Jessica Sutherland

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Shippity Courier Responsive Web Design

Shippity is a fictional Australian small business courier service.

My brief was to design a responsive web-based platform for small businesses to send, track and manage parcel delivery.

Usability & Product Research

I conducted discovery interviews with both senders and receivers to learn more about their experiences with couriers, as well as sending/receiving online.

I used my insights to create user personas and journey maps that I empathised with to ideate solutions

Prototyping & Testing

I created low-fidelity prototypes and flow charts, which I then tested in unmoderated usability research with potential consumers.

I iterated on these prototypes using my learning and continuously tested.

Interface Design & Handoff

I created high-fidelity user interface designs for the solution, as well as a basic design system and branding for the company.

I turned the high-fidelity designs into a prototype by connecting elements in Figma.

Deliverables

Manage parcels in transit
Send a parcel
Create a business account

Each screen was fully mobile responsive, designed to be implemented using Progressive Web App (PWA) architecture.

Design process

Research

  • I used Google Forms to survey both senders and receivers on their previous experiences with parcel couriers. My initial research helped me discover gaps and successes in user’s experiences which I factored into my design process.
  • I conducted guerilla interviews with local small business owners in-person, as well as compensated remote interviews with shoppers and senders.
  • I created several personas to empathise with, including small business owners, employees, those adapting to online during COVID-19, eBay sellers, online shopaholics and occasional shoppers.
  • I created a business account for several major Australian small business parcel delivery services to explore patterns, trends and opportunities.
    • Australia Post MyPost Business
    • Australia Post eParcel
    • Aramex Australia (previously Fastway Couriers)
    • Toll MyToll
    • FedEx Express/TNT
    • Sendle

Prototypes

An excerpt from a low-fidelity prototype.

User testing

I conducted unmoderated usability tests with Australian Userbrain panelists aged 18-35, then analysed the results to iterate on my designs.

Iterations

User interface iterations were made using feedback from testers, and visual annotations from me.

A visual annotation of an early sign up page
A small business owner I tested the interface with expressed a desire to create recurring orders that repeat on a schedule.

Takeaways

What would be the next step if this was a commercial project?

  • Design the consumer parcel tracking experience for receivers
  • Design the commercial marketing website and brand
  • Create a business case for future designs

What did I learn?

  • Guerilla testing with local businesses
  • Competitive analysis
  • Unmoderated usability testing
  • Low-fidelity testing