Cupola
A Logistics Scheduling Flow
(Responsive Web Design)
Project Overview
The product:
Cupola is a logistics order and management tool that offers streamlined scheduling flows and features. The typical user is between 20-50 years old, and most users are professional shipping crew members and business owners. Cupola’s goal is to make shipping easy and accurate for all types of users.
Project duration:
September 2021 to October 2021.
The Problem:
Available online logistics websites have cluttered designs, inefficient systems for browsing through options, making orders, and confusing check-out processes.
The Goal:
Design a Cupola website to be user-friendly by providing clear navigation and offering a fast scheduling and checkout process.
My Role:
UX designer designing a logistics scheduling flow for Cupola from conception to delivery.
Responsibilities:
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, and responsive design.
User Research: Summary
I conducted user interviews, which I then turned into empathy maps to better understand the target user and their needs. I discovered that many target users think traditional logistics scheduling flows are overwhelming and confusing to navigate, which frustrated many target users. This caused a normally straightforward process to become challenging for them.
User Research: Pain Points
Paint Point
Logistics website designs are often busy, which results in confusing navigation
Interaction
Complicated and small text fields make filling out forms difficult, which sometimes leads users to make mistakes on important information
Persona: Ibbie
Problem Statement:
Ibbie is a busy shipping professional who needs intuitive website navigation and track filters because they want order-making and management to be streamlined and accurate.
Goals:
All in one streamlined workflow.
Less cluttered navigation and layout for easier browsing.
A mobile tool that tracks shipments and helps make managing decisions.
Frustration:
“...if issues come up..., I have to cut my break short and make it back to the office.”
“Navigating through multiple softwares is very confusing.”
“...without a more efficient workflow to help me manage, I feel very frustrated.”
User Journey Map
I created a user journey map of Ibbie’s experience using the site to help identify possible pain points and improvement opportunities.
Sitemap
Difficulty with website navigation was a primary pain point for users, so I used that knowledge to create a sitemap.
My goal here was to make strategic information architecture decisions that would improve overall website navigation. The structure I chose was designed to make things simple and easy.
Paper Wireframes
Next, I sketched out paper wireframes for each screen in my website, keeping the user pain points about navigation, browsing, and checkout flow in mind.
The home screen paper wireframe variations to be a right focus on optimizing the browsing experience for users.
Paper Wireframe
Screen Size Variation(s)
Because Cupola’s users (clients and professionals) access the site on a variety of different devices, I started to work on designs for additional screen sizes to make sure the site would be fully responsive.
Digital Wireframes
Moving from paper to digital wireframes made it easy to understand how the design could help address user pain points and improve the user experience.
Prioritizing useful button locations and visual element placement on the home page was a key part of my strategy.
Digital Wireframe
Screen Size Variation(s)
Easy access to common tasks.
Multiple ways to access tools and information.
Low-Fidelity Prototype
To create a low-fidelity prototype, I connected all of the screens involved in the primary user flow of scheduling and checking out.
At this point, I had received feedback on my designs from members of my team about things like placement of buttons and page organization. I made sure to listen to their feedback, and I implemented several suggestions in places that addressed user pain points.
View the Cupola
Low-Fidelity Prototype
Usability Sstudy: Parameters
Study type: Unmoderated usability study
Location: United States, remote
Participants: 5 participants
Length: 20-30 minutes
Usability Study: Findings
Menu - Common tasks are hard to find in the menu to meet the goal of all types of users
Account - During the scheduling process, there wasn’t a clear way for users to log in to their account to pre-fill previous billing and shipping info
Scheduling - During the scheduling process, there were no options for one time or recurring orders when selecting the delivery window
Mockups
Based on the insights from the usability study, I made changes to improve the site’s scheduling flow. One of the changes I made was adding options to edit detailed information on the review page so users can make changes before placing the orders.
Mockups
To make the scheduling flow easier for new users, I added a check box that allowed users to use the same address for billing and shipping. As well as login buttons along the process for users to access saved information such as customized templates and address book.
Mockups: Screen size variations
I included considerations for additional screen sizes in my mockups based on my earlier wireframes. Because users schedule and manage from a variety of devices, I felt it was important to optimize the browsing experience for a range of device sizes, such as mobile and tablet so users have the smoothest experience possible.
High-Fidelity Prototype
My hi-fi prototype followed the same user flow as the lo-fi prototype and included the design changes made after the usability study, as well as several changes suggested by members of my team.
View the Cupola
High-Fidelity Prototype (Desktop & Tablet)
High-Fidelity Prototype (App)
(Desktop & Tablet)
(App)
Accessibility considerations
1.
I used pairing fonts for headings with different-sized text for a clear visual hierarchy.
2.
I used landmarks, larger buttons, and larger text fields to help users navigate the site and fill out detailed forms, including users who rely on assistive technologies.
3.
I designed the site with alt text available on each page for smooth screen reader access.
Takeaways
Impact:
Our target users shared that the design was straightforward and the scheduling flow is intuitive to navigate through, more engaging with the use of colors and images, and demonstrated a clear visual hierarchy.
What I Learned:
I learned that even with an extra thoughtful touch in details can have a huge impact, and users can definitely feel it. The most important takeaway for me is to always focus on the real needs of the user when coming up with design ideas and solutions.
Next Steps
1.
Conduct follow-up usability testing on the new website.
2.
Identify any additional areas of need and ideate on new features.
3.
Develop other user flows and pages that are associated with scheduling such as the tracking feature and account creation.
Let’s Connect!
Thank you for your time reviewing my work on the Cupola responsive web design! If you’d like to see more or get in touch, my contact information is provided below.
Email: perkymind@gmail.com
Website: perkymind.com