Smooth Sailing:
Automating Ocean Carrier Updates

The Challenge

International account managers were spending significant time manually updating shipment data based on frequent changes from ocean carriers. This manual process was not only time-consuming, but also prone to errors.

Our goal was to integrate our platform with ocean carrier systems to automatically validate and update shipment data, saving time and improving accuracy.

Team
Product Manager, Product Owner, Lead Developer, Business Analyst, UX Expert, UX Researcher, UX Content Manager

Tools
Figma, Miro, Azure DevOps

Role
UX Designer

My Role & Contributions

As the UX Designer on this project, I led the design strategy, user research, and testing efforts. My contributions included:

  • Facilitating Cross-Functional Workshops
    I initiated and maintained “Cowabunga” whiteboard sessions to refine requirements and foster open communication. These sessions helped identify gaps early and kept the team aligned.

  • Advising on UX-Driven Requirements
    I proposed removing outdated Ocean fields to streamline the form and collaborated with developers to understand technical constraints. I then translated these into user-friendly visual cues and banners.

  • Leading User Testing & Validation
    To resolve stakeholder disagreements on how to notify users of updates, I designed three prototype variations (A/B/C) and conducted usability testing. Despite stakeholder preferences, users overwhelmingly favored Solution B, which we implemented based on data-driven insights.

Core Competencies

  • Design Thinking & Prototyping
    Applied iterative design methods and created interactive prototypes to explore and validate ideas.

  • User Research & Testing
    Conducted structured A/B/C testing to ensure the final solution aligned with user needs.

  • Cross-Functional Communication
    Bridged the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clarity and alignment.

  • Problem Solving & UX Strategy
    Identified pain points and proposed intuitive, efficient solutions that improved the user experience.

Impact

  • Efficiency Increase: Automated data entry from OpenTrack reduced manual input, saving time for CE reps.

  • Error Reduction: Real-time updates minimized reliance on email communications, improving data accuracy.

  • Business Value: The prototype test prevented the implementation of a potentially frustrating user flow, ensuring the investment delivered a user-approved solution.