Venus Et Fleur
Internal logistics iPad web application for an online roses store
My Role
UX Researcher & Designer
Tools
Sketch
Principle
Methods
On-site Contextual Inquiry
User flows
Sketching
High-fidelity Mockups
Prototype
Venus ET Fleur wanted to improve the efficiency of its warehouse logistics by using a custom application that was to be used throughout the order handling process.
I was brought on to the project to design what such a tool could look like, and to propose improvements to their order handling process.
I worked closely with 2 Project Managers and the client stakeholders.
We made an on-site visit to the warehouse (contextual inquiry) and asked for a walkthrough of the order handling process–when an order is received, designed, wrapped, packed, and prepped for shipping.
I immediately noticed that workers used multiple tools to track an order. The first tool was paper.
They first exported and printed a spreadsheet from Shopify, containing a day’s orders. They also printed and taped on a wall a sheet of paper for each order. The Designers were to pick orders off the wall and include this second paper when handing off an order.
Workers also used Google Calendar to track orders–and not for any time-related purposes.
Workers created a Google Calendar event for each order, as an additional way to track and communicate and order’s existence to the Packing team. Once an order was ready to be shipped, the Packers recategorized the “event.”.
At the end of the day, workers entered what the last order that was worked on on Trello.
I then reviewed my recordings of the visit and mapped out the different work flows, noting similarities and differences I observed in each work station.
Different work stations performed the designing, wrapping, packing, and shipment prep for an order. They needed to know a similar set of information when handling an order; we could use a similar UX in some steps, but there were a few variations:
First, all users needed to be able to:
1. Log in
2. Select their Role
3. Scan or enter a barcode
Designers needed to:
-
Know what items were in an order
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Know what items were required to design its arrangements
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Perform a Quality Control
They would then hand off the order to the next station, just as the other stations would (the Shipping team would “hand off” an order by confirming that it was ready to be shipped).
Wrappers needed to:
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Confirm that the order contained the arrangement stated on paper
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Know what materials were needed to wrap an order
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Pick any additional “pickable” items (items that did not require designing)
Shippers needed to know what carrier would be shipping an order.
I had a lot of early ideas on how to tackle these problems. Some didn’t make it into our design.
Venus had informed us that they were planning on moving to a larger facility and install conveyor belts.
I considered this change and tried to envision what a worker station layout that facilitated a speedier flow could look like.
Ultimately the app’s delivery was expected before the move, and we wanted to create an app experience that would work in any warehouse set up.
Another design idea I had detailed the materials required to create personalized notes for a customer.
I also thought to show a breakdown of product and materials’ images when instructing designers how to create an arrangement.
Ultimately these ideas would require us to account for more artifacts and when to present them throughout the app experience. We opted to maintain as simple as possible an experience for our initial version of the app.
With the similar work flows in mind, I designed the following experience to be used by all work stations:
Sign In +
Station Selection
Barcode Entry
Order Summary
Designing, Wrapping
Packing, Shipping
Handoff Confirmation + Completion
We validated the proposed application design by presenting it to the stakeholders.
They were happy, as the design accounted for the use cases observed at the on-site visit, and the app will minimize the number of tools used throughout an order flow. I learned that an internal tool custom built to a company’s specific needs can help improve a company’s efficiency and create a positive impact.