A mobile app for a new network of returns management and distribution centers. For this project my responsibilities included product strategy and UX design. I worked alongside the founder, a retail executive and my former manager.
Product Design Lead (Contract), 2018
This startup provides retailers with an alternative option to expensive distribution centers, leveraging a local network of dry cleaners to facilitate the customer returns process. In the process, this solution also provides convenience to customers by allowing them to bypass shipping returns to far-off distribution centers, and instead dropping a package off at the local dry cleaner.
My task was to take the early research and project brief and create user flows for the various tasks the dry cleaners need to complete during the drop-ship and returns processes.
My first step was to identify the process flows in the app that guide the dry cleaner through the shipment and return process. These diagrams helped the founder and myself to see clearly from the dry cleaner’s point of view, and to simplify as much as possible. As I began designing the app, we continued to come back to these user flows to reference and continually refine them.
There are two workflows - returns and shipments. A return comes directly from the customer and shipments (drop-ships) are received from retailers via the app. There are steps required in the returns process to accept and match the items, and to generate exceptions. Shipments require the dry cleaner to prepare the items, then pack and ship.
In the insights area, local dry cleaners can view data on the returns and shipments they’ve made, as well as the amount of revenue produced.
From the to do list in the app, dry cleaners can open the bar code scanner to accept a new return. Retailers can also provide drop-ships to the dry cleaner for inventory they’re currently holding.
In a clearly defined step-by-step process, dry cleaners can accept the return and identify any damage by snapping a photo. This information is then communicated back to the retailer to provide status and next steps.
I designed two sets of screens for the app so we could view it on both Android and iPhone (shown) While the dry cleaners are predominantly on Android (we discovered in research), the founder needed to view the screens on his iPhone. Currently in development.