Background
After acquiring a new warehouse company, we faced a challenge: customers had no way to view their inventory or transaction statuses. This required creating a completely new UX and UI, distinct from Park Street’s systems. The primary goal was to offer transparency to customers who had relied on outdated methods for tracking inventory.
My Role
I collaborated with another designer to create a design library that aligned with the branding for Convoy Beverage Alliance. In addition to designing grid patterns for inventory, inbounds, and outbounds data sets, I was responsible for developing prototypes that highlighted the most critical information for users. We presented these prototypes to leadership and iterated the design based on feedback from both leadership and users. I also handled the handoff process, which included design screens, prototypes, and detailed comments that developers used to create the app’s code.
Problem
Customers were forced to rely on inefficient processes—phone calls and emails—to gather critical information about their inventory levels, inbounds, and outbounds. Often, they would wait hours for responses, which significantly hampered operational efficiency. The lack of transparency was a core issue that the acquisition aimed to address. We wanted to enhance the value proposition by providing immediate access to the inventory information through a digital interface, which had previously been unavailable.
Users
The primary users were customers of the newly acquired warehouse. Prior to this app, they experienced significant delays in obtaining inventory details, often waiting up to six hours for an email response or an hour over the phone. Our app provided a seamless experience, giving them access to their data at any time. Additionally, we streamlined the onboarding process by automatically creating login credentials and sending them to customers via email with a direct link to the platform, reducing friction in accessing the app.
Solution
We conducted a series of meetings with warehouse managers to understand the most frequently requested data points and customer pain points. This led to the prioritization of key inventory details, such as totals and transaction statuses for both inbounds and outbounds. The MVP focused on delivering a straightforward experience, eliminating unnecessary features such as dashboards and onboarding tutorials. Upon logging in, users were directed straight to the inventory page, which displayed two key views: current inventory totals and a historical log of inbounds and outbounds affecting those totals.
The app's branding adhered to the existing identity of the acquired warehouse. We ensured that the user interface was aligned with their existing logo and brand colors, going so far as to create an SVG version of their logo to maintain visual quality across devices. A primary focus was ensuring the app was lightweight and simple, allowing users to quickly retrieve critical data without the need for unnecessary design elements or data collection.
Validation
To validate our solution, we ran internal beta tests with Park Street users familiar with warehouse processes. This testing phase helped us refine the app by ensuring the most valuable data points were displayed clearly and efficiently. Feedback from these users was instrumental in fine-tuning the app before full deployment. The testing confirmed that the application significantly reduced the time customers spent searching for inventory information, providing them with essential insights in a user-friendly manner.
Impact
The implementation of this app marked a significant improvement in the warehouse’s operations, moving from a paper-based system to a fully digital process. This transformation streamlined not only the warehouse’s internal processes but also reduced customer inquiries related to inventory statuses, inbounds, and outbounds. By offering transparency, we effectively reduced the warehouse staff's need to respond to customer queries, freeing up their time to focus on more critical tasks.
Next Steps
With transparency established as the primary goal of the MVP, the next phase of development is to introduce features that enable customers to initiate inbounds and outbounds directly through the platform. This enhancement will further reduce customer reliance on manual communication methods and increase the overall efficiency of the warehouse operation.
