Freighthub Booking Process
Freighthub were looking for someone to research, create and test a new booking system for their revolutionary Freight start-up. I worked as a contractor with Freighthub for approximately 5 months designing and testing the new system.
- Client Freighthub
- Date October 2019
- Services UX Design Contract
- Role Sole UX Designer
Client Background
Freighthub was started with the ambitious goal of utilising the empty space that exists on almost every freight truck in the world. Using GPS data Freighthub is able to work out which trucks have space and know where they are going.
Project Overview
Freighthub had been using an MVP for a couple of years and needed a new booking system that would give their customers better options and incentives to use the space that already existed in the freight system.
Our solution
The challenge was to find a way to clearly show users how they could benefit from utilising the spare space available and present it to them clearly and simply. The solution ended up being much more difficult than first thought!
Research and Discovery
Our UX design process kicked off with comprehensive research to understand the intricacies of freight booking, user expectations, and pain points within the existing system. We conducted stakeholder interviews, carried out desk research, and delved into customer feedback to identify key areas for improvement.
Key Findings
Time is always critical: Overwhelmingly the feedback was that when freight was booked – they wanted it gone ASAP.
Simple is best: Users wanted to maintain the consistency and ease that existed in the MVP with only some improvements.
Freight is still in the dark ages: While moving goods via courier is very 21st century – freight is not. It’s still paper-based and a very manual process.
The Plan and Process
The plan was to create an updated booking form that is simple and speedy yet contains the extra functionality and incentives that Freighthub felt it needed, to entice users into allowing more flexibility in how their freight needs were managed.
New booking page
The process steps were:
1. Ideation and wireframing:
• Conducted brainstorming sessions with staff and clients to generate innovative ideas for the new booking system.
• Created low-fidelity prototypes to visualise and iterate on the proposed design concepts
2. User testing:
• Organised in-person and online user testing sessions to gather feedback on the prototypes.
• Identified pain points and areas of confusion to inform iterative design.
Over 14 different price selectors were tested
3. Iterative Design:
• Iteratively refined the design based on user feedback, focusing on enhancing navigation and clarity.
• Collaborated closely with the Freighthub team to ensure alignment with business goals.
A full suite of menu choices and different states were created
4. Interactive Hi-Fi Prototypes:
• Using Figma developed high-fidelity interactive prototypes to simulate the end-to-end user experience, then refined the design based on user insights.
• All frames needed for the developers to work off were also created.
Outcome
Unfortunately during this process, it became more and more apparent that the vision of Freighthub did not always align with the customer base it served. In February 2019 Freighthub was not able to secure further investor funding and wound down their operation with plans to completely close. However many customers demanded Freighthub remain open and agreed to a substantial price increase so that they could continue to serve its client base. In an unusual twist, COVID-19 was to hit one month later and freight volumes suddenly went through the roof, because of this, Freighthub is still trading today.