Note: This case study includes a mix of shipped and design-complete work for internal enterprise tools. Screens and data have been anonymized and modified to protect confidentiality.

 
 

A Single Source of Truth for Receiving Operations Across 500+ Stores

Lead Product Designer | 2023–2024
UX Research · Product Design · Interaction Design · Accessibility · Prototyping

Tools used: Figma, Miro, Figma DevMode, HTML/CSS

The problem: Receiving teams relied on disconnected schedules and legacy tools, making it difficult to track incoming trucks, purchase orders, and unload status in real time.

The solution: Designed a truck visibility platform that unified scheduling, purchase orders, and unload tracking into a single operational workflow.

Impact

 
 

Users = Backroom receiving associates


Receiving associates manage incoming freight, unload trucks, and verify purchase orders to maintain accurate inventory.

They work in fast-paced environments where efficiency, clear communication, and real-time visibility into truck activity are critical to daily operations.

 

The Problem = Disconnected Tools

Receiving operations relied on three disconnected systems:

  • Printed truck schedules

  • Desktop scheduling tools

  • Legacy mobile applications

Associates frequently switched between systems to understand truck schedules, arrivals, unload progress, and completion status.

Key challenges

  • Fragmented workflows across paper, desktop, and mobile tools slowed receiving operations

  • Missing real-time updates made schedule changes difficult to manage

  • Limited visibility into purchase orders and unload status created communication gaps and inventory inaccuracies

  • Manual reconciliation was required to track truck completion across systems

Core insight

Associates didn't need another scheduling tool.

They needed a single source of truth connecting planning, unloading, purchase orders, and completion tracking across the receiving lifecycle.

 

Research & Discovery

To better understand receiving operations, I conducted field research directly within receiving environments.

Research methods

  • Onsite observations across 5 locations

  • Contextual interviews with receiving associates

  • End-to-end workflow walkthroughs

  • AM and PM shift shadowing

  • Iterative usability testing

AM & PM End-to-End Backroom Receiving Journey maps

Key findings

Schedules changed constantly

Late arrivals, no shows and reschedules quickly made printed schedules unreliable.

Completion status was unclear

Associates struggled to determine which trucks had been fully unloaded and finalized.

Communication gaps slowed operations

Critical updates were often passed verbally or through hand written notes.

Visibility drove decision making

Associates needed a real-time understanding of what was scheduled, arrived, unloading and complete.

 

Transition to design

 

These findings highlighted the need for a system that supported both forward planning and real-time execution, making truck arrivals, purchase orders, unload status, and completion easy to track and communicate across shifts.

 

Design principles

Research → Journey Maps → Concepts → Iterations → Final Solution

Single source of truth
One operational view across scheduling unloading and completion.

Designed for change
Support real-time schedule updates and operational disruptions.

Fast to scan
Optimize information hierarchy for high-volume receiving environments.

Built for shift continuity
Ensure progress remains visible across teams and shifts.

 

Design evolution

From visibility → execution → automation

 

What began as a truck visibility solution evolved into a broader operational platform supporting planning, execution, and automation across the receiving lifecycle.

V1 — Visibility

Goal: Replace paper schedules with a shared digital view of incoming trucks.

Introduced

  • Arrived and On the Way truck states

  • ETA, Source: DC/vendor, pallet count, and hot item visibility

  • Filters for truck type and delivery status

  • Purchase Order drill-downs and truck finalization

  • Short-term planning for upcoming deliveries (today → next few days)

✅ Outcome: Established a reliable digital schedule, improved visibility into upcoming deliveries, and revealed gaps in completion tracking and change management.

 

V2 — Execution

Improvements

  • Added an explicit Finalized truck states

  • Automatically grouped completed trucks

  • Introduced weekly planning views

  • Improved schedule sorting and operational guidance

✅ Outcome: Increased visibility into truck completion and improved planning across shifts.

 

V3 — Automation & usability

Improvements

  • Simplified date navigation

  • Added swipe interactions and scrolling enhancements

  • Introduced coach marks for discoverability

  • Reduced manual workflow friction

✅ Outcome: Faster scanning, smoother navigation, reduced cognitive load during daily receiving operations.

Final solution

A Unified Receiving Platform

The final experience consolidated:

  • Truck scheduling

  • Purchase order visibility

  • Arrival tracking

  • Unloading workflows

  • Truck finalization

  • Cross-shift communication

into a single operational platform supporting both planning and execution.

The dashboard provides associates with prioritized operational information while allowing deeper investigation through scheduling views, truck status, and purchase order details.

Note: This prototype includes later enhancements such as scan-to-unload pallets, truck unloading status, and worklist workflows, illustrating how the initial truck visibility and purchase order foundation evolved into a broader receiving platform.

Business Goals Achieved

Adoption
Scaled across 500+ stores and replaced paper-based workflows.

Engagement
Integrated directly into daily receiving operations.

Trust
Created a single source of truth across receiving systems.

Operational efficiency
Reduced manual coordination by 70%+ improving visibility into truck arrivals, unload status, and PO completion tracking.

Scalability
Established a foundation for future receiving workflows.

Reflection

Research changed the direction
Field observations revealed the problem wasn't scheduling—it was visibility.

Iteration drove adoption
Each release improved planning, execution, and communication, transforming the product from a scheduling tool into a foundational operational platform.

Building for scale
What began as a truck visibility solution evolved into a scalable framework supporting broader receiving and operational workflows.