the problem as the display grows smaller. Operators must quickly verify the loading status and respond quickly.

Goal

By emphasizing important information, making commonly used functions more accessible, and developing a more user-friendly and uniform interface across machine types, this redesign aims to lessen operator cognitive burden. Clearer hierarchy, simpler navigation, and multimodal input that reduces reliance on visual attention alone should all help the system facilitate quicker decision-making.

Tools

• Figma

• Cursor

• FigJam

• Microsoft

• PowerPoint

Roles

User Research, Testing & Product Designer

Team

Tuguldur Enkhsaruul Jessica King Madelyn Rhodes Juliana Piotrowski Cornelious Williams

Problem Space

Wheel Loader

• Both interfaces show target payload, bed weight, and bucket weight, but vary drastically visually. This causes forced re-learning and information overwhelm.

• Getting the basic payload section to be as simple and cross compatible for machines was our top priority.

• The element’s size hierarchy did not assist the user in finding the most important information, so we focused on making functional elements and more important imformation

The existing interface requires operators to interpret and browse at crucial periods, which increases the problem as the display grows smaller. Operators must quickly verify the loading status and respond quickly.

The goal is to combine all of the three interfaces into one, but the compression of the screen size highlights the weakness of the information hierarchy of information

Excavator

Current Interfaces

Design Process

What We Learned From Operators

Cross Machine Consistency

Opportunities

Reduce Cognitive Load

Mental Model Support

Screen Size & Visibility

1. Operators need glanceable payload confirmation. Critical status must be understood in seconds without mental math.

   
   

2. Too much information creates cognitive overload Important payload data competes with secondary controls and settings.
   

3. Inconsistent interfaces increase learning friction. Different machine layouts force operators to relearn workflows.

Through operator interviews, workflow analysis, and existing CPM system reviews, we identified several recurring usability issues that slowed loading efficiency and increased cognitive strain during active operation.

Design System

Empty bucket, material added, & good weigh states.

Redesigned existing truck status icons to show edit target, default state (target set), last pass, overweight, and at target weigh states.

Progress indicator built into the icons.

Flows and Wireframes

We acted out and recreated various user scenarios to explore all possible flows before finalizing them. These flows were then turned into low-fidelity prototypes for the first round of testing.

Design Process

KEY FEATURE #3

Cross-Machine Consistency

Layouts, controls, and iconography were standardized across wheel loaders and excavators to reduce relearning friction

Standardizing layouts, controls & iconography

No need to relearn different systems across vehicles

Reduces cognitive load

Reduces training friction

KEY FEATURE #1

Progressive Disclosure

Advanced CPM tools and secondary controls are hidden until needed, reducing cognitive overload during active loading.

Show the operators what's important

Advanced settings and tools stay hidden

KEY FEATURE #2

Glanceable Information

Critical payload information is prioritized front and center so operators can confirm status within seconds with out mental math

Critical Information like truck weight, bucket weight, & target

Helps operators not do mental math

Speeds up loading and unloading

Competitive Analysis Results Synthesized

Navigation & Filters

Rise includes two layers of tabs/filters, creating slight redundancy and confusion.

Bud & Rita’s also uses standard filter options but adds categories like terpenes and cannabinoids.

Both could simplify navigation to reduce cognitive load and improve flow.

Rise has the option to filter by feeling and activities, super useful when viewing cannabis products online.

Visual Design & Hierarchy

Rise has excellent content card spacing, clear product hierarchy (brand → name → type), and effective typography.

Bud & Rita’s organizes content well but suffers from low color contrast and thin outlines, making some visuals difficult to see.

Bud & Rita’s homepage tells a compelling story about education and community, while Rise feels more transactional and straightforward.

Mobile Experience

Both mobile experiences reflect their web counterpart and are essentially the web experiences resized for mobile viewing.

Because of this, the home pages on both mobile experiences are very long.

Both rely on the same industry skeleton, limiting opportunities for custom UX changes.

Rise excels in clarity and usability, while Bud & Rita’s excels in storytelling and brand personality.

These insights will inform the app design by combining Rise’s usability strengths with Bud & Rita’s educational and brand-driven approach, creating a more engaging and informative cannabis shopping experience.

Key Takeaways

Overall Structure

Both websites use a standard e-commerce skeleton with consistent placement of search, profile, and cart icons.

Both sites also rely on location-based shopping, a common industry standard

Rise features a clean, minimal layout focused on usability, while Bud & Rita’s integrates strong branding that mirrors its diner-inspired retail experience.

During my competitive analysis of both Bud & Rita's and Rise, it was extremely important to explore the mobile experiences due to the state's cannabis regulations.

User Testing Insights

User Test Procedure

• Open dispensary website on mobile

• Verify date of birth

• Find Sativa pre-rolls

• Add to cart

User Testing Questions

• Name

• Age

• Experience with cannabis

• Preferred cannabis products

Synthesized User Testing Results

Strengths

• Visually appealing, bold, colorful aesthetic

• Strong diner-style theme that feels fun and memorable

• Distinctive brand personality that stands out from competitors

• Engaging, quirky tone that users found entertaining

• Feels modern, youthful, and high-energy

• Appealing photography and product visuals

Weaknesses

• Hard for beginners to understand products or how to choose

• Long pages; some links non-functional

• Lack of product reviews

• Lack of educational content

Overall

• Strong brand vibe, weak clarity and usability

Strengths

• Clean, professional, easy-to-understand layout

• Detailed, trustworthy product descriptions

• Ratings, serving details, and educational info appreciated

• Straightforward navigation and structure

• Feels reliable and beginner-friendly

• Clear categorization helps users shop with confidence

• Consistent design that feels polished and legitimate

Weaknesses

• Redundant navigation and repetitive deal pages

• Minimal brand personality; experience felt sterile

Overall

• Strong clarity and structure, low engagement/visual appeal

Rise Mobile App

Design Overview

Streamlined navigation designed specifically for mobile behavior

Existing graphics on Rise’s website have been optimized for the mobile experience.

Preserves Rise’s clean, professional design language while improving mobile usability and overall user experience.

Visual system updated for clarity, consistency, and ease of scanning

The profile information will be saved, used during the checkout process and must match a physical ID at pickup. Preventing users from re-entering information before each purchase.

Sign In & Sign Up

Educational Experience: Terpenes 101

Accessible by clicking the banner on the home page. This section of the app allows users to learn more about Terpenes and explore based on aroma, popularity or effects.

Terpenes 101 is an interactive & user-friendly learning section of the Rise app that educates users on Terpenes.

User Flow from left to right

Final Screens & Prototype

View the prototype

Juliana Piotrowski