Transforming an order management system of a Canadian rail freight giant
ROLES
User Research, UX Design, Visual Design,
UAT Testing
COLLABORATORS
2 Designers, 6 Developers, 3 Product Managers
DURATION
1 Year, Oct 2023 - Dec 2024
TOOLS
Figma, Sketch, Abstract, JIRA
PROBLEM
Our client's order management system needs an upgrade
Fragmented, lengthy process
The order creation process happens across different tools, requiring multiple logins
Issues with visibility
The order statuses are not clearly shown, and it is difficult to locate orders in error
Confusing navigation
The UI is outdated and the navigation across orders and in the forms are confusing.
New product capabilities
The client wants to provide users with the option of building their orders over time.
The order management of freight containers is complex
Web of dependencies
Each order involves legal codes, customs docs, etc. Small changes risk disrupting critical workflows.
Users are deeply familiar with legacy systems
We prioritized familiarity while modernizing key interaction patterns.
From UX audits, 6 interviews, and 40+ survey responses, we saw that people had problems with shopping, but even after that.
With this, we asked
How might we enable the customer to progressively build their order over time, view their order details and track them effectively?
Solution: An incremental approach to revamping the system
The goal was to incrementally improve the overall order creation form by preserving familiarity while reducing friction in the key flows, build trust, and ensure zero operational downtime.
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MVP impact at a glance
PROCESS
Understanding the order management flows
Here’s where it gets complex
Expert Interviews, Survey Synthesis, UX Audits
How did we tackle this
Tackling UI fixes
Single page form with sections
The first section needs to be filled to begin the order, and so it is opened by default
Information summary on the accordion
Once filled, important information appears in a collapsed accordion for easy reference without having to open it again
Streamline, not reinvent
In the old system, users relied heavily on nested modals. To incrementally reduce this, we introduced a full-page first-level modal for order creation, making the experience more focused and less disorienting.
Visually grouping complex information
Each container needs about 30 fields of information. We used visual elements to group information and reduce cognitive load
Simplifying adding references
Multiple references can be added for each container. We reused the table UI component to show the list of added references
Visually differentiate primary reference
Reusing components from the design system to mark primary reference using a star icon.
Tabular representation for easy scanning
Once filled, important information appears in a collapsed accordion for easy reference without having to open it again
Quick fixes for efficiency
After testing, we realized the selected state was not as apparent, and we added a simple blue strip to clearly indicate selection.
OUTRO
This was my first real-world UX job and I worked in cross-functional teams and learnt about constraints, became an agile practitioner, and understood how developer hand-offs should be done.
What I learnt:
Advocating for UX
Ran UATs with clients to reveal impact of deprioritized features through hands-on flow testing.
Communicating often
Even if it’s a 10 min sync/asynch update, it helped reduce discrepancies.
Getting the job done w/o fancy tools
Adapted hand-off with PDFs and pre-sprint calls to suit devs unfamiliar with Abstract.
ETC
Leading content for an award winning employee engagement initiative
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I led the content team for a two-time award winning employee engagement initiative.
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Writing content for marketing materials, social media, events, and information resources helped me realize how important clear and engaging communication is in shaping a great user experience.
Pitching an (award-winning) AI powered dashboard that helped secure a client
I worked on designing a generative AI dashboard design for a last mile delivery company in road logistics. The AI-agent helped streamline the Logistics Manager’s tasks by providing suitable actions from the insights generated. We employed storytelling to deliver a successful pitch that helped secure a valuable client.
