GOAL

To understand issues in local package delivery systems through contextual research and design methodologies and propose an innovative solution.

CONTEXT

The scope of this project was limited to Savannah, a small town in Georgia. We considered many environments where local residents faced issues, and delivery systems posed as a prominent source of pain points. Considering that we would have easy access to a variety of stakeholders and key players in this system, we took on this challenge.

EMPATHIZE

We conducted research with the intention of understanding the local processes and norms in a small town. A large part of recognizing user pain points was also to study the journey of a shipment from the collection center to a user’s home.

This research led us to identify multiple factors like key touch points in the supply system, disruptive services, best practices in the industry and relationships between users and providers. 

DEFINE

Plotting all the data points on post-its was the first step and through affinitization, we categorized them to identify key pain points, blue oceans for improvement and opportunities.

Key insights belonged to the following themes-
- Lack of ethnography
- Misplacement of packages
- Gap in communication among key players

IDEATE

Based on the prominent themes of issues, we determined that one product or service was not enough to address all challenges. Through brainstorming and mapping all the perfect and imperfect ideas, we came up with a range of small to large solutions in the package journey.

Ultimately the shortlisted best solutions were determined based on the following criteria:
- The value they provide to the user
- Feasibility in terms of implementation and finances in a business
- Improvement in user experience

Leveraging technology, latest disruptive services and inspiration from other industries, we proposed an array of apps, location tracking, smart residential porch lockers and organization methods for delivery trucks. This full product-service system has the potential to alleviate a lot of user pain points in the journey.

TAKEAWAYS

• As a project heavily dependent on contextual user research, it was key to conduct all the primary research with an ethnographic approach. Stepping into my stakeholder’s shoes gave me a better understanding of their pain points and needs.

• To step out of the traditional classroom environment, we held our final presentation inside a U-Haul truck, rightly deemed as ‘The Delivery Museum.’ An immersive experience created more delight in our audience, and also led to good customer experience.