PROJECT OVERVIEW
LogAware is an early stage startup that aims to increase transparency and enhance the efficiency of supply chain and logistics operations. At the start of the project, LogTrack existed as a beta prototype with limited functionality and a minimal interface. Our team worked directly with the founder and lead developer to improve the existing interface design and bring their product vision to life.
‍
RESEARCH METHODS:  Market Research, Competitive feature analysis, User interviews, User Archetypes/Personas, Empathy Map, User Journey, Service Blueprint, Site Map, User Flow, Feature Prioritization, Ideation Sketching & Design Studio, Prototyping, Usability Testing
MY CONTRIBUTIONS

MY TEAM: Pattrick Kattner, Victoria Lucarelli, Penny Qian, Rahim Shabbaz

‍PROJECT TIMELINE:  July - August 2022

MY ROLE:  UX Researcher & Product Designer

Collaborated with team through design and prototyping of LogTrack Mobile App and Dashboard.
As the UX Research lead, I led user research interviews and facilitated usability testing at various stages throughout the project.
Presented final deliverables to clients at the end of 3-week sprint
‍
TOOLS:  Figma, Miro, Zepelin

‍

THE CHALLENGE

Current supply chain and shipping industries are limited by outdated technology and disjointed systems. An overall lack of visibility and complications with document hand-offs at multiple touch points contribute to a chaotic process marked by uncertainty, error, and delays.

These issues have only been worsening in recent years amidst the global supply chain crisis as the pandemic, port congestions, and labor shortages have contributed to widespread disruptions.

THE GOAL
LogAware aims to foster visibility, information transparency and ease of operational management through LogTrack, an all-in-one shipment tracking and document storage/sharing system that works across a desktop dashboard and a mobile application.
...How might we facilitate access to tracking information & documentation, including shipment and driver location, consistently across multiple avenues?‍
‍
THE SOLUTION__________________________________________________
LOGTRACK


a 360 visibility and one-stop documentation storage & sharing platform

LogTrack features two connected platforms: a mobile app for truckers to manage and upload shipping documentation, and a desktop dashboard for clients to track shipments and share documents.
View Dashboard PrototypeView Mobile Prototype
HOW DID WE ARRIVE AT OUR FINAL DESIGN?


__________________

OUR PROCESS


__________________

RESEARCH
EMPATHIZE
DESIGN
TEST & ITERATE
DELIVER
RESEARCH
CONTEXTUALIZING OUR PRODUCT_____________________
MARKET RESEARCH
Before delving into design, we wanted to better understand the current supply chain and gain a better idea of where LogAware stands within the industry.

We started by researching a number of existing companies and platforms currently used within the shipping, transport, and supply chain industries and identified key areas of opportunity for the product. A quick feature analysis highlighted what sets LogTrack apart from adjacent companies in the industry and also provided us with a starting point and sense of direction for our design improvements.
UNDERSTANDING OUR TARGET USERS
LogTrack features two interconnected platforms, with two separate user bases. We conducted interviews with people from both user groups, which included shipment transporters and logistics/operations managers.
‍These interviews helped us better understand users by giving us a clear view of the frustrations and needs within their everyday work. They also provided further contextual insight into the current state of the supply chain and shipping industries.
WHAT PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY ARE SAYING:
KEY FINDINGS:
Initially, our client assumed that truck drivers prefer traditional modes of communicating, transferring documents, and logging information and are slow to adopt technology. This was posed as a major hurdle that our client was facing with their product.

We were quite surprised to discover that this initial assumption about truckers was not entirely true. The drivers we interviewed actually use various technologies such as document scanners, mobile messaging applications, and telematics systems, which enhance safety and improve efficiency in their everyday work. They also expressed frustrations about the tedious manual work involved in current day-to-day operations, and were open to the idea of solutions that could streamline their work and make their lives easier. This inspired us to reimagine the role of truckers within the system by introducing solutions that cater to their needs.
LET'S MEET OUR TARGET USERS
Using new insights about our users, we crafted a pair of user archetypes to represent the target users for the trucker mobile app and the desktop dashboard.
‍
Highlighting areas of frustration in our target users’ everyday operations, we determined areas of opportunity to provide support, and began ideating features and solutions.
REVISITING THE CHALLENGE
How might we facilitate access to tracking information & documentation, including shipment and driver location, consistently across multiple avenues?
IDEATION

Our team spent some time to brainstorm potential features, and listed and prioritized our ideas to determine which features are essential to include in LogTrack:

(click on images to zoom in)

The following features were determined essential to include in our MVP‍

‍MOBILE APP
Necessary: Tracking (GPS), document upload/scanner, current job information/dashboard, logbook/history, job schedule, set status/hiatus, shipment information, account creation and sign-in, account view
Lower priority but nice to have: Documentation reminders, notifications, messaging, alerts

DESKTOP
Necessary: Document storage, View documents, tracking map, shipment list, shipment status, search, shipment sorting, Geofencing
Lower priority but nice to have: activity indicator, messaging, estimated arrival date, job detail page, live truck locations, past shipments, cargo details

INITIAL DESIGNS
‍
ENGAGING THE CLIENT_______________________________________

To better understand the ins and outs of the current system, our team scheduled a meeting with the developer. We created the following Service Blueprint, which maps out the customer actions, front and backend activity.

(click on image to zoom in)

DESIGN STUDIO

(click on images to zoom in)

We invited stakeholders at Logaware to join in on a Design Studio session, where we engaged in rounds of rapid sketching, critique, and iteration to generate ideas for the basic design and layout of our product. We received feedback from the client and developerwhich gave us useful insight into how to move forward with our designs.

Keeping the client's vision for the product in mind, we began designing our MVP...

INITIAL DESIGNS

Following our design studio, we began building the first drafts of our product. We put together our initial designs in the following mid-fidelity prototypes.

(click on images to zoom in)

USABILITY TESTING &  IMPROVEMENTS
To ensure our designs were user-friendly, accessible, and efficient, we conducted a series of usability tests. Users provided feedback as they interacted with our prototypes and explored various screens and features. Using their input, we fine-tuned our designs for better usability and efficiency. We measured our progress through specific metrics like task completion time, success rates, and ease-of-use ratings.

In total, we conducted 3 rounds of usability testing across 15 users, and improved usability metrics by an average of 27% before handing off our high-fidelity prototypes for development.

ACCEPTING A NEW JOB

In our initial design, new jobs were initiated through the messaging portal. This was confusing to users, who did not expect new job notifications to appear as a message. We added a new feature so that new jobs notifications now appear on the main "jobs" page.



UPLOADING A PICK-UP DOCUMENT

Many users did not easily find the "view/upload documents" link, and clicked into the documents tab to complete the task. We added a clearer call to action on the main "Jobs" page to make the feature more accessible.



UPLOADING A DROP-OFF DOCUMENT

The initial design involved a distinct task flow for uploading documentations prompted by a geofence notification. We improved the design to prompt document uploads from the "Jobs" page through all points in the journey. Improved learnability and consistency led to increased usability rates.



CLEARER SHIPMENT ICONS & CARDS
Many users failed to identify icons on shipment cards as clickable. We improved the design to include larger and clearer icons for documents, geofencing, and messages.


IMPROVED GEOFENCING TASK FLOW
The original geofencing task flow was unclear, and users struggled to understand and figure out how to use the feature. We improved the design to list out the instructions in 3 clear steps.

FINAL DESIGNS

BRANDING & UI GUIDEILNES

DESKTOP MAIN DASHBOARD
‍

MOBILE APP HOME PAGE
‍
DELIVER
FINAL PROTOTYPE: FEATURES IN ACTION
Create an Account:
New users can register for an account through the initial landing page
Document Viewing/Sharing:
Users can access, download and share documents via the "Documents" icon within each shipment card. All documents uploaded by drivers through the LogTrack mobile app can be accessed here.‍
Setting a Geofence:
The geofencing feature can be accessed through shipment cards, or the "Geofencing" tab. A 3-step process enables users to select shipment(s), set a parameter, and create automatic alerts for when a shipment is nearing a destination or send reminders for drivers to upload documentation upon arrival.

OnBoarding
Features are highlighted through a quick onboarding walkthrough for new users.

Confirm Job & Upload Document
Document uploading can be initiated through the main "Jobs" page within a live shipment timeline, by clicking on the blue CTA. After a document is successfully uploaded, a green confirmation appears on the timeline.

REFLECTION
‍‍
Despite time constraints and resource limitations, our team learned valuable lessons in prioritization, resourcing, time-management, and collaboration through this 3-week sprint. Collaborating with the client and developer provided valuable insights to ensure our creative vision aligned with the client's as well as practical implementation. Designing for two separate user groups while meeting client expectations challenged us to understand and balance diverse objectives, and in this process, we not only learned to champion user perspectives but identified user-centered improvements that aligned with broader business goals.
‍
Ultimately, our team was proud of the work that we accomplished within a short timeline, and gained valuable experience through navigating the ambiguity of a startup venture. We handed off our completed deliverables, which included annotated high-fidelity prototypes and wireframes, a spec document with a style guide and component library, along with suggestions for API integrations for the development of document scanning and map features. Our future recommendations include more targeted usability testing and building more on features such as messaging, search, and geofencing.