Smart Trailer Transportation Management System

 
 

Project Summary

Smart Trailer was designed and developed as the next generation of internal systems to support UPS’s transportation logistical network and telematics.

Utilizing automation and IoT capabilities, this project was a culmination from the manual methods that were used to track on property, on the road, in the air, and on rail assets.

Project Brief

The aim of the research was to observe & document users in their natural working environment/workflow as well as changes with the integration of the new TMS system

Project Perimeters

Project Duration : 10/07/2019 – 10/18/2020

Target Location : UPS Hubs / Facilities

Primary Users: UPS Dispatchers/Yard Controllers

Framework: SAFe Agile

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Research Methodology

Semi-Structured interviews

Speaking with the users breaking down their day-to-day activities, their role, interactions, and their pain-points. Doing quick discussion with users that provide rich qualitative data, feedback, and experiences utilizing sticky notes

Sticky Notes Journey Mapping

By utilizing sticky notes to take down notes, quotes, and discussion highlights to layout the user journey. This can be used to organize and strategically start/ restart discussion on a specific stage of their activities

Observation & Shadowing

Following and observing the users, asking the users to walk through their thinking out-loud and narrate their process. Documenting how they work, their work-flow, and unique traits that they do.

 
 
 

Research Priorities

  1. Capturing & documenting the user journey of users in their natural working environment before the introduction of TMS

    1. Follow-up observation & documentation of changes in user workflow after their integration of TMS into their workflow

    2. Comparison of the two work flows to Photo by You X Venture Studio identify areas of insights & opportunity

  2. Map how users were making decision to create insights and opportunity on reducing mistakes and alleviating pressure on the users.

    1. Understand the end-to-end process of how users are currently making decisions

    2. Identify any pain-points or barriers they encounter when making decisions

  3. Ethnographic study on our users

    1. Identifying our user base, creation of user persona’s

    2. Creating visibility on who we are developing and designing for

    3. Creation of a demography database that would be used to categorize our user base

 
 
 

User Demography

 

User Journey Mapping

 
 
 
 

Insights & Opportunities

 
 

Insight #1 Decision Making

Increased Decision Timeframe

Reduction of External Influence

Logical vs Emotional Decision Making

Decision Making

The high levels of pressure that the users have burden on their shoulders with the decision that they make. By increasing the amount of time that the user has to make decision could helps increase the quality of the outcome

Users are constantly making quick realtime/high impact decisions. Reducing the influence of performance expectations, driver influence, under-preparations, conditional factors.

There is a “human” side to decision making (ie a driver calling out due to a family sickness) and balancing sensitivity and professionalism. Being able to consistently make strong decisions increases staff moral and trust.

Quick and decisive decision making is needed in the field to keep the operation moving. The users operational knowledge & experience impact the quality of the decisions made. Increasing the visibility of location, staff, and operational information

 
 

Solution #1

Forecast Predictions

Traffic Simulation

User Movement Prediction

Predetermined Schedules

By including more simulations and predictive analytic tools, users can have a view into what they should expect and gives a small buffer zone to fix, prepare, and reduce chances of mistakes.

Inclusion of traffic reports and simulations to allocate for better time management and driver flexibility.

Having a estimation of a asset/ drivers movement (ETA inbound/ unload/shift) allows the users to make more strategic next decisions.

Creation of a “soft” schedules forecasting days in advance that allows the users to have a buffer time to make or edit changes.

 
 
 

Insight #2 Operational Streamline

Isolation of Sites

Dispatch Locked-in

Fragmented Process

Information Overload

Due to the different processes and unique traits at each facility, each site is seemly isolated. Sites do not cross-collaborate and have a “mutual understanding” that they do not have a shared internal process. By identifying a common ground and process, sites would become better connected.

With the isolation of sites, there is also the locked-in dispatchers. Even a experienced dispatcher brought in to alleviate another site drops in experiential output and needs retraining. Looking into reducing the amount of retraining needed to preform duties.

The documents that are created in-house reflect the unique process that is happening in the facility. Even similar documents vary from site to site. By giving the resources to create a unified document tailored to the needs of the user, cross training would move more smoothly.

Sometimes, providing too much information takes away from the ability to make strong choices. By reducing the amount of noise and giving the user just the right amount of information to carry out the tasks needed.

 
 

Solution #2

Unified Processes

Collaborative Workflow

Breakdown into Quick References

Hand-off of Information

Users at every site have operational documents that they have made/modified from available resources or material that is provided to them. These in-house documents are being heavily utilized and have embedded itself as an integral part of their day-today operations.

Giving a process where users can create custom UPS documents that assists the users in the dayto-day activities. This allows for a more unified document that would reduce isolation of sites.

Breaking down larger documents into smaller “quick reference” This smaller focused document is easier to train and learn.

Users go through a process to leave messages and documents to inform the next user of information for the shift. This can sometimes leave pockets of information that was not conveyed and can lead to mistakes and extra work to follow-up. Looking at a method to streamline the hand-off process.

 
 
 

UI Interface Design System

UPS Infinity Design System

Color and Theme Standardization

 

Icon Library

 

Graphics Library

 

Font

Segoe UI

 
 

Interface Design