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Type

Product Design / Case Study

Product Design

UX/UI Lead

Year

2025/26

rent-a-unit

Rent-A-Unit is a sanitation rental provider serving the Greater New York area. The company offers portable restroom solutions across two distinct markets:
• Construction sites   • High-end event clients

The Problem

The existing website functioned as a linear lead-generation tool rather than a structured digital ordering system. Users browsed basic product categories, clicked units with minimal specifications, and submitted contact forms—then waited for manual follow-ups and offline quotes.

THE ASK

Modernize the visual design and evolve the platform into a structured ecommerce-style rental experience—while serving two distinct markets with fundamentally different needs:

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Construction: B2B Quoting Flow

Long-term rentals, bulk orders, custom pricing negotiations, and ongoing service contracts.

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Events: Direct Rental Flow

Short-term rentals, transparent pricing, guided product selection with minimal need for customer support, and immediate checkout.

The Process  

  • Discovery

    • Business Process

    • Mapping

    • Stakeholder Alignment

    • Understanding Event vs Construction user needs

  • RESEARCH

    • Legacy Site Audit

    • Competitor Benchmarking

    • User Behavior Gaps

    • Identifying confusion between Events vs Construction

  • STRATEGY

    • Dual-Path Architecture

    • Direct Rental Flow vs Quote-Based Flow

    • Speed for Contractors, Detail for Event Planners

    • Clear Ecommerce-like Experience with Operational Logic

  • PROTOTYPE & SYSTEM DESIGN

    • Site Mapping

    • Information Architecture

    • High Fidelity Screens

    • Branding & Visual Direction

    • Conversion-Focused Copy

    • CMS Structuring for Scalability

The solution 

I designed a scalable dual-path platform structured around five strategic pillars:

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1. Clear Segmentation with Brand Cohesion
Architected a distinct yet unified experience for Construction and Events—separating user intent, complexity, and purchasing behavior while maintaining a cohesive visual and navigational system.

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2. Guided Selection with Reduced Dependency
Designed the browsing experience to support confident, independent decision-making through comparison tools, contextual education, and progressive clarity—minimizing reliance on customer support.

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3. Embedded Operational Intelligence
Integrated a live calculator and rental logic layer to translate operational requirements into user-facing guidance, aligning quantity estimation, add-ons, availability, and pricing in real time.

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4. Structured Product Architecture
Reframed product pages to balance depth and clarity—clear specifications, defined inclusions, contextual upsells, and scannable hierarchy without cognitive overload.

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5. Unified Cart, Dual Outcomes
Built a single cart framework that adapts to user intent: Construction flows into a structured quote request; Events flows into direct checkout—both capturing clean, actionable data for operations.

THE BUSINESS
ENGINE

The solution didn't just improve the user experience—it transformed the client's entire operation. I designed a complex CMS that serves as their central operating machine.

​

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  • Before

    • Missed calls and emails

    • Manual quote generation

    • Scattered customer data

    • No follow-up automation

  • AFTER

    • Zero-leak sales capture

    • Automated follow-ups

    • Centralized CRM

    • Inventory & availability control

IMPACT

User Experience:

• Absolute transparency in pricing
• Branded cohesiveness
• Guided information architecture
• Frictionless selection process

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Business Operations:

• Automated management

• Scalable infrastructure

• Zero-leak sales flow

• Rule-based CMS

© Alma Richter 👩🏼‍💻

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