Market intelligence and price tracking for the food industry

Project overview

Urner Barry is a leading business publisher dedicated to delivering timely, accurate, and unbiased market news and price reporting for the poultry, egg, meat, seafood, and related food industry segments. Through a range of print and digital media, it provides essential pricing data, industry news, and in-depth market analysis to help clients make informed purchasing decisions.

Its flagship product, COMTELL, is a subscription-based online platform often regarded as the Bloomberg of the food industry. Food buyers, processors, retailers, traders, brokers, packers, distributors, and government agencies rely on COMTELL daily for critical market insights.

Services
User research, Prototyping, Usability testing

Challenges

Outdated User Interface (UI)

Because the system was outdated, users were hesitant to trust the accuracy of the platform, impacting their engagement and confidence in the tool.

Incremental improvements

Instead of a complete overhaul, the project focused on targeted improvements to enhance usability without disrupting the existing structure.

Simplified navigation and reporting

Users needed a more intuitive way to access their reports and navigate to other key areas, reducing friction in their workflow and improving the overall experience.

Before/After

Evidence gathering

Purpose of our research

Using various research studies we aimed to:

Prioritize what information is meaningful for users at the right time
Learn the different tasks users do on the software
Uncover pain points users experience that makes their work more difficult

Studies

Key insights

Prioritizing actionable information

Users found the existing menu structure unintuitive, leading to difficulty in locating key features and reports. By simplifying the menu layout and grouping related items more logically, we improved discoverability and reduced navigation time. This adjustment not only enhanced the user experience but also increased engagement with underutilized sections of the platform.

Improving charts and reports

Users shared concerns about the outdated and limited functionality of the existing charts and reports, which made it harder to interpret data efficiently. By adding clearer, more user-friendly visualizations and options to customize reports, we helped users analyze information more easily. These updates improved the overall experience and made the platform more reliable for their needs.

Maintaining design relevance to build trust

How up-to-date design fosters user confidence and reliability

A website’s design plays a crucial role in maintaining user trust. An outdated design can lead to skepticism about the platform’s accuracy and reliability, causing users to lose confidence.

By ensuring the design stays modern and aligned with current usability standards, businesses can convey professionalism, competence, and trustworthiness. Regular updates not only improve the visual appeal but also ensure the platform meets evolving user expectations, reinforcing their confidence in the site’s value.

Conclusion

The UX redesign for Urner Barry’s COMTELL platform will enhance accessibility and user satisfaction, ensuring seamless access to vital market information for stakeholders across the food industry.