LimoExpress
UX redesign of a new SaaS before first market launch
Scope
Mobile app UX redesign
User Interface Design
Web app UX
Branding
User research
Data driven design
Continuous app improvements
Design maintenance of new features
Timeline
Q2 2023 – present
Tools
Ai+Ps
Figma+Figjam
Miro
Jira & Confluence Docs
Google Apps (Sheets, Docs, Jamboard)
Team
Development
Aldin Desic, Jelena Puletic, Nikola Djukic, Nikolina Sikmanovic, Pavle Cvorovic
PM Nemanja Nikolic
Summary
LimoExpress is an ERP solution for limousine services and VIP transfer agencies, which offers them automation solutions for their internal processes. The product consists of a mobile application for 2 user roles (driver app, manager app) and a web application for 2 user roles (Operator/Dispatcher, Manager) + master admin. The software was already developed in an MVP phase when I joined the team to improve user flows and create the User Interface of the mobile application.
Impact
By creating the logo design and visual identity of the product, and by simultaneously working on continuous UX processes for user flow improvements, conducting User Research, and Data-based UI iterations, I contributed to securing our first founding as a startup.
Problem Statement
During continuous product improvements and introduction of new features, our main goal remains to create a user-centered software, which solves the following pain points for local limousine services, that operate non-digital.
Pain Points our product aims to solve
Manual processes and delays in communication
Manually managed schedules and phone-call communications are the most common type of business processes in Montenegro, therefore, this product aims to solve the most important pain point of VIP transfer agencies: create and maintain schedules easier and simplify communication channels between drivers, dispatchers and managers.
Inefficient booking procedures, customer frustration
Clients make phone calls to book transfers, this leads to inefficient communication. Details can get lost in a spoken conversation, while drivers can forget their schedules, when they are managed on a paper-pen basis.
No statistical data to base decisions on
When all managing processes are run in Excel tables on a local computer, it’s difficult to oversee the entire business in numbers and data. This complicates decision-making and slows down business improvements.
Competition
Once software solutions like LimoExpress are implemented any competitors processes, agencies have to keep track and introduce automated processes as well.
Users and Audience
Our target group of customers are mid and large-sized limousine agencies and VIP transfer businesses that operate non-digital. Our primary focus of the Balkans has shifted to global customers, Europe and the US being the main targeted users of our solution.
Design Process
Creating a foundation for the future design system
When I joined the project, both the mobile application and the admin panel were already developed with core features and the basic product was created. While the engineers were working on additional features and on fine-tuning of the existed code, I have created parallelly the basics for the product’s UI, starting with a custom mobile interface and logo design, brand book and visual identity. The logo design was created based on an idea of combining a lime association of the word “limo” with a wheel-like shape, to create a mark that is easy to remember.
A few UI components
Redesigning user flows
Following the initial design phase, it was time to direct our attention to the user flows of both the mobile app, the web app, as well as the flows that affect the interactions of these two platforms. Initially, all the basic operations incl. CRUD were improved to what we believed to be more intuitive flows, then we reiterated more complex journeys as well, that affected user onboarding, customization of the system to industry-specific expectations and to maintain default behaviours that would create a foundation for the upcoming features.
Usability testing
As we launched our product right after the redesign phase of the user flows, and as the product launch started to generate early users for the product, we conducted a usability testing with a combined method of interviews and user tasks. In these moderated rounds of testing we were looking for usability issues, inconsistencies and friction in user flows, for which the first analysed Hotjar recordings of our users interacting with the web app. This helped us narrow down a set of hypothesises, and though the entire web platform and mobile app was tested, we were able to point at specific issues that we aimed to correct in the next phase. We conducted research with 4 test subjects for Operator & Manager roles of the web application and with 5 test subjects for Manager & Driver roles of the mobile application.
Method
After users get familiar with the method of the testing in a short introduction, they perform each task and rate their level of ease & intuitiveness from 1 (very difficult) – 5 (very easy). These scores will be compared to see the usability scores of each topic of the testing, to narrow down which areas of the platforms are in need of improvements. Additionally, users are observed while performing the tasks to detect friction, which will be addressed after completing the task. They are also asked for any comments/opinions/suggestions after each task is completed.
Research results summary document - Screenshot
Research result based UX & UI improvements
In this phase, after the usability testing was conducted, we analysed the outcomes and created new designs based on these results. Most of these improvements affected user interaction with the interface:
Web application
CRUD operation’s inconsistencies in modals (transfers, vehicles, passengers components etc.)
Navigation of the platform
Terminology and UX writing (Alerts, error messages, industry-related terminology)
Missing interactions
Mobile application
Navigation of the application
Component and font sizes
Color contrast
List elements (component logic and legibility)
Quick actions proved to be confusing and were eliminated
UX writing and industry-related terminology (inconsistencies and reiterations)
user flow improvements
Setting up metrics for the platform
Currently we have started setting up our metrics for the product. We are using site heatmaps, regularly control user interactions with our platform and we have started defining our KPIs. Given that we are in the initial stages of product development, our processes are more flexible as we work towards scaling up and growing the product.
Outcomes and Conclusions
As the product is still in a very early stage after the release, it would be early to draw any conclusions on the pre- and post-release phase that was discussed here. At any rate, it seems to have had a positive effect on the start, as throughout the continuous UX betterments
we received a funding for continuous improvements and addition of new features
we gained our first customers, all of them using a yearly subscription of our product
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Ambages Design 2024