relay points system
- The company was experiencing hypergrowth and the volume of deliveries was increasing exponentially.
- Sometimes, delivery drivers were located in other parts of the country and the recipient was unavailable, as post boxes did not exist there.
- We were using some of the relay points of one of our partners/customers or wanted to have our own, to link them with our logistics system.
- I interviewed the relay point agents, their manager and the logistics manager to find out how things worked and to come up with a solution that got the job done.
- The team: Myself, 1 Product manager, 1 product owner, 2 UI designers, 1 Junior UX Designer
INTRODUCTION
One of Paps’ major objectives is to deliver all over Senegal. To achieve this, they have decided to set up a relay point system. The relay point can be owned by Paps or by a private individual who has premises and would like to make them available to Paps through a partnership for parcels to be delivered in their area. The main objective of this project was to design an efficient relay point system for Paps deliveries. This system had to be user-centered, offer a fluid and intuitive user experience and improve delivery efficiency.
I. Context
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 part of the optimization of its delivery services, Paps decided to set up its own system of relay points. As a UX designer, I was in charge of designing this product from start to finish. To do this, I used various research and design techniques to understand user needs and design an excellent user experience.
1. User research
To understand Paps’ current relay point delivery processes and identify challenges, I conducted interviews with the current relay point manager and the company’s logistics manager. I also interviewed a relay point agent to understand the delivery process from his point of view. To preserve their identity, I will use fictitious names and photos.
1.1. Relay point manager
According to the relay point manager, the basic reason for setting up relay points is that most customers are not at the delivery location indicated at the time of delivery, resulting in unsuccessful delivery attempts and returned parcels. This has a negative impact on delivery costs.
He also finds it difficult to get an overview of the parcels in the relay points. He has to call each relay point to get the information, which is often not up to date.
1.2. Relay point agent
Point relay agents find it difficult to track deliveries and manage parcels stored at their point relay. This often leads to packages going astray, as well as proof of delivery. They use notebooks or labels to keep track of incoming and outgoing parcels. This makes real-time tracking impossible. What’s more, relay point agents are often not at ease with technological tools.
1.3. The logistics manager
The logistics manager needs real-time parcel status at all the relay points. In addition, she has no way of merging parcels in Paps warehouses and parcels in the relay points. Her main need is to be able to have a common space in the operations application that displays all parcels regardless of their location.
2. Ideation sessions
After gathering these insights, I organized ideation sessions with the team to generate ideas on how to solve the problems identified. We worked together to determine stakeholder needs and design a solution that would meet those needs. The sessions didn’t last too long, as the participants had expressed their needs well and the requests were relatively straightforward.
We agreed that the ideal solution would be to have a dedicated relay point module in the Operations SAAS, reserved for the relay point manager and for the logistics manager, as well as a dedicated interface for relay point agents. The relay point manager and logistics manager would have a view of everything that’s happening at each relay point, and could take action on behalf of relay point agents if necessary. Regarding the overall view of the packages, the logistics manager would have a marker on parcels that are in relay points.
3. Flowcharts
After conducting successful ideation sessions and generating ideas, i progressed to the detailed design phase of the new system. To ensure the clarity and efficiency of the key processes, I created flowcharts describing the different stages of the parcel journey, from drop-off at the relay point to final delivery. As well as the actions each user will have to take.
3. Wireframes
I then created wireframes to represent the interface of the platform dedicated to relay points. The wireframes include all the functionalities discussed during the ideation sessions, including an overview of the parcels stored in each relay point, an interface for relay point agents and a view of all Paps parcels, for the logistics manager. The wireframes were shared with the team for comments and suggestions before moving on to the ui design phase.
4. UI Design
After receiving feedback from the team, I worked on the graphic design and visual appearance of the user interface. The designs were based on the wireframes created earlier, taking into account the team’s comments and suggestions. Finally, i tested the designs with a group of users to make sure they were easy to understand and use. I gathered feedback on ease of use, clarity of information and overall satisfaction. These comments were taken into account in the final design of the user interface.
5. Documentation
I have documented all the functionalities of the relay point platform in Confluence. This documentation is essential to ensure that every team member understands and uses the platform effectively. It includes detailed descriptions, screenshots and step-by-step instructions for each feature. It’s an indispensable tool for facilitating the use of the relay point platform. Finally, I ensured that end-users and team members were properly trained in its use. I organized face-to-face and online training sessions for the relay point agents, the relay point manager and the logistics manager.
What’s next ?
Now that the new relay point system is in place, the next step is to improve the service by integrating cashflow management on the platform.
Currently, the collection, remittance and tracking of money linked to delivery transactions are managed outside the relay point platform. This complicates the process and can lead to delays in reimbursing delivery costs for customers.
By integrating cashflow management into the point relais system, Paps will enable customers to collect and reimburse delivery charges directly from our platform, offering a smoother, more transparent user experience.
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