Not knowing where your package is can feel like losing control of your shopping experience. What if we could turn that uncertainty into confidence by keeping users informed every step of the way?
Team
Full-time Designer at Heroshe
Timeline
Sept '20 - May '21
Contributions
Design, Strategy, User Interviews
The packages weren’t delayed or missing—but the updates were. Shoppers were left in the dark about their whereabouts. The existing process back then only updated customers once their packages were fully processed, even if the items had been sitting in the warehouse for days.
Our challenge was clear:
Shipped work
Results?
With this redesign, we turned delayed updates into instant insights, making the Heroshe experience seamless and trustworthy for African shoppers.
Drop in processing time
Fewer irate calls
New Signups in 6 months
Background
Heroshe is a freight-forwarding company that empowers African shoppers to access global e-commerce platforms like Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress. By providing services such as package consolidation, shipping, and delivery from the US, UK, and China, Heroshe bridges the gap between international stores and African shoppers, offering a seamless logistics solution.
Heroshe addressed a critical gap in the market: many international stores did not fulfill deliveries to Nigeria, and shipping costs from companies like DHL and FedEx were prohibitively high. By offering an affordable and reliable alternative, Heroshe became a trusted solution for African shoppers.
Getting the root...
Shoppers
We asked to speak with about 10 of our most frequent customers and sent out a survey with 200+ responses.
Common theme? “I want to know the second my package arrives. Not a day later, not a week later.”
Customer Success Team
Shared transcripts of irate users repeatedly calling about package statuses.
Informal conversations revealed that delayed notifications were the biggest contributor to negative feedback.
Warehouse & Logistics Teams
Identified inefficiencies in the linear processing flow.
Suggested ways to break the flow into stages and trigger earlier updates for users.
Deep Insights
From our research, we uncovered key insights that shaped our approach:
Delayed Notifications Cause Anxiety
Customers primarily wanted reassurance that their packages had been delivered to the warehouse, as notified by their online store (e.g., Amazon). They didn’t expect immediate processing but valued visibility upon arrival, which significantly reduced their concerns.
Linear Processing Created Bottlenecks
Logging packages into the system only after full processing delayed updates and added unnecessary workflow steps, keeping users uninformed at crucial stages.
Lack of Communication is eroding Confidence
Timely updates were critical to fostering trust. Real-time notifications gave users a sense of control, reinforcing their confidence in the system and loyalty to the platform.
Support Team Overload
Questions about package statuses overwhelmed customer support, diverting resources from complex issues and highlighting the need for self-service tracking solutions.
Key Insight
Our Solution
Our team brainstormed solutions to improve package tracking transparency and backend efficiency. By involving warehouse and logistics teams in our design, we created a new flow that allowed multiple staff members to handle different steps of processing at once.
1.
Multi-Stage Processing
Inbound First, Process Later
Packages are inbounded first, notifying shoppers of receipt, then full processing and sorting is done later. These allowed multiple staff members to process packages simultaneously, reducing bottlenecks and ensuring faster updates.
2.
Status Updates & Notifications
Multi-Step Processing means more updates
Users were notified as soon as their packages were received at the warehouse and at every status change, reducing anxiety.
3.
Out-app Tracking
Track Without Logging In
Enabled users to track packages directly on the website without needing to log into their dashboard, improving accessibility. Reducing the need to call support.
Shipped work
Email Notification
For every status update
Challenges?
It wasn’t smooth sailing...
But these challenges were worth solving because they directly impacted our users’ experience.
Real-Time vs. Manual Triggers
Balancing manual and automated workflows was tricky, as some processes still required human input. To overcome this, we introduced semi-automation by implementing a scanning system that logged packages into the system immediately upon arrival, enabling earlier updates.
Backend Architecture Redesign
Developers had to rework the backend code architecture to support real-time updates and the multi-stage tracking system. This significant undertaking extended the project timeline but was essential to delivering the desired functionality.
Reflections
But these challenges were worth solving because they directly impacted our users’ experience.
Transparency Builds
Trust
Keeping users informed, even about small updates, made a huge difference in user confidence.
Good Design Cannot Be Achieved in Silo
Engaging the warehouse, logistics, and support teams was essential to creating a solution that worked for everyone.
