Apollo Planning

Outcomes

01 Supply Chain Archetypes

 Background

Analyzing our application's analytics in Grafana revealed that Problem Solvers were our most frequent users, despite many key features within Apollo being primarily designed for Operation Managers. This insight highlighted the need to refresh our understanding of our users and update our archetypes. The goal of this work was to better understand the needs, desires, and feelings of our users to make better informed product, design, and technical decisions. 

Crafting Survey Questions

In order to design and structure our survey, my team and I first identified what we wanted to learn about our warehouse team members.  From this, I was able to design the survey to incorporate the key themes we wanted to learn from our users. We used Optimal Workshop to host our survey. 

Affinity Diagramming

In order to capture as many insights, ideas, and concepts from responses we received for the open-ended questions, we decided to export the survey results into Miro to do some affinity diagramming. We began organizing responses into themes and connecting them to call out relationships and dependencies.

Analysis

After organizing the responses through the affinity diagram exercise, we then did some calculations to measure the breakdown of percentage for how the participant's role and job title affected their answers. 

 Archetypes

From the survey analysis, we realized that there were some common patterns in behavior, responsibilities, and pain points among the various roles within Target warehouses. We were able to identify 3 main archetypes. 

02 Default Batch Management

The Background

Breakpack SSP volume is not the same day over day. Volume fluctuates. Because of this fluctuation, there are some days where it is easy to maintain 1 pick wave per batch and ensure consistent SSP volume batch to batch. There are other days where volume will necessitate spilling into a second pick wave, creating inconsistency in pack vessel density. The only way to work around this right now is to manually update the batch counts and delivery alignments on the backend. 

In addition, without set default schedules, a Production Controller would need to set up individual deliveries and batches every day. Setting up individual deliveries and individual batches is time consuming, requiring 1 hr per day with a simplistic schedule and 2+ hours per day if there's higher volume. 

User Flow

I developed a user flow to align stakeholders and engineers on the ideal user experience for setting default batch managements. Leveraging insights from our operational partners, I outlined key interactions, from initial batch setup to batch grouping logic, ensuring flexibility for fluctuating volumes. By presenting this user flow, I was able to effectively communicate the proposed solution and align cross-functional teams on the project goals.

Initial Iterations

In the initial design iterations, I explored various layout options to simplify the batch management process. One of the concepts I considered was a calendar view that would allow users to visualize and set default batches for each day of the week. This approach aimed to provide an at-a-glance overview of scheduled batches, making it easier to adjust for fluctuating volumes without having to configure each day individually. I experimented with different ways to display batch counts and delivery alignments within the calendar, aiming for a balance between clarity and ease of use. While the calendar concept provided a clear and intuitive way to manage default batches, it was ultimately scrapped due to accessibility concerns and feedback from the engineering team regarding the high level of effort required for implementation. We pivoted to a simpler interface that still addressed user needs while being more feasible from a development and accessibility standpoint. This exploration helped refine the design and ultimately led to a more intuitive interface that catered to both predictable and variable volume patterns.

Final Designs

The final design for default batch management presents a focused, streamlined view of all deliveries and batches the warehouse will consistently manage each day. Deliveries are automatically grouped into batches based on their operational cut times, ensuring alignment with each batch’s run time and maximum cut time. Users can easily adjust schedules, add or delete deliveries and batches, providing flexibility to adapt to changing operational needs. This design introduced innovative features, including the first in-line edit functionality for quick updates and a day-of-the-week wheel component for seamless navigation and scheduling. The wheel component was also contributed back to the design system, enhancing consistency and usability across future projects.

03 UX Audit

Background

Apollo Warehouse is a critical tool used daily by our warehouse users to manage complex workflows. However, over time, user feedback indicated several pain points, particularly around the visual design, navigation, and clarity of content. Recognizing the need for improvement, our team initiated a comprehensive UX audit with the following goals in mind. 

Audit 

To conduct the UX audit, I began by thoroughly reviewing each screen of Apollo Warehouse and systematically testing all functionalities. This involved going through every interactive element to identify defects, ensuring components performed as expected, and verifying that navigation paths led users to the correct destinations. I meticulously documented any issues I encountered, including broken features, visual inconsistencies, and accessibility gaps. Additionally, I assessed the clarity of content on each screen, noting down areas where instructions or labels were unclear. This detailed, hands-on review allowed us to compile a comprehensive list of areas for improvement, serving as the foundation for our subsequent design recommendations. 

Top Audit Themes

Impact vs Effort Action Prioritization

After completing the audit, we identified several key themes such as unclear labels and units of measure, missing or redundant information being displayed, and inconsistent and cramped alignment and spacing. With these insights in hand, we pulled our key partners in to conduct an impact vs. effort prioritization exercise. This collaborative workshop allowed us to assess the feasibility and value of addressing each issue, ultimately enabling us to rank these themes in order of priority. By aligning on the most impactful and achievable improvements, we established a clear action plan to guide our next steps in enhanving the user experience of Apollo Warehouse. 

UX Warehouse Audit Retrospective

The audit work we conducted in Q4 of 2021 was well-received by Apollo’s cross-functional teams, sparking interest in expanding this approach to other areas of the platform. However, it was clear that the process would benefit from further refinement and the introduction of success metrics. While auditing existing views, components, and features is an effective way to quickly address obvious issues and elevate the quality of Apollo, it's important to recognize that this is primarily an assessment activity. The true value of the UX team lies in proactive feature identification, collaboration, and innovation.

Based on our findings, we identified several next steps to drive continued improvements:

1. Expand Audits to Other Areas: We plan to conduct additional audits across different parts of Apollo to capture inconsistencies and overlooked use cases, starting with an accessibility audit on Apollo Tracking to identify accessibility gaps.

2. Feedback Channels: To streamline ongoing feedback, we will maintain a quick and accessible forum (e.g., Slack) for cross-functional teams to report language, content, architectural, visual, and accessibility issues.

3. Success Metrics: We will focus on tracking the impact of improvements through clear metrics, such as analytics trends and user feedback, before and after changes are implemented.

4. Structured Review Processes: Establishing routines like full-page audits during UX reviews before releases, along with regular audit meetings, will help ensure that issues are addressed and prioritized efficiently.

5. Component Library Updates: For any enhancements or modifications, we will update the Apollo component library to maintain consistency across the platform.

These steps aim to build on the success of our initial audit, ensuring continuous improvements and a higher standard of user experience throughout Apollo.