Quote Control
Enhancing shipping efficiency through seamless freight quoting
Challenge
Design a web-based application that generates forms to send to freight forwarders in order to receive a quote for international shipping.
Result
A web-based app that facilitates the shipping quoting process for both season veterans and new shippers.
Company
Slate Strategies
Background
Slate Strategies is a consulting firm that helps improve sales and marketing. They are looking to design a method to generate and send forms to freight fowarders for reqesting shipping quotes.
Project Duration
Five weeks (May - June).
The Scope
Create a new product that innovates the current aged process of receiving shipping quotes.
Role
UX/UI Designer
1. Research
Understanding the Landscape
The field of logistics was relatively unknown to us. The research phase was of the up most importance in this project to better understand the situation.
Research goal
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Understand the freight forwarding process in order to empathize with the user.
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Understand the main motivations, frustrations and pain points users have when it comes to freight forwarding process.
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Discover what the user’s needs are.
Methodology
Competitive analysis
After our initial discussion with our sponsor, we decided that a heuristical analysis of the competition was the best course of action. During our first round of evaluations, we examined FreightQuote, WebCargo, Freightos, and American Airlines.
Our first round of research, we brought up some additional questions to our sponsor:
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The worker's computer literacy level
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Quoting goals and challenges
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Aesthetic of the website
These led to me to research other options in search of something more user friendly. I then discovered Ship4wd.
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Pros:
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Beautifully designed
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Simple to use and beginner friendly.
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Does the freight forwarding for you.
Cons:
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Not an instantaneous quote
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24-48 hours
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Not guaranteed in that time frame if details are missing.
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2. Define
User Insights
We discovered that the average users were mostly older workers who managed shipping departments of companies. Based on these insights, the web app at needed to be:
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Intuitive for basic computer usage level.
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Easy to track the user's place in the quoting process.
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Have the app send back an e-mail of the quote and confirm the process is complete.
Methodology
Persona
Persona
Based on the MVP presented to us by our sponsor and what we experienced during our research, I pointed out to the team that the whole process is geared only toward the veteran freight forwarder user. Continuing with only this user in mind would narrow our market. I stated that we should make the product be more universal and streamlined to introduce the market of the inexperienced user. I came up with a user persona to keep in mind the user outside the initial demographic.
Problem Statement
The shipping industry faces a significant challenge as obtaining quotes has become an increasingly arduous and time-consuming process. Shippers are in dire need of a solution to simplify their daily quote requests, but are frequently bogged down by costly errors that waste precious resources.
How do we look to streamline the process for new users but maintain accuracy for seasoned veterans?
3. Ideate
Conceptualizing parts to form the whole
Building the connection between users and the complexity of freight forwarding
Methodology
User Flow
Inspired by Ship4wd, I devised a user flow with an emphasis on simplicity to drift away from the complex MVP. I included a small sketch in the user flow to illustrate a part of the shipping location section. The sketch describes my idea to help users determine their shipping location depending on how they select their shipping method, whether via aircraft, ship, etc.
For example, if a user chooses to ship via aircraft, they can choose to select to have it shipped only to a specific air port where the parcel will be picked up or they can choose to ship to a specific location within that city. If they choose to ship to a precise location, an algorithm can determine what incotermm is needed, what additional shipping methods and information is needed such as a final destination. This algorithm can help the user save time by determining what amount of information is needed to inputed.
After our weekly progress meeting with our sponsor, he decided to use my flow as the foundation.
Live Prototype
Wireframing and Prototyping
Justin utilized Figma Community and discovered a template that allowed us to skip right into high-fidelity screens.
We divided the work among the three of us to develop a complete product.
Justin sourced the landing page from the Figma Community and added a button for and created the layout of the shipping type selection. Olena came in and created a status bar while I developed animations for some of the icons and buttons.
I designed the shipping location page. The initial page did not have an address section because it depended on how you selected your shipping location. The algorithm concept I developed was the basis for this and an address form would drop down if the shipment required a final destination address. This was meant for a business that would rely on a third party for pick up from the sea or air port . Our sponsor decided that we should have an address form regardless, so it was added.
Olena created the calendar and shipping details pages. The calendar page allows the user to select their requested dates for shipping. The shipping details page features drop-downs and inputs to select container types and other input specific information. She also added an option to upload documentation.
Justin created the final page of the quote freight forwarding process. This page notifies the user that a confirmation email will be sent along with a copy of the requested quote. The yellow button in the center will take the user back to the beginning of the quote request process if they choose to create a new one. Check out the live prototype below!
Deliverables
A guided and streamlined process illustrating the feature of a web app for an instant quoting service.
Values
Quote Control quoting service provides quick quoting turn around for shippers. The app aims to deliver faster turn around times and fair shipping pricing for businesses.
Future Roadmap
Our sponsor conducted usability testing with experienced individuals in the field, which led to a request for additional features to be integrated. Regrettably, due to the time constraint of one month for the project, we were unable to fulfill these requests. Nevertheless, the team and I have laid a solid foundation for future feature integrations.
Future Features
One such feature is the incorporation of a profile section, allowing users to personalize their shipping preferences. As we neared the conclusion of our one-month collaboration with our sponsor, I created the following draft to capture their vision.
Presented below is a preliminary sketch depicting the sponsor's request for an enhanced user profile, facilitating the automatic population of shipping details during the quoting process."
Future Features
At present, the web application's primary focus is on expediting the quoting process for shippers, ensuring accuracy, and enhancing overall efficiency. Through ongoing user testing and research, here are some potential roles I envision it fulfilling over the course of the product's evolution:
Dashboard
Consolidating all company shipping information into one database is essential for optimizing the shipping process and enabling users to obtain quotes with a single click.
Company Profile
Companies must effectively store their shipping preferences and maintain a strict list of authorized accounts to access their shipping profile.
Live Shipment Tracker
Tracking shipments and providing ETAs to customers is crucial to ensure that packages are not lost during transit.
