Elkjøp: Pricetool—Streamlining Pricing Operations
About the Project
Elkjøp wanted to improve how employees worked with pricing in their daily tasks. The goal was to build a more streamlined and efficient tool to replace a fragmented mix of official systems and custom workarounds.
The core team consisted of two developers, a project manager, and myself as lead UX. Before I joined, the team had completed a year-long technical pre-project and had solid knowledge of the pricing process and current systems—primarily from a technical perspective.
Research
User Observation I started by spending time with one of the pricing employees, following their morning process from start to finish. The observation revealed significant struggles: shortcomings in the existing official tools, and the painstaking workarounds people had built—like custom Excel files—to compensate. A major discovery was the sheer number of password prompts required just to update prices on a batch of products. That friction was real.
User Interviews During our physical workshops with super users across the four countries, I facilitated a group interview—more like a panel discussion. The goal was to understand the common parts of the process, individual differences between locations, and where people experienced friction.
This was incredibly valuable. It wasn't possible to travel to each location for individual observations, but the group dynamic revealed nuances I wouldn't have uncovered otherwise. When super users discussed their processes together, they naturally highlighted differences in how each country had adapted the general workflow.
Workshops Throughout the project, we held roughly one physical and one remote workshop per month. I facilitated at least two topics each time—usually the group interview and a walkthrough of new designs based on previous sessions' insights.
These scheduled sessions were essential. Without dedicated time, everyday work easily crowds out input and collaboration. The workshops ensured full focus on the project itself.
Design Process
Starting with Wireframes All design was done through wireframing, iteratively refined based on feedback.
The core challenge was the product list. It could easily become long and unwieldy. We needed filtering and sorting to support different pricing workflows—whether comparing against competitors or working on specific products.
Quick filters were added to a callout menu alongside sorting and saved filter functionality. This evolved iteratively into the final product list design, which included competitor comparison, product detail views, and pricing workflows.
Key Takeaways
Pricing is far more complex than it appears at first glance—and that's before you even get into the underlying strategies.
Working closely with and empowering the people you're building for isn't just rewarding; it's essential. The physical workshops gave everyone the mental space to focus completely on the project without everyday distractions competing for attention.
This project revealed layers of complexity behind what seemed like a straightforward task, and the importance of creating both understanding and a genuinely usable interface for the target users.