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An asset tracking system redesigned for speed and flexibility
Kennards Hire is one of Australia's biggest equipment hire businesses. I redesigned EasyTrak, Kennards internal platform for tracking, managing and allocating equipment in 6 months.
The Problem
Kennards employees faced challenges in tracking and allocating equipment using EasyTrak, leading to issues like late deliveries, missing items, theft, and damage. The problem stemmed from the need for constant manual checking of delivery statuses, locations, metrics, and equipment conditions, which placed a substantial burden on Kennards employees.
Business Objectives
Help Kennards employees deliver and allocate equipment faster
Minimise theft and equipment losses.
Reduce response time for addressing delivery delays and equipment damage, while enhancing metric accessibility for these deliveries.
Seeking feedback and early testing with users
I led focus group workshops, engaging Kennards employees to observe their usage of EasyTrak. Focus groups allowed me to gain a diverse range of responses and to uncover larger frustrations shared by multiple participants. We supplemented our qualitative findings with an internal survey to quantify user frustrations and prioritise improvements.
Above: A snapshot of the co-design workshop facilitated in Figjam
What I found interesting was how varied each users goals were when using EasyTrak, resulting in duplicated features with slight variations that confused users and hindered task flexibility, causing delays in addressing customer issues and deliveries.
To tackle these issues, I restructured the Information Architecture to prioritise task-based organisation. This change boosted feature discoverability, removed user dead ends, and improved efficiency.
Above: The current IA and the new streamlined task-centric IA we proposed (high level)
Above: The entire user flow mapped out
Bringing the engineering team on board
As the redesign involved a large pivot in direction from their current platform, I actively involved and sought feedback from Kennards' engineering team on the new IA and a list of prioritised user stories.
Above: A productive session getting feedback from the engineering team
The engineers noted that the platform had poor performance leading to delays in equipment tracking and issue resolution. As a result, I improved data visibility by only showing relevant information such as the location of the asset when it's needed to enhance server performance, fetching, and loading.
Above: Early iterations of the 'Cluster' feature which grouped clusters of pins improving map load times significantly.
I created wireframes for the key flows in the platform and transformed them into a clickable prototype to test with a diverse group of EasyTrak users, including both new and returning users. This approach enabled us to evaluate our new features and gather valuable feedback in the early stages, ensuring that feedback wasn't influenced by visuals.
Automated alerts and notifications
We identified there was a heavy dependence on manual tasks in EasyTrak that meant employees needed to keep a constant watch on the platform to stay updated on delivery delays, theft, and equipment maintenance. To address this, I introduced a platform-wide alert system integrated into all user flows, offering contextually relevant alerts with actionable steps to resolve the issue.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
Important metrics at a glance
We made a significant improvement by introducing a customer-centric dashboard as the initial screen on user login. This dashboard offered a comprehensive overview of crucial metrics, equipment, and ongoing customer hires, directly addressing staff frustration which stemmed from the inability to quickly access essential information regarding daily orders.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
We encountered a technical constraint, where all users saw the same view and data, regardless of their user type. To tackle this, I introduced contextual metrics at various points in the user's journey such as equipment pins with more detailed data, automatic insights on delivery times and statuses, and more. This approach ensured that users with specific needs encountered relevant metrics during their tasks.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
Outcome
The end solution was a revamped EasyTrak platform that prioritised the user's ongoing tasks, empowering Kennards staff to allocate and track deliveries with increased efficiency and resolve issues confidently. Although precise quantification of the project's impact wasn't feasible due to data collection limitations, the Kennards team regarded the project as a success, evident in several aspects:
Improved Efficiency: The streamlined Information Architecture, contextual data presentation, and enhanced load performance significantly boosted platform efficiency and delivery speed, as indicated by end-of-day reports from Branch Managers.
Reduced Thefts: Automated alerts and the visibility of suspicious equipment activity allowed Kennards staff to proactively prevent thefts, resulting in fewer reported incidents.
Fewer Delays and Damaged Equipment: The new dashboard page and enhanced map and driver pin information made it easier for staff to anticipate delivery delays and equipment servicing requirements, leading to a decrease in reported late deliveries by Allocators.
Learnings
Context is key: We are often bombarded with information we may not necessarily need at that time. This project reinforced the importance of only presenting data to the user when it is relevant in the flow.
Involve relevant stakeholders early: Thankfully I had a great team who valued frequent collaboration and communication. This project reinforced the value of involving other disciplines early on to identify potential issues I may have overlooked as a designer.
Effective communication: When interviewing customers who don’t often use complex technology in their day-to-day work, such as the delivery drivers and hire controller, it’s important to communicate in a way that makes them feel heard and acknowledged without overwhelming them with technicalities.
Back
An asset tracking system redesigned for speed and flexibility
Kennards Hire is one of Australia's biggest equipment hire businesses. I redesigned EasyTrak, Kennards internal platform for tracking, managing and allocating equipment in 6 months.
The Problem
Kennards employees faced challenges in tracking and allocating equipment using EasyTrak, leading to issues like late deliveries, missing items, theft, and damage. The problem stemmed from the need for constant manual checking of delivery statuses, locations, metrics, and equipment conditions, which placed a substantial burden on Kennards employees.
Business Objectives
Help Kennards employees deliver and allocate equipment faster
Minimise theft and equipment losses.
Reduce response time for addressing delivery delays and equipment damage, while enhancing metric accessibility for these deliveries.
Seeking feedback and early testing with users
I led focus group workshops, engaging Kennards employees to observe their usage of EasyTrak. Focus groups allowed me to gain a diverse range of responses and to uncover larger frustrations shared by multiple participants. We supplemented our qualitative findings with an internal survey to quantify user frustrations and prioritise improvements.
Above: A snapshot of the co-design workshop facilitated in Figjam
What I found interesting was how varied each users goals were when using EasyTrak, resulting in duplicated features with slight variations that confused users and hindered task flexibility, causing delays in addressing customer issues and deliveries.
To tackle these issues, I restructured the Information Architecture to prioritise task-based organisation. This change boosted feature discoverability, removed user dead ends, and improved efficiency.
Above: The current IA and the new streamlined task-centric IA we proposed (high level)
Above: The entire user flow mapped out
Bringing the engineering team on board
As the redesign involved a large pivot in direction from their current platform, I actively involved and sought feedback from Kennards' engineering team on the new IA and a list of prioritised user stories.
Above: A productive session getting feedback from the engineering team
The engineers noted that the platform had poor performance leading to delays in equipment tracking and issue resolution. As a result, I improved data visibility by only showing relevant information such as the location of the asset when it's needed to enhance server performance, fetching, and loading.
Above: Early iterations of the 'Cluster' feature which grouped clusters of pins improving map load times significantly.
I created wireframes for the key flows in the platform and transformed them into a clickable prototype to test with a diverse group of EasyTrak users, including both new and returning users. This approach enabled us to evaluate our new features and gather valuable feedback in the early stages, ensuring that feedback wasn't influenced by visuals.
Automated alerts and notifications
We identified there was a heavy dependence on manual tasks in EasyTrak that meant employees needed to keep a constant watch on the platform to stay updated on delivery delays, theft, and equipment maintenance. To address this, I introduced a platform-wide alert system integrated into all user flows, offering contextually relevant alerts with actionable steps to resolve the issue.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
Important metrics at a glance
We made a significant improvement by introducing a customer-centric dashboard as the initial screen on user login. This dashboard offered a comprehensive overview of crucial metrics, equipment, and ongoing customer hires, directly addressing staff frustration which stemmed from the inability to quickly access essential information regarding daily orders.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
We encountered a technical constraint, where all users saw the same view and data, regardless of their user type. To tackle this, I introduced contextual metrics at various points in the user's journey such as equipment pins with more detailed data, automatic insights on delivery times and statuses, and more. This approach ensured that users with specific needs encountered relevant metrics during their tasks.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
Outcome
The end solution was a revamped EasyTrak platform that prioritised the user's ongoing tasks, empowering Kennards staff to allocate and track deliveries with increased efficiency and resolve issues confidently. Although precise quantification of the project's impact wasn't feasible due to data collection limitations, the Kennards team regarded the project as a success, evident in several aspects:
Improved Efficiency: The streamlined Information Architecture, contextual data presentation, and enhanced load performance significantly boosted platform efficiency and delivery speed, as indicated by end-of-day reports from Branch Managers.
Reduced Thefts: Automated alerts and the visibility of suspicious equipment activity allowed Kennards staff to proactively prevent thefts, resulting in fewer reported incidents.
Fewer Delays and Damaged Equipment: The new dashboard page and enhanced map and driver pin information made it easier for staff to anticipate delivery delays and equipment servicing requirements, leading to a decrease in reported late deliveries by Allocators.
Learnings
Context is key: We are often bombarded with information we may not necessarily need at that time. This project reinforced the importance of only presenting data to the user when it is relevant in the flow.
Involve relevant stakeholders early: Thankfully I had a great team who valued frequent collaboration and communication. This project reinforced the value of involving other disciplines early on to identify potential issues I may have overlooked as a designer.
Effective communication: When interviewing customers who don’t often use complex technology in their day-to-day work, such as the delivery drivers and hire controller, it’s important to communicate in a way that makes them feel heard and acknowledged without overwhelming them with technicalities.
Back
An asset tracking system redesigned for speed and flexibility
Kennards Hire is one of Australia's biggest equipment hire businesses. I redesigned EasyTrak, Kennards internal platform for tracking, managing and allocating equipment in 6 months.
The Problem
Kennards employees faced challenges in tracking and allocating equipment using EasyTrak, leading to issues like late deliveries, missing items, theft, and damage. The problem stemmed from the need for constant manual checking of delivery statuses, locations, metrics, and equipment conditions, which placed a substantial burden on Kennards employees.
Business Objectives
Help Kennards employees deliver and allocate equipment faster
Minimise theft and equipment losses.
Reduce response time for addressing delivery delays and equipment damage, while enhancing metric accessibility for these deliveries.
Seeking feedback and early testing with users
I led focus group workshops, engaging Kennards employees to observe their usage of EasyTrak. Focus groups allowed me to gain a diverse range of responses and to uncover larger frustrations shared by multiple participants. We supplemented our qualitative findings with an internal survey to quantify user frustrations and prioritise improvements.
Above: A snapshot of the co-design workshop facilitated in Figjam
What I found interesting was how varied each users goals were when using EasyTrak, resulting in duplicated features with slight variations that confused users and hindered task flexibility, causing delays in addressing customer issues and deliveries.
To tackle these issues, I restructured the Information Architecture to prioritise task-based organisation. This change boosted feature discoverability, removed user dead ends, and improved efficiency.
Above: The current IA and the new streamlined task-centric IA we proposed (high level)
Above: The entire user flow mapped out
Bringing the engineering team on board
As the redesign involved a large pivot in direction from their current platform, I actively involved and sought feedback from Kennards' engineering team on the new IA and a list of prioritised user stories.
Above: A productive session getting feedback from the engineering team
The engineers noted that the platform had poor performance leading to delays in equipment tracking and issue resolution. As a result, I improved data visibility by only showing relevant information such as the location of the asset when it's needed to enhance server performance, fetching, and loading.
Above: Early iterations of the 'Cluster' feature which grouped clusters of pins improving map load times significantly.
I created wireframes for the key flows in the platform and transformed them into a clickable prototype to test with a diverse group of EasyTrak users, including both new and returning users. This approach enabled us to evaluate our new features and gather valuable feedback in the early stages, ensuring that feedback wasn't influenced by visuals.
Automated alerts and notifications
We identified there was a heavy dependence on manual tasks in EasyTrak that meant employees needed to keep a constant watch on the platform to stay updated on delivery delays, theft, and equipment maintenance. To address this, I introduced a platform-wide alert system integrated into all user flows, offering contextually relevant alerts with actionable steps to resolve the issue.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
Important metrics at a glance
We made a significant improvement by introducing a customer-centric dashboard as the initial screen on user login. This dashboard offered a comprehensive overview of crucial metrics, equipment, and ongoing customer hires, directly addressing staff frustration which stemmed from the inability to quickly access essential information regarding daily orders.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
We encountered a technical constraint, where all users saw the same view and data, regardless of their user type. To tackle this, I introduced contextual metrics at various points in the user's journey such as equipment pins with more detailed data, automatic insights on delivery times and statuses, and more. This approach ensured that users with specific needs encountered relevant metrics during their tasks.
Above: Examples of the alert system highlighted on the map within rich equipment pins modals and an actionable alert page to view all active alerts.
Outcome
The end solution was a revamped EasyTrak platform that prioritised the user's ongoing tasks, empowering Kennards staff to allocate and track deliveries with increased efficiency and resolve issues confidently. Although precise quantification of the project's impact wasn't feasible due to data collection limitations, the Kennards team regarded the project as a success, evident in several aspects:
Improved Efficiency: The streamlined Information Architecture, contextual data presentation, and enhanced load performance significantly boosted platform efficiency and delivery speed, as indicated by end-of-day reports from Branch Managers.
Reduced Thefts: Automated alerts and the visibility of suspicious equipment activity allowed Kennards staff to proactively prevent thefts, resulting in fewer reported incidents.
Fewer Delays and Damaged Equipment: The new dashboard page and enhanced map and driver pin information made it easier for staff to anticipate delivery delays and equipment servicing requirements, leading to a decrease in reported late deliveries by Allocators.
Learnings
Context is key: We are often bombarded with information we may not necessarily need at that time. This project reinforced the importance of only presenting data to the user when it is relevant in the flow.
Involve relevant stakeholders early: Thankfully I had a great team who valued frequent collaboration and communication. This project reinforced the value of involving other disciplines early on to identify potential issues I may have overlooked as a designer.
Effective communication: When interviewing customers who don’t often use complex technology in their day-to-day work, such as the delivery drivers and hire controller, it’s important to communicate in a way that makes them feel heard and acknowledged without overwhelming them with technicalities.