Connect

Neiman Marcus

Connect is a redesigned and re-platformed native iOS app used by sales staff that aimed to leverage the benefits of a native operating system and offer a more user-centered application.

Role & Scope

Senior Manager, Product Design & UX: Balanced hands-on design execution with leadership of a multi-disciplinary team of product designers and researchers, while partnering with Product, IT, store leadership and cross-functional business stakeholders to deliver an enterprise-critical app in only 4 months.

Challenge

The legacy Connect app, a progressive web app, was misaligned with user needs and brand standards:

Platform limitations degraded usability and slowed workflows
Designed without user input, leading to poor adoption and repeated re-training
Critical features lacked integration, creating inefficiencies for store staff
Visual design was outdated and inconsistent with new brand guidelines

This created friction for client advisors and managers who rely on the app daily to serve customers, track performance, and manage client relationships.

Connect Progressive Web App
Home Screen

Strategy

On an accelerated timeline, I established a lean, high-impact design strategy that balanced business priorities with user needs:

Rapid Research & Alignment: Synthesized existing feedback, conducted store interviews, and facilitated workshops with SMEs and leadership to prioritize opportunities.
User-Centered Navigation: Redefined overall app structure to surface most-used features, eliminate dead-ends, and integrate cross-feature workflows.
Design Governance: Created a style guide and design principles (typography, color system, cards, FABs, long-press interactions) that unified experience, aligned with brand standards, and accelerated development.
Agile Execution: Forgoing wireframes, the team delivered high-fidelity designs upfront to meet vendor timelines, iterating rapidly while embedding research themes throughout.
Cross-Functional Orchestration: Coordinated with IT, product, and store leaders to ensure feasibility, performance, and alignment with operational objectives.

Research

Key Insights

Notifications lacked hierarchy, burying important updates
Features did not integrate, forcing staff to exit tasks to access related info
Lack of intuitiveness led to ongoing re-training costs and low adoption
Sales staff and managers needed real-time updates and smarter search

Solution

Delivered a native iOS app that improved performance, usability, and alignment with how sales staff actually work
Designed role-based experiences for sales staff, managers, and leaders, tailored to their oversight and workflows
Implemented modern visual design aligned with NMG’s brand guidelines while supporting data-heavy screens with legibility and reduced eye fatigue
Elevated cross-feature integration to streamline workflows and reduce redundant navigation

Outcome

MVP delivered in just 4 months, with iterative enhancements continuing post-launch
Improved adoption and usability, reducing reliance on retraining
Enabled efficiency and productivity for 3,000+ sales staff and managers across Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman
Established a scalable design foundation for ongoing feature expansion and visual reskinning

Leadership Takeaway

This initiative demonstrates my ability to rally cross-functional teams under tight deadlines, embed research-driven design principles into enterprise products, and deliver a user-centered, brand-aligned mobile platform that drives measurable efficiency and adoption across a global luxury retail workforce.