Project Overview
The logistics industry had long resisted digital disruption — until COVID-19 accelerated the need for smarter, more responsive freight procurement solutions. Recognizing this opportunity, our team designed a digital marketplace that unified spot quoting and e-bidding in a single platform — streamlining freight management for both Importers/Exporters and Logistics Service Providers (LSPs).
The product delivers end-to-end visibility, price transparency, and a competitive procurement model, redefining how shipments are booked, tracked, and negotiated.
Industry
Logistics (2020-2021)
Target Users
Importers/Exporters, Logistics Service Providers
Role
As the UX Designer, I led the research, ideation, and early design phases, collaborating with stakeholders, engineers, and later a client-side designer. My responsibilities included:
-- Planning and conducting contextual inquiry & task analysis
-- Building task flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes
-- Facilitating feedback loops and usability validation
-- Supporting design handoff to product and development teams
Despite the rise of digital platforms, most logistics companies still depend on fragmented, manual freight procurement processes. Existing tools only partially solve the problem. The key painpoints are
For Importers/Exporters,
-- Unable to instantly compare freight quotes across providers
-- Lack of real-time shipment tracking from pickup to delivery
-- No consolidated communication with LSPs during shipment lifecycle
-- No bidding mechanism to drive competitive pricing
For Logistics Service Providers (LSPs),
-- Difficulty updating fluctuating freight rates efficiently
-- Limited visibility across shipments
-- Disconnected status updates for customers
-- Lack of digital space to participate in competitive bidding
DISCOVER
Contextual Inquiry
To deeply understand real-world freight operations, I conducted on-site contextual inquiries over three weeks at the client’s logistics hub. Observing users (both shippers and LSPs) in their natural work environment enabled us to uncover workflow inefficiencies, communication breakdowns, and mental models around shipping processes.
“Users often toggled between spreadsheets, emails, and calls to manage shipments — introducing risks, delays, and decision fatigue.”
Activities:
-- Shadowed 6–8 key user roles across Export, Import, and LSP teams
-- Conducted semi-structured interviews (~45 mins each)
-- Created initial journey maps and pain-point summaries
-- Captured artifacts like rate sheets, booking forms, and bid emails
DEFINE
Following our contextual inquiry, we transitioned into a synthesis phase to make sense of the raw qualitative data we gathered. This was critical to aligning user pain points with business goals and shaping the core product functionality.
Affinity Mapping
Using an affinity diagramming method, I grouped observations, quotes, and behaviors from both Importers/Exporters and LSPs into meaningful categories:
-- Information gaps (e.g., shipment visibility, unclear rate changes)
-- Workflow bottlenecks (e.g., manual bid handling, email coordination)
-- Repetitive tasks (e.g., requesting and comparing rates)
-- Emotional responses (e.g., frustration during rate negotiations, delays)
These clusters allowed us to define key themes and frame "How Might We" questions, such as:
-- How might we help Importers quickly compare spot quotes from multiple LSPs?
-- How might we simplify LSP rate updates in a dynamic pricing environment?
Task Analysis & User Flows
To define the functional scope, I conducted Task Analysis for critical workflows. This involved breaking down high-level user goals into smaller, sequenced subtasks to understand their mental model and identify friction points.
Key task flows analyzed:
-- Creating and managing a freight bid (E-bid)
-- Submitting and modifying spot quotes
-- Tracking a shipment across its lifecycle
I created task flow diagrams to visualize these processes, mapping:
-- Decision points (e.g., "Select shipment type", "Choose bid duration")
-- System actions (e.g., automated notifications, quote expiry)
-- Pain points (highlighted with alerts for redesign)
These diagrams were reviewed iteratively with users and product stakeholders to ensure alignment before wireframing.
IDEATE & DESIGN
I began with rapid sketching and paper prototypes to explore interface structures and key journeys. Early validation sessions helped discard less promising concepts before investing time in fidelity.
From there, I moved into wireframing in Axure RP for detailed workflows including:
-- E-Bid creation (multi-step flow)
-- Spot Quote request and comparison
-- Shipment status tracking
-- Quote submission and adjustment panel (LSP)
Design was split into two phases:
Phase 1: E-Bidding Module — designed and iterated by our UX team
Phase 2: Spot Quote Module — designed in collaboration with the client’s internal design/product teams
Phase 1: E-Bidding Module — designed and iterated by our UX team
Phase 2: Spot Quote Module — designed in collaboration with the client’s internal design/product teams
Create EBid - Entering Shipment details
Create EBid - Entering Ebid Setup
EBid Detail - Bids list view for Exporter/Importer
Ebid Detail - Bids graph view for Exporter/Importer
EBid Requests list view for Freight Forwarders
Spot Quotes list view for Exporter/Importer
Quote Detail screen for Exporter/Importer
Shipments listing screen for Exporter/Importer
Shipment track & trace functionality for Exporter/Importer
Dashboard - Analytics view for Freight Forwarder
ITERATIVE USABILITY TESTING
Each user flow was tested as soon as a clickable prototype was available. Since we had direct access to our original research participants, feedback was immediate and contextual.
Approach:
-- Used task-based usability testing (5–7 users/flow)
-- Recorded issues via observation and note-taking
-- Prioritized changes using Severity Ratings and Effort/Impact Matrices
Screens like Awarding E-Bids and Rate Management required 4–5 wireframe iterations based on usability challenges and business rule clarification.
By deeply embedding ourselves in the logistics workflows and applying user-centered design, we delivered a platform that addressed long-standing friction points across the industry.
Key Achievements
-- Platform launched in 2022
-- Unified freight procurement and bidding across a seamless UX
-- Rapid adoption by key logistics players in the MENA region
Recognition
-- Top 3 finalist – Smart Logistics Challenge by UPS, Expo 2020 Dubai
-- One of the most promising startups – TAQADAM Accelerator, out of 9,636 applicants across the MENA region
This project emphasized the value of in-context research and collaborative design. Watching users struggle in their actual environments helped us design with empathy and accuracy. One of the most powerful lessons I learned was the importance of task clarity and progressive disclosure — especially in workflows involving business-critical decisions.
It was also a great example of how lean UX methods, like low-fidelity iteration and stakeholder co-creation, helped align the product vision with user needs and business goals.
