Leading Toolbox from fragmented tools to a platform onboarding 134 new dealerships.
At Ikon Technologies, I worked at the intersection of hardware, software, and dealership operations. Ikon builds the tech that helps dealers see their inventory in real time, tracking every car, every key, and every movement, while also powering theft recovery and a consumer add-on product.
Note: This case study documents an earlier phase of the design system. We recently went through a significant refactor and shipped several new features, and I’ll be updating this case study to reflect the current state soon.
Company
Ikon Technologies
Role
Product Designer
Industry
Automotive Retail, IoT
Overview
I joined Ikon Technologies to lead end-to-end 0→1 designs for their B2B dealer-facing product vertical called Toolbox.
Mandate
Ikon Technologies' obsolete inventory management system was barely meeting the basic needs of its users at the car dealership, leaving them frustrated and overly reliant on customer support to perform basic operations. This situation prompted many challenging conversations around user experience. We wanted the new Toolbox to not only address the current pain points but also to enhance the overall dealership experience. Our key business goals were to
My Contribution
I was the sole designer on this team, I led the product end-to-end from discovery and early concepts through interaction/visual design, dev-handoff, QA testing, iterative refinements, and supporting the final launch and GTM effort.
Team
Me, Jordan Detota (Director of Product Design), Eduard Sindiukov (Product Manager), 15+ Software Engineers
Below are a few final shipped features that had outsized impact on how dealers used Toolbox. These were the high-leverage moments inside the product that accelerated adoption, reduced friction, unlocked value for both dealers and consumers, and influenced how the company positioned, sold, and scaled the platform.
Lot Age Configurations
Giving dealers a clear way to prioritize which vehicles to sell first.
Configurations widget to let user set custom values for lot age ranges.
Problem
Dealers didn’t have a clear, customizable signal for which vehicles needed action first. Fixed aging thresholds treated every car the same, even though every dealer operates differently. And the longer a car sits, the more it costs in holding cost and lost margin, forcing dealers to rely on gut feel instead of data, leading to slower turn and missed revenue.
Solution
I enabled dealers to set their own aging thresholds based on how their lot actually operates, not a one-size-fits-all rule. Dealers could define what “aging risk” meant for their market, turning aging tiers from a static indicator into an adjustable lever they could use for acquisition, pricing, and inventory strategy. This made aging not just a visualization — but a strategic control that actually changed dealer behaviour.
Impact
Accelerated dealer decision-making and improved focus on high-risk aging vehicles. Instead of reactive browsing, sales teams shifted toward proactive prioritization — reducing stale inventory exposure and protecting margin by selling units faster.
Industry context: even a 5–10 day improvement in turn can protect $300–$700 per vehicle in margin.
Mobile Device Pairing
Making the pairing process reliable and frustration-free to prevent returning perfectly good hardware.
From L to R: pairing page, scanning flow modal, vehicle pairing details, device pairing status.
Problem
Dealers frequently struggled to successfully pair GPS devices from their phone because the app gave no real feedback on what to do, how to hold the device, or why pairing was failing. When pairing didn’t work, dealers assumed the device was defective — leading to unnecessary RMA returns, wasted ops time, frustrated users, and increased cost.
Solution
I introduced guided pairing feedback with step-by-step troubleshooting tips inside the flow (ex: instructing installers to hold the device at a 90° angle). I partnered with Operations to align messaging, documentation, and user training so the guidance was consistent across product + support. The pairing flow stopped being a black box and started functioning like a guided, supportive interaction.
Impact
Reduced unnecessary RMA returns by an estimated 25–35%, as dealers were able to successfully pair devices on the first attempt instead of assuming they were defective. This prevented perfectly working hardware from being shipped back, saving ~$20–$25 per avoided RMA on ops + logistics cost. At scale, this created material yearly savings and increased trust in the platform’s reliability.
Share Vehicle Brochure
Helping salespeople share vehicle details instantly and convert more buyer.
Share vehicle brochure page. Click to expand.
Problem
Salespeople had no simple way to share vehicle details with interested buyers once they walked off the lot. Everything relied on memory, screenshots, or external tools — creating friction in follow-up and weakening buyer momentum.
Solution
I designed a one-tap “Vehicle Brochure” action inside Toolbox. Salespeople can enter a customer’s phone number or email directly in the flow and instantly send them a link to full vehicle details.
Impact
This shifted Toolbox from a passive lot management tool into an active sales enablement lever. Brochures became a new default step in follow-up — making post-visit conversations easier, more professional, and faster to close. It turned a one-time lot interaction into an ongoing dialogue that kept buyers warm and increased conversion likelihood.
Penetration Rate Widget
Increasing penetration rates by gamifying the metric and motivating dealers to actively work toward their targets.
Penetration rate dashboard widget. Click to expand.
Problem
Dealers lacked visibility into their penetration rate — the percentage of vehicles on their lot that actually had devices installed. Without knowing where they stood or what target to aim for, they weren’t motivated to increase it. This mismatch left value on the table, because they didn’t see the connection between increasing penetration and improving outcomes for their store.
Solution
I added a dedicated penetration rate widget to the dashboard that visualized their current rate, their next discount tier, and how far they were from hitting it. This turned an abstract ratio into an actionable target. Dealers could now see exactly how many installs they needed to reach the next tier and how much money they would save by getting there.
Impact
By making penetration goals visible and trackable, we shifted behavior. Dealers started actively working toward their targets instead of passively installing devices. As installs increased, dealers improved protection, saved more per device, and unlocked better store economics — while we increased total device volume and revenue.
Impact
Toolbox pre-launch drove a 33% surge in dealership customers.
Toolbox was showcased at the 2025 NADA automotive tradeshow in New Orleans, securing dozens of new dealer sign ups.
The Shift
Together, these features represent a fraction of the 0→1 work that went into Toolbox, but they capture the broader story — transforming it from a basic lot-management tool into a platform that helps dealers act faster, sell smarter, and operate more efficiently. From improving visibility and decision-making to reducing friction and unlocking new sales behaviors, each piece reinforced the product’s strategic shift toward measurable business impact and long-term adoption.
What This Unlocked
This shift translated into real commercial lift. Pre-launch drove a 33% surge in dealership customers and secured 139 new dealerships before public release, validating adoption and business demand ahead of launch.
Below are some of the high-impact strategic initiatives I led, grounded in deep institutional knowledge of our product, business, and industry built over time. These efforts required breaking down complexity, driving cross-functional clarity, and making decisions that shaped direction far beyond the traditional boundaries of design, reflecting how my role evolved into org-level product strategy and cross-functional problem solving.
Mayank always impressed me with his drive to improve not only himself but the people, teams, products, and processes around them. There are few I’ve worked with that have as much dedication to the craft as Mayank has.
Jordan Detota, Director of Product Design
Appreciate you taking the time to go through this. At Ikon Technologies, I also drove impact beyond design to support business — shaping strategy, systems, and platform direction. Click below to take a look at some work that actually moved the needle.
