ShipStation Case Study
Exploring complex and necessary shipping workflows for online merchants
Project Brief
ShipStation is a product in the e-commerce space which provides a quick and affordable way for online sellers to create mailing labels for their goods. It is a successful and widely used product with a vocal user base.
As the products being sold have become more complex, sellers have requested a way to configure different product types, such as kits, bundles, and even raw materials so they can successfully ship and track their inventory.
Problem Statement
1
Not a clear way to configure different product types, leading to complex workflows and more homework for users.
Process
Looking at past feedback from users, the most upvoted requests featured a way to configure kits and bundles. We started by reaching out to the sellers who left great feedback and were open to sharing their time and process.
We wanted to provide a way to configure these different product types, so it made sense to user-test with a given group of 5-7 sellers; using their unique data and selling scenarios. The process led to further conceptual ideas around a more robust inventory tracking system.
Some interesting parts of the process
1
There was a wealth of actionable feedback from current users.
Organizing stakeholder calls and in-person shadowing of sellers was a great way to see how our tool helped or hurt their process.
2
I learned a lot about kombucha through this process...
The best way to test ideas was to put myself in their shoes, using their data. A Kombucha seller became the best repeated tester and perfect use case for the product configurations.
3
It quickly became clear users needed a way to track and deplete inventory as well.
A conditional logic was created around how to configure these product types.
4
The process led to different workflows which showed how the different product types could be sold separately or together.
5
A clear icon system and call to action would be important for users to understand how to kick off the workflow.
Solution
A full series of tested workflows and designs were introduced
The conceptual process led to solutions around inventory tracking
User-testing improved the communication between the users and our team
My Role on the Team
Design Lead
Contributions:
- Led the research effort including facilitating calls, user feedback, and testing sessions
- Led the User Experience and Visual Design direction
- Collaborated closely with the Product Manager on different workflows which would help the product and inventory features now and in the future
- Facilitated internal and external feedback sessions based on the concept
The Core Team
This project involved:
Product: Jackie
Research: Myself, Jackie
Design: Myself, Peter
Engineering: Lewis
Contact Me.
Please feel free to reach out.
- Dribbble
