Cash management
TL;DR
- The company, a logistics/delivery company, used a lot of cash in its operations, between the delivery drivers, the cashier, the end customer.
- Often this cash was managed outside the logistics management apps, so the COO and finance manager lacked visibility and the means to track it.
- I went out into the field with the cashier, delivery drivers, mapped the cash flow and integrated it into all our apps.
- The team: Myself, 1 Product manager, 1 product owner, 2 UI designers, 1 Junior UX Designer
INTRODUCTION
Founded in 2016, Paps is a business service operating in French-speaking Africa, offering warehouse services, pickups, and deliveries. They are the first on-demand and geolocated delivery company in the region with the largest fleet in West Africa. They gained recognition by winning the fifth edition of Hub Africa and has attracted investments from Google and Alibaba’s Global Initiatives. They serve a diverse range of industries, including financial institutions, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, retailers and e-merchants.
As lead UX designer for Paps, I was given the task of leading a project aimed at simplifying and optimizing the money collection and remittance process for our customers and deliverers.
1. research
For a little background, Paps has three platforms: a web app for operations, a web app for their customers and a mobile app for delivery drivers. The customer app allows customers to make delivery requests. During deliveries, the delivery driver may need to collect cash from the end customer. He returns it to the cashier once the mission is completed. The cashier uses the operations application to check the amount of the parcels and thus validate the collection. The cashier periodically (weekly or monthly) pays out the money collected to Paps customers.
In order to understand the problems and needs of users of the Paps money collection and remittance platform, I conducted in-person interviews and shadowing sessions. As well as taking notes, I asked for permission to record the interview in audio format to make sure I didn’t miss any information.
The cashier
During these interviews, I learned that the current process of collecting and paying out money is very tedious and error-prone for the cashier. He has to manipulate several Excel files, extract data from different platforms, and perform manual calculations to find out how much he should pay out to each customer. Collections, payments, cheque remittances, contestations – everything went through him. The risk of error is high, and the cashier spends a lot of time managing these tasks. In addition to these interviews, I carried out shadowing sessions to see how he worked on a daily basis. This enabled me to understand the details of the process of collecting and disbursing money, as well as the difficulties they encountered in their work.
The customers
To better understand the needs and expectations of Paps customers, I conducted interviews with customers using the company’s delivery app. These interviews revealed that customers would like to have more visibility over the money collection and remittance process, as well as the ability to accept or decline remittances on the platform. They found back and forth e-mails on collection-related issues time-consuming.
HOW might we ...
After carrying out the user research, we identified several areas for improvement in the money collection and remittance process. I used HMW to refine these areas of improvement and propose concrete solutions.
2. User flows
I’ve developed in collaboration with each team, user flows that enable almost all the necessary actions to be carried out directly via the platform. I’ve worked on setting up a fluid, efficient user flow that enables the majority of cash management operations to be managed, such as payment collection, cash remittances, cash desk management, etc. However, there are still around 5% of actions that take place outside the platform. The “payment” part directly on the platform included important decisions that were left to the managers, such as defining the pricing grid or integrating a payment aggregator. Despite this, the user path I’ve put in place enables more efficient cash management, which should have a positive impact on the company’s operations.
3. wireframes
To create the wireframes, I used the results of the research to define user needs and preferences in terms of navigation and interaction with the platform. I began by creating basic wireframes on Figma. These wireframes helped visualize the platform’s architecture and the different elements that make it up. I worked on interactions by adding animations and transitions to facilitate user understanding and make navigation more fluid.
The wireframes were then tested with the principal stakeholders. The feedback was used to make minor adjustments to improve the experience.
4. user interface
After creating the wireframes for the new solution, I handed over the task of interface design to the junior UX designer and the UI designer. They worked closely together to create a modern, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interface for the new solution. After several iterations and internal tests, we validated the final UI design and began work on developing the solution.
The cashier
The customers
5. Documentation
I created comprehensive documentation for the new functionality on Confluence, including screenshots and detailed descriptions of each step in the process. This documentation was made available to all Paps employees, including cashiers and managers, so that they could familiarize themselves with the new functionality and understand how to use it.
In addition, I organized training sessions for employees, to help them better understand the new functionality and familiarize themselves with the new procedures.
What’s next ?
As I announced earlier, the next step for the functionality is the integration of payment methods into the cashier’s interface. This will enable him to automate and receive payments. This would enable 100% of financial transactions to be processed on the platform.
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