Ship It! by Pitney Bowes

Working with the Advanced Concepts & Technology group at Pitney Bowes, I designed and prototyped an experi­mental portal for ship­ping and mailing services. Ship It supplies a powerful but user-friendly interface for locating services that match customers' needs, within an environ­ment that encourages exploration.

My Role

  • Collaborating with workplace anthropologists to assess user needs and skills.
  • Preparing multiple designs and evaluating them with discount usability techniques.
  • Creating a high-fidelity prototype using XHTML, Javascript and Prototype.
  • Performing user evaluations with the prototype and incorporating feedback.
  • Preparing wireframes, task flows and implementation specs for developers.

Challenges

The language used by carriers to describe shipping services is often complex and perplexing to customers. The qualities that customers consider important are also frequently different from those of interest to carriers. A means of translating the needs and priorities of each is necessary.
See my approach to the problem... Together with workplace anthropologists, I assessed the shipping needs of several small businesses and frequent shippers. This work produced several personas to describe the expected users of the system and scenarios to describe their activities. These guidelines were then compared against the services and regulations of several major carriers. Working from each stakeholder's perspective, concept maps were created to describe the relevant qualities of a shipping a package. Using a bottom-up approach, common elements were identified between the two conceptual models, and translations between dissimilar elements were created. User-centered methods for requesting this information were then developed. For example, when describing the dimensions, weight, and value of a shipment, the name, UPC, or ISBN could be used to acquire this information automatically without difficulty and imprecise measurements.
Users frequently have vague or flexible requirements for their shipments. For example, a user may be willing to trade added cost and lowered security for earlier delivery, but within the limits of their budget and trust. A usable system should be able to accomodate these uncertainties.
See my approach to the problem... Employing the concept maps created in the previous step, a set of minimal and common elements used to describe customer's needs was created. These elements were then used to create a form presented to users on their first visit, requiring users to only enter a minimal amount of information before being provided results. Then, using techniques based upon faceted browsing, the user is provided multiple options to narrow or expand their choice of services, with results updated in real-time. Visual cues attached to these controls allow users to quickly determine how the choice of carrier or service will affect cost, delivery time, and security. Results can then be sorted, filtered, and grouped based on multiple relevant criteria.
The process of shipping begins well before the carrier even receives the package. The package must be prepared and labeled in a specific way, then dropped off at a limited number of locations with a limited amount of time. The system should be sensitive to these issues when helping users choose services.
See my approach to the problem... By leveraging location intelligence services, the system can incorporate information details such as the location and hours of nearby drop-off locations. Search results can then be sorted and filtered against the proximity and availability of carriers. In addition, when selecting a service, users can quickly determine what drop-off locations are convenient and what times they are available. If a user has a preference for a particular drop-off location, their choice of services can even be narrowed to only those offered at that location.