I redesigned the internal tool of Sharing Excess - a nonprofit addressing the issue of food insecurity in the United States - to streamline their work process in the warehouse, which increased workers' productivity by at least 50% and minimized human errors by 75%.
Timeline
July - September 2023
Role
UX Designer
UX Research
Collaboration
Quinn - UX Designer
Shash - Developer
Victoria - Product Manager
Since 2018, Sharing Excess has rescued 25+ million pounds of food from wholesalers and delivered to communities and organizations, expanding its impact across 20 states in America.
CONTEXT
Collecting and Delivering food - What is complex about it?
Receiving and distributing around 30k pounds of food from 9AM to 11AM everyday, Food Sourcing Associates are some of the busiest employees at Sharing Excess. In this fast and chaotic process, the real frustrations lied in working with the data.
PROBLEM
The main working tool lacks the primary functions
Sharing Excess app (or SE app) is the main tool that workers use to record data of the food collecting and distributing processes. However, the app failed to perform the most basic functions.
Workers couldn't record information properly
The Entry form didn't have fields for all important data (e.g., case count, case weight)
⇒ They put all these numbers into "Notes" field
⇒ Disorganized and confusing
Workers had to do redundant, repetitive tasks
Distributing X types of produces to one food bank
= Recording data X times repeatedly
⇒ Time-consuming, hard to manage data
Workers weren't reminded of undistributed food
Sometimes food is forgotten to be distributed and gets stuck in the warehouse. However, the app doesn't remind workers about it.
⇒ The food loses quality and isn't qualified to be distributed
⇒ Food waste
⇒ How the app worked technically didn’t align with users’ work process
⇒ The workers resorted to an external platform - Google Sheets - to do their work
However, the Google Sheets alternative actually prolonged and overcomplicated the process. At the end of the day, workers still had to transfer data from the spreadsheet to the app.
Workers' original work process
How Might We…
…turn the Sharing Excess app into an all-in platform that workers can rely on in their end-to-end process, so they don't have to utilize an external platform?
Solving a complicated workflow that even the users themselves struggle to explain it properly, I needed to work as closely as possible with users throughout the project. Some of the methods I used to get them involved were:
Field Study 🕵️♀️
Experienced a typical work day in the warehouse to identify areas of improvement.
Focus Group 🗣️
Had the workers discuss and share challenges as a team since they collaborated closely.
Co-design workshop 🎨
Brainstormed ideal solutions with the workers and hear how those would benefit them.
There were frustrations that I didn't see until I talked to the users: e.g. no standard naming convention for the process; so many unexpected scenarios that the app couldn't cover.
Working in an environment requiring speed and concentration, they don’t want to be perplexed by how the app works ⇒ something intuitive and self-explanatory even for beginners.
I separated Entry (food collecting) and Allocation (food delivering) processes into 2 views that can be accessed independently, instead of having Allocation nested inside Entry as in the original app.
⇒ Easier for the workers to navigate the task they want to do
⇒ Easier for us as designers to tackle problems with each workflow
I thought I figured out all of user problems in the research phase. However, as I was working on a problem, another one arose. Sometimes a good solution to this problem can cause unexpected issues in other parts of the app. Therefore, I had to communicate with the users and stakeholders almost on a daily basis to make sure I was on the right track.
Here's an example of how I solved the first problem with the Entry workflow (recording data of collected food)
Enter data in an organized and logical way
Add fields for every important number to store data individually
⇒ No longer write every numbers in Notes field
Create "Before Sorting" and "After Sorting" tabs in Entry form; tailor the design of each tab to replicate the real-life process
⇒ Separate different types of data
⇒ Avoid confusion and mistakes
Distribute multiple products to an organization effectively
Original app: create one form for each type of product that an organization orders
New app: add multiple types of products into a form for an organization
⇒ Group related data together ⇒ Easy to keep track
⇒ Shorten the process and save time
Be reminded to distribute all donated food
Have a separate page for Remaining Produce to list out foods donated days ago but haven’t been distributed
Display older foods in red
⇒ Ensure they are still in good condition and distributed ASAP
⇒ Minimize food waste and increase the company's environmental and social impacts
We tested the Alpha version of the app with the Food Sourcing Associates in the warehouse in real time for 3 consecutive days, then compared their work performance and productivity before and after using the new app. The official launch was set for October 2023.
1.5 hours ⇒ 0 hour
of transfering data between 2 platforms. Workers don't need Google Sheets anymore.
1-2 minutes ⇒ 30 seconds
entering data for one Entry/Allocation form. Workers can confidently use the internal app in real time.
75%
reduction of human error and data inaccuracy. In-app calculation and Alert messages help workers avoid mistakes.
60%
reduction in food waste. Workers are reminded to distribute food in a timely manner.
Workers' process before the app was redesigned
Workers' process after the app was redesigned
Put myself into users’ shoes
To solve complex problems of the app, I had to work closely with the users, and even build a relationship with them. User research is not only setting up an interview with people, but also “visiting” them and observing their frustrations in real life.
Evaluate my design decisions from multiple perspectives
Every time testing my designs with the workers, I also handed them off to stakeholders and developers. They would let me know if the design was codable or if it might cause any problem.
Take the initiative and Learn along the way
I was nervous to know that another intern and I would be the only designers of the company. I read more books, consulted other UX professionals, and self-studied to gain confidence. Thus I soon worked my way out and took control of the project.