Professional Project • Delivery • B2b • Mobile

Espoirer Couriers — Enhancing Efficiency & Accuracy in Delivery Management

Time

Jun 2023 - Aug. 2023

Team

1 Product Manager, 3 Designers, 3 Software Engineers

Responsibilities

I led the design of task view and map view interfaces.

Project Summary

Espoirer is a logistics company that leverages automation and digitalization to enhance the delivery process. ESP has requested the development of a driver delivery mobile application for transportation within Japan. In this project, our team contributed to the design of the delivery package list view and map view interfaces.

Imapct

Led the design process of a delivery App for drivers from 0 to 1  by incorporating user insights, business requirements and technical constraints.

Elevated delivery accuracy from 92% to 98%.

01. overview

01. overview

01. overview

01. overview

01. overview

01. overview

[ What’s Vland Builder and what did I do for this project? ]

Business goal
Address the issue of inefficiencies and delivery errors due to the lack of real-time synchronization in last-mile logistics.

Our client, Espoirer, is committed to solving the challenges of the Japanese logistics industry and creating a one-stop global product distribution service focused on cross-border e-commerce.

Currently, drivers and administrative staff manually update last-mile package information, leading to difficulties in real-time tracking and status updates for deliveries. This lack of real-time synchronization in last-mile logistics status results in inefficient route optimization and an increased risk of delivery errors. To address this, ESPOIRER plan to implement a deliver system that provides seamless, real-time tracking and data integration. This will optimize last-mile delivery, increase efficiency, and lower the error rate.

User goal
Experienced Couriers: Desiring an easy-to-use app for accurate deliveries, organized management, and status tracking.

Based on user research, delivery employees at Espoirer are typically experienced drivers who are well-versed in the delivery process. They are often assigned to specific areas they are familiar with. These drivers have their own route plans and personalized delivery methods. Their goals can be succinctly definedThe benefits are as follows:

1. Deliver to the correct address more efficiently.
2. Manage deliveries in a more organized manner and track their status.

Solution
A driver-end delivery app features a well-structured task list, designed to efficiently manage delivery information.

Espoirer is planning to launch a delivery system to address the issue. As a part of the solution, our team is responsible for the task list design for the driver end delivery app. This task list is the core view for drivers to manage all the package information, which plays an important role in enhancing delivery efficiency and accuracy.

01. Task List

The layout design is based on common non-professional design tools, making map editing easy to start.

02. Map View

The layout design is based on common non-professional design tools, making map editing easy to start.

03. Sorting

The layout design is based on common non-professional design tools, making map editing easy to start.

04. Redelivery

The layout design is based on common non-professional design tools, making map editing easy to start.

Impack
Improved efficiency and elevated delivery accuracy from 92% to 98%.

The design successfully improved delivery efficiency and accuracy, providing an efficient way to manage and sync package status. Test users report that the design improves delivery efficiency compared to prior methods. In internal user testing, delivery accuracy increased from 92% to 98%.

02. Research

02. Research

02. Research

02. Research

02. Research

02. Research

[ How did we find the problem and define the design scope? ]

Design Process

User Research
Experienced couriers have their own preference in the delivery process.

During the delivery process, we gained three insights:
1. Experienced couriers often plan their own paths due to their familiarity with their assigned areas.
2. Couriers tend to check package information repeatedly during delivery, which can lead to them feeling overwhelmed by excessive information, subsequently causing delivery errors.
3. Couriers have unique methods of preparing packages, indicating a need for a flexible display of the package list.

Challenge in delivery
The complex urban layout in Tokyo leads to delivery mistakes.

Based on user research, we found that delivery in Tokyo is challenging due to the complex urban layout and high population density. There are buildings with multiple rooms, and several families often rent in the same residence. This situation makes delivery more difficult because couriers frequently handle multiple packages for similar addresses, which can easily lead to delivery mistakes.

Challenge 01
How might we design a Task List and Map View with a clear information hierarchy that organizes delivery information?

Challenge 02
How might we make the app personalized for experienced drivers, and adapt to Japanese Market?

03. Task List & Map View

03. Task List & Map View

03. Task List & Map View

03. Task List & Map View

03. Task List & Map View

03. Task List & Map View

[ How did I narrow down the problem, design, iteration, and made certain decisions? ]

PPrototyping
Prototyping to understand the whole process.

I created prototypes for the entire flow to understand the important role of the task list and map view, and how they connect with the delivery features and update status throughout the process. This provided a foundation for the following task list and map view design.

Package card information hierarchy
What Information Should be Displayed on the List?

I consider a package as the smallest unit. The main task is to clearly present the package information on a single card. Based on the client's needs and our research, I have outlined the key information needed at each delivery step. This helps identify the primary and secondary information for each package.

Package card Design
Iteration on Cards

After finishing the initial package card design, I continuously refined it through client meetings and user testing, allowing for necessary adjustments based on invaluable feedback.

Task List Design
How can we group the cards to assist users in managing packages within the same address?

To solve the problem of delivering to multiple rooms in a single building, we need to consider more than just the package card design. Another critical aspect is how to group these cards to help users manage packages within the same address more easily.

Task List Design
Final Design for the Task List

Map View Design
Tailor the Map View to match the Task List

Status Update
Card Status

Adapt for Experienced Couriers
Personalize Delivery Habits - Sort & Manually Adjust

04. Reflections

04. Reflections

04. Reflections

04. Reflections

04. Reflections

04. Reflections

[ A Simplified Vland Builder ]

1. Challenges in Maintaining Data Accuracy for B2B Products

Business-to-Business (B2B) products often have complex internal business logic, intersecting at many points, creating a challenge in maintaining data accuracy. The status and features of a package can vary at each stage, resulting in different appearances for package cards.When designing a B2B product, it's crucial to consider edge cases to ensure all scenarios are addressed for accurate data processing.

2. Importance of Synchronous Design in B2B Product Development

Designing and developing a product from scratch involves different groups handling varied feature sets. Synchronous design is necessary to ensure a smooth integration with the feature sets managed by other groups.

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