First-Mile Drivers App
What is the First Mile Drivers App?
Let’s understand how the first-mile drivers’ app is used in the context of Udaan. Udaan, a B2B company, places orders with vendors and stores these items—primarily FMCG and staples—in warehouses across India to sell them through its platform.
Once the orders are placed with vendors, gig drivers are provided with the app link to access detailed pickup information. The app proves particularly useful in scenarios where multiple pickups from different vendors need to be managed simultaneously. It provides drivers with vendor locations, vendor contact details and item lists in one place, helping them plan their routes and truck space more efficiently.
Previously, this information was shared with drivers via WhatsApp, which led to various inefficiencies, such as miscommunication, poor truck space utilization, and logistical challenges. The first-mile drivers’ app resolves these issues by offering a streamlined and centralized solution, enhancing overall efficiency and communication.
Overview
The First Mile Drivers App is designed to streamline multi-vendor pickups, ensuring efficient and accurate operations in the first-mile supply chain process as well as empowers drivers to handle pickups seamlessly. It addresses common challenges such as unclear workflows and delays, enhancing overall efficiency and reliability.
Problem Statement
Drivers involved in the first mile of the supply chain face challenges in managing multi-vendor pickups efficiently due to the lack of a centralized system. They often deal with issues like unclear trip details, inefficient route planning, poor vendor communication, and lack of structured task guidance. These inefficiencies lead to delays, increased errors, and operational bottlenecks, ultimately impacting the overall reliability of the supply chain.
Objective
To design a user-friendly app that streamlines the process of multi-vendor pickups by providing:
Clear Trip Management: Centralized access to trip details, including vendor locations, schedules, and item lists.
Optimized Routing: Efficient navigation and route planning to minimize travel time and fuel costs.
Real-Time Connectivity: Seamless communication with vendors for smooth coordination and updates.
Task Guidance: Structured checklists to ensure accurate and efficient pickups at each location.
Improved Efficiency: A solution that reduces errors, delays, and operational bottlenecks, enhancing the overall reliability of the first-mile supply chain process.
Project Scope
An app for streamlined multi-vendor pickups, ensuring efficient and accurate operations in the first-mile supply chain process
Tools: Figma
Stakeholders: Product manager, developers and design head
Duration: 3 Weeks
My Role: Worked on the end-to-end design and development of the new version of this app.
Brainstorming
At the beginning of the exercise, I facilitated a collaborative brainstorming session with product managers and developers. The goal was to understand their expectations, gather valuable insights, validate ideas, and align on the app’s core features and user flow.
Key Features Identified:
Assigned Trip Details: Comprehensive information about all pickup points, enabling efficient route optimization.
Total Tonnage of Pickup: Provides the total weight of goods to help plan truck space effectively.
Total Distance to Cover: Displays the total kilometres the driver needs to travel.
Contact Hub Manager: A direct line to the hub manager for resolving any queries.
Vendor Checklist: A step-by-step checklist of tasks to complete upon reaching the vendor, ensuring nothing is overlooked.
Itemized Pickup List: A detailed list of items to be collected, helping drivers identify shortages if any.
Invoice Upload: A feature to upload invoices of the received goods, ensuring seamless documentation.Competitive Analysis
UX Benchmarking
I explored several similar apps designed for pickups. While none of them matched our specific context, it was insightful to see how they approached similar tasks.
Some key features observed included:
CTA to Contact the POC: A quick action button to connect with the point of contact for immediate assistance.
Total Tonnage Details: Clear visibility of the total weight to be picked up for better planning.
Route Optimization: Automated suggestions for the most efficient route to cover all pickup points.
Total Distance Calculation: Display the total distance to be travelled, aiding in better trip management and fueling costs.
These features provided valuable inspiration for enhancing our app’s functionality.
Interview Session
To better understand the needs of gig drivers, we conducted interview sessions aimed at uncovering their expectations and challenges when using an app for first-mile operations. We prepared a set of targeted questions to guide these sessions and ensure we captured actionable insights.
Questionnaire:
What is the typical workflow for a first-mile driver picking up items from a warehouse?
What are the most common challenges or pain points that first-mile drivers face during pickups?
What information do drivers need about the pickup location and items they are collecting?
What information do drivers need about their upcoming and completed trips?
How can the app assist drivers in optimizing pickup routes to save time and fuel?
Are there any specific handling requirements for the items?
Are there specific safety or compliance requirements that drivers must adhere to during pickups?
Key Insights from Interviews:
Clarity on Item Details: Drivers emphasized the importance of having detailed information about the type and quantity of items to avoid confusion at pickup points. For example, one driver shared that incorrect item counts often caused delays at vendor sites.
Real-Time Updates: Drivers emphasized the importance of receiving real-time updates about pickup locations and schedule changes. For instance, one driver shared that last-minute vendor unavailability was often not communicated promptly, leading to delays and operational inefficiencies.
Route Optimization: Many drivers shared that fuel costs were a major concern. They preferred an app feature that could suggest the shortest route covering all pickup points.
Ease of Contact: Drivers appreciated the idea of a direct "Call Vendor" or "Call Manager" button in the app for resolving queries quickly.
Trip Summaries: Drivers wanted a simple dashboard showing completed and upcoming trips, along with a breakdown of the items picked-up to ensure they hadn’t missed anything.
Earnings Dashboard: Many drivers expressed the need for a dedicated page to track their earnings. They wanted a simple, transparent overview showing their total income, breakdowns by trips, and pending payments to help them better manage their finances.
These interviews provided invaluable insights, helping us identify features and workflows that could make the app more user-friendly and efficient for gig drivers.
Flow-Chart
After gathering these insights, we created a detailed flowchart to map out the app’s user flow. This visual representation outlined the drivers' journey, from receiving trip assignments to completing pickups. The flowchart provided a clear structure for the app, ensuring the design addressed their real-world requirements effectively.
Wireframes
The wireframes were designed to outline the core features, such as upcoming trip details, task checklists and uploading necessary docuents, ensuring a simple and intuitive user flow. They served as a foundational tool for iterative testing and refining based on user feedback.
Final Design
** I cannot display the full design file here but can share details upon request**
Key Features
Conclusion
The First Mile Drivers App successfully addresses key challenges in the early stages of the supply chain, improving the efficiency and reliability of multi-vendor pickups. By providing drivers with clear trip details, optimized routes, real-time communication, and task checklists, the app streamlines operations and minimizes errors. The iterative design process, informed by constant feedback, ensured the app met the needs of both drivers and warehouse managers. Ultimately, the app enhances the overall first-mile logistics process, contributing to a more efficient and reliable supply chain.
Learnings & Next steps
Learnings:
Real-time communication is essential for managing last-minute changes efficiently.
User-focused features, like task checklists, simplify workflows and reduce errors.
Simplicity is key for easy navigation, especially for non-tech-savvy users.
Next Steps:
Incorporate feedback to refine existing features and improve usability.
Explore advanced route optimization to further reduce travel time and fuel costs.
Incorporate an Earnings Section in Version 2 to provide drivers with clear visibility of their income, including trip-wise breakdowns and pending payments.
