Transparent Path is a Seattle-based company that focuses on tracking shipments in the food supply chain by combining IoT sensors with Blockchain technology. Their product can track the location, temperature, and humidity of shipments all over the globe. I worked on a team of three alongside a project manager and a researcher to build a shipments dashboard focused on helping chocolatiers track their shipments and be notified of issues such as melting or delays.
Through industry research and interviews with chocolatiers, we found the following pain points companies typically have with shipping perishable food items:
We needed to create the basic functionality of a shipping dashboard that made it easy for users to track their shipments, create a new shipment, and be alerted if there were any issues such as melting or delays.
Above is an initial concept showing a shipments list and map of current shipments. Since the project timeline was limited, we worked in a lower fidelity and greyscale.
After a generally positive review with the project stakeholders, we had a list of issues that needed to be addressed. We needed to display more rows of information without scrolling, allow more room for the map, add a way to contact the current shipment custodian, and include a way to sort items. The second concept shown above improved on all those issues. Users would tap on a row item to view or edit the shipment details.
Before (text input)
After (graphic slider)
Transparent path uses sensors to track temperature and humidity settings of shipments. Through user testing, the team noticed that adjusting those settings slowed users down. I created a different approach to make it easier to use and understand by using a graphic adjustment method rather than text fields.
One of the more complex aspects of the project was making it easy for users to create a new shipment while still providing the necessary documentation. Our solution involved breaking the process into individual steps to allow users to focus on one item at a time and not get overwhelmed with information. You can see an animation of the process above.
Overall, the project satisfied the goals that Transparent Path required. It made it easy for users to track their shipments, create new shipments, and be alerted if there were any issues such as melting or delays. Below is a mockup of the dashboard in the Transparent Path brand colors, replacing placeholder graphics with more final versions.
