THE MARKETPLACE
UX STRATEGIST
It’s natural. When we’re too attached to our product's success, we can succumb to the effects of confirmation bias. Add a layer of complexity for good measure, and you have a SaaS platform that connects shippers, carriers, and brokers in a marketplace.
With an MVP already in development, testing was priority number one.
LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE
In the first round of internal testing, each participant played a critical role. The shipper added the load to the marketplace, the carrier accepted the load, and the broker negotiated the deal. But in reality, confusion led to chaos, and no transaction occurred.
Why use a common scenario to demonstrate friction points? It speaks for itself. Need buy-in?
Show, don’t tell.
After a sobering discussion, tasks were written, and scenarios tested. The goal? Test each step of the process and suggest improvements.
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A customer has a load available for next Wednesday 10 October in DE 41 Neuss, DE to ES Selva de Camp, ES.
-The target price is €1450
The customer can offer another load in Selva de Camp to FR59 on Friday 12 October to do a rotation.
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A customer has a Tautliner truck in Rotterdam today 09.29.2021, empty at 10:00.
-He can do 300km empty.
Can you offer something for him with a price of 1,15/km to go to Spain or south France including empty km from south of France to Girona or Irun in Spain.
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A customer (carrier) is looking for something Thursday/Friday from Barcelona to France 85, with a weight of 18tons for a Road Train 7,7m+7,7m.
The customer needs to send this truck to France 85 only.
Communication is key
Once the testing was complete, Excel was used to communicate usability issues to the development team, ensuring that efforts are focused on enhancing user experience in a structured and measurable way.
Relevant information included in the Excel spreadsheet:
Issue ID: Unique identifier for each issue.
Description: Detailed explanation of the usability issue.
Location: Where the issue occurs (e.g., page or feature).
Severity: How critical the issue is (e.g., low, medium, high).
Impact: How the issue affects user experience or business goals.
Frequency: How often the issue occurs.
Reported By: Who identified the issue (user, tester, etc.).
Date Identified: When the issue was first noted.
Resolution Status: Current status (open, in progress, resolved).
Priority: Ranking to determine the order of issue resolution.
Assigned To: Developer or team responsible for fixing the issue.
Date Resolved: When the issue was fully addressed.
Next Steps
After the testing was done and the results prioritized, the path forward was clear. With the high priority changes in development, it was time to look ahead. Toward a new feature for the freight forwarders. The reason?
Money. If the freight forwarders have visibility on distances and net profit, it would turn a laborious task into a timesaver, meaning more money in their pocket.
IDEATION WORKSHOP
During the workshop, each team was given a scenario and asked to create a map with the broker in mind. Why the broker? Because the marketplace is for them, and if you build it, they will come.
With the map workshop done, it was time to think about adoption. Platform adoption, that is. If you’re planning on asking on-site freight forwarders to change their ways of working overnight. You're asking for a lot—a lot of complaints.
For this reason, an onboarding protocol for Freight Forwarders was necessary to ensure a positive response during times of change. If you make people feel part of the solution, they're more likely to stand behind it.
With the onboarding guide complete, the first class followed suit. Each team and corresponding lead was asked to participate in the onboarding workshop to learn about the new platform and promote buy-in.
The platform
A digital ecosystem for managing freight transport including features for negotiation, invoicing, and connecting with new partners. Check it out here.
THE LEARNING IS THE TEST ITSELF.
The main takeaway goes beyond user insights. It’s about patience. Even when you utilize HotJar and Excel formulas for prioritization, processing the feedback takes time. But once you have buy-in from the stakeholders, a structured testing environment and a clear process in place, the changes can come in waves instead of whiplashes. Sprint cycles provide clarity-a roadmap a team can follow.