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Prioritizing Customer Schedules with a Drone Delivery Mobile App
Role:
UX Designer & UX Researcher
Timeline/Year:
3 months/2022
Tools:
Figma, Notion, Optimal Workshop & Invision
Summary:
I led user interviews, developed personas, and designed wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes for Dronal, a regional shipping company using drones. By testing prototypes with potential users, I refined the design to meet the needs of government agencies, companies, and individuals seeking innovative delivery solutions.
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The Growing Disconnect in Delivery Experiences 🚚
In today's fast-paced world, the disconnect between real-time expectations and delivery service capabilities creates frustration for users, from last-minute shoppers needing an urgent gift to small business owners relying on timely parts. With no visibility into the actual location of their packages, users feel anxious, especially when their livelihoods or plans depend on accurate delivery times.
I designed a user-friendly drone tracking app to provide accurate, real-time updates and offer users peace of mind by allowing them to control and manage their deliveries with ease. The real-time tracking interface was created to relieve the anxiety users feel when they don't know where their packages are. By enabling features such as delivery rescheduling, users can adjust the timing to suit their availability, ensuring a smoother, less stressful experience.
Market Gap Analysis 📊
During the research phase, I conducted a competitive analysis of existing delivery tracking apps to identify market gaps and opportunities among competitors, including indirect competitors such as UPS and FedEx and direct competitors such as Amazon and Walmart.
Competitive Analysis Table:
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The competitive analysis, summarized in the table above, revealed several critical insights:
1.
Lack of real-time tracking
While many apps offered package updates, few provided accurate, real-time tracking of the delivery’s location.
2.
Complexity
Some apps require users to sign up or navigate multiple screens to access basic tracking information, leading to user frustration.
3.
Limited rescheduling options
Users expressed a desire for more flexibility when rescheduling deliveries, as existing services made this process difficult or buried the option in menus.
Understanding the People Behind the Packages 🎯
I conducted user interviews with six potential users to identify frustrations. Using these insights, I identified two distinct user groups: working adults in manual labor fields needing quick delivery (Howard) and general online shoppers seeking convenience and reliability (Judy).
The primary pain points were unreliable tracking updates, difficulties with rescheduling, and the extra step of signing up for tracking services.
Empathy Map
I created an empathy map based on user interviews and observations to ensure the Dronal app catered to its users' needs and emotions. This method helped me step into the end users' shoes to better understand their motivations, frustrations, and expectations.
The empathy map, displayed below, focuses on Garret, one of the user personas identified during the research. Garret represents a tech-savvy individual who frequently orders parts online and needs fast, reliable delivery.
Key insights from the empathy map include:
Users want real-time tracking updates with the package's current location and estimated delivery time.
Users want a rescheduling feature to adjust delivery times based on their availability.
Users would like to be able to track packages without needing to sign up.
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User Journey Map
To further understand the user experience and ensure the Dronal app provided a smooth and efficient tracking process, I developed a User Journey Map for Howard Cook, one of the personas identified in my research. This journey map visualizes Howard’s interactions with the app, from when he downloads it to when he receives his delivery.
User Flow
To visualize and simplify the app's structure, I designed a User Flow diagram that outlines the key interactions users will go through when navigating the app. This flow ensures that users can quickly access critical features like tracking their packages, managing notifications, and rescheduling deliveries with minimal friction.
Prototyping the Dronal Experience 🚀
Lo-fidelity & Mid-fidelity Prototypes
I designed simple sketches of the tracking interface to show all delivery details without requiring a login. The initial designs focused on layout and user interaction, outlining essential functions like homepage navigation, sign-up/log-in, and shopping features.
Expanding on the low-fidelity prototypes, the mid-fidelity versions incorporated more detailed elements into the user interface based on user feedback. This included adding typography and more defined elements like buttons and input fields, which helped to refine the navigation and functionality, bringing the user interface closer to the final product.
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Hi-fidelity Prototypes
After finalizing the wireframes, I created a high-fidelity prototype showcasing the following features:
Real-time tracking updates: The main screen displays the drone's current location and estimated delivery time.
Rescheduling feature: Users can easily adjust delivery times based on their availability.
Non-intrusive tracking: Users can track packages without needing to sign up.
I conducted remote usability tests with participants representing the two user personas. The user feedback highlighted the need for more precise tracking information, leading to improvements in the rescheduling functionality.
Balancing Simplicity and Functionality 📈
Designing this app was a challenge. Users wanted detailed, real-time tracking information, but too much information could overwhelm them. It was important to keep the interface clean and easy to use while providing enough data to meet user needs.
Developing the live tracking feature was technically challenging due to streaming real-time data, especially with fast-moving drones. This required close collaboration with developers to ensure the feasibility without causing performance issues or app delays.
I focused on essential features like tracking location and delivery time estimates to address these challenges, postponing more complex elements such as live drone video feeds for future updates. This approach allowed the app to remain functional and user-friendly without overly complicating the experience. Developer input was crucial in meeting user needs while maintaining technical feasibility.
Key Takeaways: Keeping User Focus 📚
This project was one of my first solo endeavors, and I'm proud of the work I accomplished. In hindsight, I realized how easy it is to get caught up in adding new features—like the e-commerce functionality—at the expense of the core user need. My initial focus was on tracking, which was the key concern for users, but I shifted toward additional features that diluted the simplicity of the solution. This project taught me the importance of maintaining focus on the user’s emotional journey and needs. By prioritizing simplicity and user empowerment, I learned how critical it is to balance functionality with clarity in UX design.