Dell Technologies

One Configurator

Reducing decision fatigue and provide guidance to improve the PC configuration experience

Team

Dell Shop & Learn

Responsibilities

Design Lead

Timeline

6 months

Device

Web

BACKGROUND

Why improve the PC configuration experience?

Dell's robust online PC customization is its key differentiator. Dell was ramping towards providing more customization options catering to customer freedom. It became important to design an experience that balances between simplicity and customization freedom.

CHALLENGE

Too many choices led to decision fatigue

Customers had to choose from seventy Dell products, with hundreds of variants and over a billion part combinations. So many options throughout the journey was leading to decision fatigue.

RESEARCH TAKEAWAY #1

Customer drop‑off peaked on the product customization page

A billion possible configurations turned the customization page into the journey’s biggest abandonment point. The complexity overwhelmed customers immediately after they entered the product details page.

For illustration purposes only.

"With so many options, I can deliberate a lot. That's complexity I don't want." - user

RESEARCH TAKEAWAY #2

Without guidance, users built incompatible configurations and felt overwhelmed

Customers often chose parts that didn't work together. Error messages asking users to choose another compatible part felt frustrating. Customers liked customization freedom, but they struggled to understand part differences and how it impacts overall performance.

RESEARCH TAKEAWAY #3

For any given system, a handful of order codes converted 10x the rest

Although each system had around thirty variants, only three sold significantly more than the rest. This data was foundational to set up the design around customer behavior.

We simplified choice by offering three popular starting points, with customization available

DIG DEEPER

Want to see the full research process?

Walk through the discovery, synthesis, and design decisions behind One Configurator — from raw research findings to the prebuilt-offer system that shipped.

View process deck →

FEATURE #1

Three prebuilt offers shown upfront

Customers can choose from the three most popular prebuilt configurations or select the fourth option that unlocked full customization.

FEATURE #2

Configuration Update Prompt

Previously, users had to manually identify and interpret error messages. Now, when a customer chooses to change the configuration, the system intelligently prompts them to accept updated configuration specifications based on valid combinations.

SOLUTION

One Configurator MVP

FUTURE ENHANCEMENT

Supporting users through customization choices

To address the incompatibility frustrations we found in Research (Takeaway 2), we designed a persistent left-hand module. Instead of reactive error messages, the compatibility indicator proactively helps users customize with confidence by hosting modules like the summary widget, compatibility indicator, virtual assistant, and game performance insights.

IMPACT

One Configurator delivered strong conversions and launched globally

The new version had a 5.2% lift in average order value and 7.4% lift in revenue per visit. Around 80% of the customers checked out with the 3 prebuilt offers instead of customizing them. This was one of the biggest changes for Dell's PC purchasing journey in recent years, shaping how customers of all segments shop for PCs worldwide.