%201.png)
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Ho Chi Minh city's supply chain industry is complex and requires specialized software to manage effectively. Our goal was to develop an in-house solution that makes supply chain management transparent, efficient, and error-free.
PRODUCT OBJECTIVE
We developed a mobile and web app for the supply chain ecosystem that is easy to use and has reduced revenue leakage and customer support calls by 82%
SCHEDULE
Kickoff in May 2022
Release in Early August 2022
BASIC INFO
My Role
-
UX designer
-
Researcher
Platfrom
-
Kilo Webadmin
-
3rd logistic mobile application
-
Retailer mobile application
Duration
-
3 months
-
UX research - 1 month
-
UI refinement - 1 month
-
Development - months
Project Brief Info
Kilo, Established in 2021, specializes in warehousing and order fulfillment for over 100+ business-to-customer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) brands. It has 15 sellers across Vietnam.
THE BEGINNING
The project was initiated after brief conversations with Katrick. N (Founder), Rob Z., and Ryan. W.B (Head of product). Conversations quickly got deep. We learned a lot about the Vietnam Supply Chain Market Challenges, Last-mile deliveries, Warehousing, etc.
Main problems were
-
Unable to scale up due to manual operations
-
Existing management software features were not enough
-
Human dependencies led to tons of errors (only 4 people for 2 teams (Q.C. and C.S)
-
Poor visibility to the Customer Support Team
-
Revenue loss due to malpractices
-
Poor acceptance of software solutions
RESEARCH PHASE
I, along with my 2 colleagues, reached Kilo sellers. The goal was to observe their operations, understand their workflows better, and get insights from real users.
We chose Kilo top GMV sellers for the User Interview. We created a plan, created questionnaires, and scheduled meetings.
User in eco system
-
Operations team
-
Warehouse and Regional Managers (5 region managers in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh)
-
Customer Support Team
-
Third-party logistic (3PL)
-
Customers (Seller and Retailer)
Phone survey
We conducted an online survey with over 30 sellers and retailers under the Kilo system to understand their expectations in a delivery service. The survey was composed of questions about common user pain points in business areas, the high-priority qualities of a satisfactory retailer's experience, and user expectations toward Kilo delivery service
We used the results to determine which features or components were important for the user interface and discover if there were any new opportunities we could address.
To view the sellers surveys in more detail, click the button.
User interview
To better understand the needs of our users, we started with candid conversations with our Customer Support, Billing, and Management teams. They all expressed a strong desire for a transparent and easy-to-use system.
When we interviewed our Retailers and Operations staff, however, we encountered a different story. They were reluctant to answer our questions and insisted that the software would not be helpful. We later discovered that their lack of cooperation was due to a number of factors.
Contextual inquiry - the fun ride
Despite the lack of helpful information from our user interviews with GSPs and Operations staff, we decided to shadow them for a whole week. The first day was awkward and uncomfortable, but as I began to appreciate their hard work in harsh conditions, things began to change.
I assured them that the software we were building would not affect their jobs, but rather reduce their workload. I also insisted on having lunch and snacks with them, and we quickly bonded over food.
By the end of the week, we had made tons of observations, captured moments while they were working, and gained valuable insights. And I also learned a valuable lesson about the importance of communication between different teams.
To view the user surveys in more detail, click the button.
Compare experience with 3rd party logistic
Furthermore, I compared the overall user experience with similar apps in Vietnam and abroad and measured the performance of our app, especially the number of steps needed to order. Through the comparisons, we discovered that our user experience was too time-consuming, confusing, and difficult to navigate through compared to other players in the market.
Gathering insights
We came back to Kilo after 2 weeks with a huge pile of data. We started analyzing all the recordings, observations, and photographs as per ‘User Groups.
We used a variety of different tools to achieve that. Creating Mind maps and Affinity mapping helped us get to the core.
Using insights we redefined the problems to be solved
Affinity Diagrams
With my co-worker in the service track, we summarized the research results, reviewed them, and laid them out through multiple affinity diagrams to help us sort our interpretation of the results. This method was especially helpful for analyzing the staff interview and user survey results, as they were both very qualitative in nature and required a lot of discussion.
After making various affinity diagrams, we started noticing how there were a lot of overlapping themes between the different research we conducted. To bring all the results together into one sorted diagram, we created a master affinity diagram with all the major findings laid out in a grid format by topic and research method, helping us summarize all our research in one diagram.
Key Findings
Below are some of the key findings and implementation ideas from the master affinity diagram, sorted according to each stage of the customer experience.
As you can tell from some of the findings above, the service track played an important role in defining some of the requirements of the retailer's interactions and movement to make it appropriate for the delivery context. Our research also covered issues relating to the delivery routes, the 3PL delivery capacity, and the Kilo operation service.
HIGH-LEVEL PLANNING
Target Users
Our company's mid-term goal was to create a fully integrated third-party logistics company. Because we were investing our time and resources in the pilot to learn lessons for our mid-term project
However, we also wanted a more raw reaction from people who were less biased and inexperienced with 3PL to discover a wider variety of issues during the pilot.
With the aforementioned goals in mind, I defined our primary target group as retailers and our secondary target as Kilo sellers
Age: 35 - 60s
Main Target: Retailers who frequently purchase on the Kilo platform
Sub Target: Kilo sellers
Desired Traits: People purchase large quantity and want to delivery on time with good quality packaging
User Goals
We defined the user goals of both the retailer, sellers, Kilo, and 3PL staff members based on our research and personal experience with similar services.
CUSTOMER
⚑ Understand how to participate in the pilot quickly
⚑ Order immediately and conveniently
⚑ Enjoy beverages in their original state with minimal spill
⚑ Have fun with the robot, maybe take a picture
STAFF
⚑ Review the incoming orders quickly
⚑ Efficiently execute robot orders with ease
⚑ Work within the existing system with minimal change
We also assumed that speed, convenience and minimal burden would be important traits throughout the entire experience for both user groups.
Interface Roles and Goals
Based on our understanding of the project requirements, user goals and scenarios, we proceeded to interpret the role and goals of the app interfaces and the offline components needed for the pilot.
Having defined the high-priority roles of the interfaces and robot system, we started discussing all the features and conditions necessary for the system based on our research and the various benchmark services we experienced.
Through our discussions, we created a more detailed list of features and components needed for the system to review with the software engineers and start designing the system. My experience with designing an e-commerce platform was also very helpful in defining the requirements for both the staff and customer interfaces.
A SMALL PAUSE
Stakeholders found all the research work and observations really fascinating. However, few insights completely toppled the budget allocations.
-
The need to build solutions on 2 platforms - Android/iOS and Web App.
-
Buying mobile devices for GSPs across all locations.
They needed to make budget provisions for that and take necessary approvals. Thus we paused work for a month and we resumed after budget allocations.
REDEFINING PROBLEMS
We redefined the problem statements after the research and started working on solutions.
I created concepts, wireframes, and clickable Prototypes and conducted Usability Testing for all the platforms. Hi-Fi wireframes were discussed later between the Product Designers and the Product owner.
Problem #1: Delivery Feature For Seller
The operations team, 3PL, and Retailers/Sellers had three main fears, which we addressed as follows
Fear 1 - Losing their jobs
We assured them that the system was designed to help them, not replace them. To prove this, we involved them in design validation. Once they realized the value of the system and that they had a say in its development, they began to cooperate.
Fear 2 - Being tracked and punished for their errors
This was a critical concern. We decided to add guided flows to prevent errors from happening in the first place. This made them feel in control of their work and reduced their anxiety.
Fear 3 - Losing stocks
The business wanted to prevent revenue leakage due to malpractices, but we solved this issue indirectly. We proposed delivery/order statuses, where they can track their stock in each stage We also declared that they would receive recognition and rewards for error-free pickup, deliveries, and planning. This was a win-win for both users and the business.
Problem #2: Kilo manages third party delivery vendor
Everyone was wasting time on status calls and chasing after information. What we needed was a way to make information flow seamlessly across all user groups.
I carefully created an end-to-end workflow and mapped information and notifications to each user group. This ensured that everyone had the information they needed, when they needed it, right on their dashboards.
This helped developers and business analysts build a robust notification system, which saved everyone a lot of time and frustration.
Problem #3: Add and assign a driver to pickup stocks.
Route planning is a complex task with many factors to consider, such as consignment size, truck license plate, driver name and license, incoming trucks, delivery type, GSP availability, and more.
After five iterations, we solved this challenge by mapping the system to real-world workflows and automating workflows and suggestions using machine learning. This saved over 50% of their time.
Problem #4: Third-Party Delivery Vendor Update Delivery Status
At Kilo, we integrate with 3PL, so we needed to develop a new application for them to update delivery status and make sure our app was easy to learn and use, even for new drivers.
I broke down all workflows into distinct steps with clear instructions and guidelines. This made it easy for new drivers to understand the flows and prevent errors.
I also listed out statuses for each stage, so the driver could update delivery status as quickly as possible.
Problem #5: Retailer Tracking Delivery status
Retailers waste time on status calls and chasing after information. What we needed was a way to make information flow seamlessly across all user groups.
I carefully created an end-to-end workflow and mapped information and delivery status to each order. This ensured that end-users had the information they needed, when they needed it, right on their screen
Problem #6: Reconciliation order between sellers & retailers
Thanks to digitization, the billing team can now easily predict which consignments will be delivered before the cut-off date and track overdue payments. This saves time in getting consignment status updates.
This has freed up a significant amount of their time, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.
FINAL DESIGN
Kilo & 3PL webadmin
3PL Driver application
Retailer mobile application
OUTCOME & BUSINESS IMPACT
-
We successfully reduced the number of customer complaints concerning the user experience, especially the delivery issue
-
Digitizing all workflows instantly improved the Efficiency
-
Automation and Smart suggestions reduced operations costs due to maximum resource utilization
-
Customer Support calls reduced by ~70%
-
Transparency minimized the risk of losses for the customers
LOOKING BACK
Planning alternatives
Importance of planning multiple ways to achieve the target. We did Contextual Enquiry/User Shadowing when Interviewing didn’t work.
Solutions can be simple
Sometimes critical problems have simple solutions. Eg. Trackabledelivery status
Trust the process
Sticking to the process yields the best results. There are no shortcuts.
Challenging the comfort zone
I talked to users on the field for the first time. Worked and shared meals with Blue-collar workers for the first time. I learned a lot from them.
The design process would not be so linear in a working environment
Through my meetings with my mentor and research conducted online, I understand that the design process in a real-world project would not usually be as linear and straightforward as this educational project. However, I have improved my problem solving, empathy-building and project management skills as well as my technical know-how of wire-framing and prototyping.