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FedEx Package Delivery
Project type
Mobile App for Couriers
Role
User Research
Date
2014 - 2015
Goal: To simplify and improve the daily lives of FedEx Couriers.
Project Context
In January 2014, I began a contract position with FedEx Express in Memphis, TN, with a mandate to assist in the UI redesign of the mobile scanner used globally by couriers. Early on, I recognized that the project was merely modernizing the look of the existing application without addressing underlying efficiency or usability issues.
Seeking to steer the project toward more meaningful improvements, I was fortunately granted permission to ride along with local couriers—a crucial and insightful experience.
My research began with reviewing existing FedEx documentation and consulting with the project team. This was followed by a comprehensive Contextual Inquiry, where I rode with couriers for entire shifts.
Seeking to steer the project toward more meaningful improvements, I was fortunately granted permission to ride along with local couriers—a crucial and insightful experience.
My research began with reviewing existing FedEx documentation and consulting with the project team. This was followed by a comprehensive Contextual Inquiry, where I rode with couriers for entire shifts.
Deep Dive: User Research
Post-ride debriefs with the team allowed us to collaboratively map out the courier workflow through various diagrams: Sequence, Flow, Cultural, and Physical Diagrams: These visualizations captured the complete process, from the flow of packages at the Memphis distribution station (from airplane containers, sorting, and loading into trucks) to the detailed organization of truck routes and the scanning process.
Physical workflow
This diagram focused on the optimal arrangement of packages inside the delivery truck—larger items to the back for easy offloading, envelopes near the driver—to maximize courier efficiency for a typical day of 80 to 150 stops with multiple time-sensitive deadlines.
Information Flow - Courier
This diagram shows the flow of information from the perspective of the courier. It shows all the important elements the courier needs to pay attention to.
Information Flow - Dispatcher
This diagram illustrate the information needs of the courier and the communication flow involving the dispatcher, who manages exceptions like incorrect addresses or moved customers.
Cultural Diagram
This identified social pressures (represented by simple text next to arrows) affecting a courier's performance and their corresponding reactions (in yellow boxes).
Basic User Journey
A simplified step-by-step model organizing observations from the contextual inquiry into the courier's typical daily workflow.
Ideation & Key Opportunities
Analyzing the user research data led to a focused ideation phase. We prioritized a few key, actionable ideas within the existing project scope and budget to significantly improve the couriers' lives:
1. Remember Customer Information: Since 60% to 80% of customers are repeat stops, we proposed eliminating the current need for couriers to manually re-enter basic customer information daily. We also identified the need to store stop-specific details like receiver names, phone numbers, dock numbers, or preferred doors.
2. Route Management Enhancement: Although FedEx optimizes routes centrally, couriers' local, on-the-ground knowledge (traffic patterns, construction, customer readiness) was being ignored. Their daily stops were presented as a list, not on a map.
3. Android App & Scanner Integration: Couriers were already using personal Android phones for map lookups and dispatch communication. A solution involving an Android app with an attachable scanner was proposed to consolidate tools.
1. Remember Customer Information: Since 60% to 80% of customers are repeat stops, we proposed eliminating the current need for couriers to manually re-enter basic customer information daily. We also identified the need to store stop-specific details like receiver names, phone numbers, dock numbers, or preferred doors.
2. Route Management Enhancement: Although FedEx optimizes routes centrally, couriers' local, on-the-ground knowledge (traffic patterns, construction, customer readiness) was being ignored. Their daily stops were presented as a list, not on a map.
3. Android App & Scanner Integration: Couriers were already using personal Android phones for map lookups and dispatch communication. A solution involving an Android app with an attachable scanner was proposed to consolidate tools.
Route Management Details
The most glaring functional omission was the lack of a map-based presentation of customer stops, which couriers consistently requested.
The central challenge was designing a map interface that could accommodate the constant flux of the day: new pick-up requests, changing time commitments, traffic, weather, and road closures. Couriers manage this complexity through a two-level planning strategy:
A. High Level: Dividing their service area into large geographical chunks.
B. Detailed Level: Focusing on the next 4 to 6 stops.
Couriers rely on their deep knowledge of their long-term service area, close relationships with regular customers, and critical data points:
1. Geo-location of themselves and customers.
2. Ready Times (for pickups) or Commitment Times (for deliveries).
3. External Conditions (traffic, weather, construction).
A conceptual prototype diagram showed how to represent time-sensitive packages on a map (Red for late, Yellow for soon-to-be-late, Green for on-time).
The central challenge was designing a map interface that could accommodate the constant flux of the day: new pick-up requests, changing time commitments, traffic, weather, and road closures. Couriers manage this complexity through a two-level planning strategy:
A. High Level: Dividing their service area into large geographical chunks.
B. Detailed Level: Focusing on the next 4 to 6 stops.
Couriers rely on their deep knowledge of their long-term service area, close relationships with regular customers, and critical data points:
1. Geo-location of themselves and customers.
2. Ready Times (for pickups) or Commitment Times (for deliveries).
3. External Conditions (traffic, weather, construction).
A conceptual prototype diagram showed how to represent time-sensitive packages on a map (Red for late, Yellow for soon-to-be-late, Green for on-time).
Design Philosophy
I prioritize the User Environment Design (inspired by Karen Holtzblatt's "Contextual Design") to first establish the information and functional needs of the end-user before detailing screen layouts.
A Postscript
Years later, I was delighted to find that the spirit of these ideas was realized in an application like the "Straightaway App + Scanner" (kudos to getstraightaway.com)—confirming the vital need for the courier-centric design we advocated for.
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