THE CHALLENGE
The Mail Innovations Department started a modernization initiative in 2019. Business processes, technologies and applications were revamped to support a more efficient, accurate and fast processing and transportation of mail in the UPS network.
The Department recognized a major pain point for the users of the systems - access to information was disjointed, involved manual moving of information between systems. That let to reduced visibility, errors and delay in response to investigations into mail in the UPS network.
TASK
While working on a suite of five interconnected applications ensure:
connectivity of information through the entire suite.
increase users’ visibility into mail in the UPS network.
“The areas of frustration and pain points in many cases are assigned to the lack of connectivity of information. Since inception we always [had] separate entry points.”
Timeframe
2024 - 2025
Client
Mail Innovations, UPS
CASE STUDY
Ship high-impact designs that unlock significant user and business value
Understanding the Problem Space
When I joined MI I was tasked with the redesign of one application. Work and discussions were limited to that application. When I started working on the second application, I initiated a series of discussions to put our work in context. I brought a Sr. Product Coordinator, and Industrial Engineer and the Product Owner, and we aligned on the challenges of the past - the current flow of information, the existing applications and their limitations, the user and business pain points and respective opportunities. This gave us a common ground, a shared language and set the stage for a continuous collaboration.
Understanding the Legacy Processes and Pain Points
The document captured the role of the legacy applications, the user and business pain points, and opportunities for improvement. It gave us a foundation for understanding and alignment. The conversations leading up to this document helped shape the vision for the future. (Click image to enlarge)
Exploring the Concept of Business Value
In addition to understanding the pain points, I initiated a discussion about tying the improvements in the operational processes and the high level goals for each new application to understanding the business value they were intended to bring.
Addressing the Business Need for Connectivity of Information
As I continued working on UX research and prototyping for the next applications, I continuously put every piece of work in context. Because now we knew one of of our goals was to ensure connectivity of information, I encouraged the team to put every decision into that context. I worked collaboratively and iteratively with the business stakeholders and engineering team on a visual for the connectivity of information that became our North Star.
Addressing the Users Need for Visibility
I explored the users’ need for visibility in the context of their goals, responsibilities, current pain points and ideas for future improvements. Our Visibility Needs list became a check list for later development.
A persona for the Local Transportation Admin, one of the main users of the Pre-Alert app that serves as an information hub in the MI suite. (click to enlarge).
Pre-Alert App - Bringing Everything Together
The Pre-Alert is an app used by both outbound and inbound facilities and serves as a main source of communication, investigation and resolution between the UPS facilities. It is the main hub in the suite. By understanding the flow of information, we were able to optimize what information users would be able to see and when.
# 2 - CONTAINERIZATION APP
Responsive desktop and mobile app for creating container IDs, container labels and record container type and weight.
Business Value:
Unique Container IDs created with container information saved for accounting and investigative purposes
User Value:
Clean and straightforward UI
Responsive design
Minimal screen interaction needed
# 1 - MI PROCESSING APP
App for processing mail at an origin facility. Mail is scanned, weighed and redirected to specific location based on the destination address. Main Innovations label is printed and is used for mail sorting.
Business Value:
Increased mail processing speed and efficiency
Reduced processing errors
User Value:
Cleaner and more straightforward UI
Minimal screen interaction needed
Increased productivity
# 3 - TRAILERIZATION APP
Mobile app for automating Load Manifest creation. Forklift drivers create online Load Manifests by scanning Container IDs. Load Manifests are easily shared between apps and accessible by origin and destination facilities.
Business Value:
Redundant work, inefficiencies and human errors minimized
Increased accuracy and more granular information shared
User Value:
Manual work eliminated
THE RESULT - UNLOCKED BUSINESS VALUE
Connectivity of Information
My work with the business stakeholders, the way I visualized the processes, pain points, the system of applications and the communication between them, ensured the business had prototypes for the entire suite of 5 interconnected applications and a blueprint of how information flowed throughout the suite.
I worked with the business on a blueprint for the suite for both air and ground mail flows.
Clear Vision for the Future
Roadmap to Value Delivery
Because of the complexities of the work, technical and resource constraints, and the need for the business to see value sooner, I guided the stakeholders and the dev team into creating a roadmap from a scaled down MVP version to the ultimate Vision for the Future. As a result, I ensured that the business and users could start to see value sooner. In addition, because the development team had a roadmap, work planning was easier and team resources were used more efficiently.
Aligned Teams, Working Smart
The Development team had a much better understanding of the context and the goals. They were part of the problem solving and planning discussions and that allowed everyone to be more efficient and in synch with the rest of the team.
THE RESULT - UNLOCKED USER VALUE
Increased Visibility
Transportation Admins and Managers and Operations Supervisors had increased visibility into mail in the network, from initiating an AWB at an origin facility to the receiving of mail at a destination facility.
Because of the increased connectivity of information, users (Transportation Admins and Managers and Operations Supervisors) were aware where in the process mail was. They could zoom in for details.
Prioritization and Problem-Solving
Ease of Use
By adding AWB statuses and adding color coding, I enhanced the visibility of Transportation Admins and Managers and Operations Supervisors and ensured they could prioritize and focus on the mail that needed most attention.