Introduction

Wanting to solve site entry congestion at a busy warehouse, I was approached to solution a Proof of Concept where drivers could check in on their personal mobile device or a standing physical kiosk, all while their customer service representatives could keep an eye out for drivers struggling to complete the check in. The Automatic Reception Desk (ARD) was the solution proposed.

The implementation was logical, the user, a truck driver in this case, provides references until it can be matched to a unique order in the warehouse management system. Administration, on the other hand, can follow along the check in process of the driver and to gauge whether they are stuck and can be helped through.

The video walk-throughs are showcasing the physical kiosk scenario with on-screen keyboard instead of device native.

Showcasing flexibility in the POC

In order to be able demonstrate a robust proof of concept, with some added flexibility, I chose to build configurable components rather than hard coding.

• Dashboard: landing page where active check in sessions will render.
• Orders: placeholder with system-generated customer, product & warehouse location.
• Kiosks: for physical terminals (drive-in style) that would allow drivers to complete the check in.
• Locations: since the client had multiple sites, wanted to demonstrate that we could have configuration customized per location.
• Workflows: since the client operates different operational ‘flows’ (e.g. packed, bulk) in their locations, but the check in process overall is the same, they are able to have master flows for consistency.
  • The first step is site rules, which is set in stone and anchors the flow, together with the last step, which guides the driver to a specific location of the site.
  • The other steps are flexible, in the sense of capturing information from the driver, be it the equipment information or other details of the visit.

Also taking into account multi-language support, where a location can have multiple languages configured. The user interface will render a ‘column’ for each language set up for the location. Provided I had some more time, I would have come up with something more evolved to solve for that.

The driver <-> customer service representative (CSR) interaction

From the moment a driver starts a check in flow by selecting the language, the dashboard automatically refreshes (Signal R) to show the progress the driver is making.

Having the ability to ‘reset’ a kiosk was also implemented, to wipe the progress in case it was abandoned or there was a need to step out of the check in (an auto-timeout timer with override for driver would have also done the trick).

The CSR is able to follow along each of the steps of the workflow, and can monitor which order(s) the driver is likely trying to check in for. We’re also capturing how long the driver has been in a step and highlight in red when it is taking the driver longer than expected.

Focus on the driver experience

When designing the interface for them, I wanted it to be as clear and straightforward as it possibly could be. Intuitive to follow, easy, forgiving inputs. For a lot of the drivers in my case, they will be regulars at the site doing the same or similar trips so they should be able to fly through it.

I also discussed with the site manager that for some of their high-volume carriers, it might make sense to set up a more simplified check in process where we are not asking the driver a lot of information at the time of check in, rather do a sort of system-to-system pre-advise with information and the driver is confirming that a given set of information is to be used for this visit (say a PIN code of sorts). Has pros and cons like every solution. What if the driver uses the wrong PIN code for the equipment – warrants for some check of the equipment at minimum.

Low fidelity mockups as a lever

Having a solid plan and understanding of the what cuts down so much when you are programming the solution. For this proof of concept I mocked up the core visual features. Allowing me to think through the user interactions in a visual way and cut down on design time later on.