Rethinking online shipping for FedEx
Background
FedEx, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, has been a frontrunner in online applications. For instance, they were the first shipping company to release an online track-and-trace application back in 1994 (!). However, over the years, a lot of different online tools were created by different operating countries to book shipments. This resulted in a plethora of complex tooling that needed modernization and centralization. Also, novice (international) shippers faced a steep learning curve when starting out because of poor, out-dated interaction design and an information overload full of shipping jargon.
Setting up a framework
The principles for the new application were set. The tool needs to inspire confidence in both new and experienced customers. Next to that, it needs to be as efficient as possible as many customers will use the tool multiple times per day.
The framework of the tool consists of linear steps where you enter your information, giving the novice shipper a feeling of control. A step-by-step wizard will guide those new to shipping through a comforting and clean interface, with plenty of explanation and help available. Shipping is after all a task where you can’t afford a lot of errors: customs are often strict and if the paperwork isn’t in order, the shipment could be held or even sent back.
Customers with more experience find solace in the fact they can set up tons of defaults, presets, and retrieve info in the form of profiles (or templates for recurring shipments) to ship lightning-fast. These experienced users also have the option to switch to a one-page shipping form where they are not guided, but face a compact version displaying all the sections at once. This allows them to quickly scan a form and enter information where needed. Speed is key if you’re entering the same form dozens of times a day.
My contributions
Leading UX efforts, managing an international team of designers
Daily stakeholder management up to the global VP level
Work close with 5 agile product teams on a SAFe release train
Global style guide updates to support the needs of online shipping
Support continuous research on existing and upcoming features
Co-created the framework that is the foundation of the application