FLUID CONTROLS
I designed and shipped an B2B enterprise solution that optimized and automated the order creation and packing process using a barcode-based system, improving overall workflow efficiency.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
COMPANY
Fluid Controls Pvt. Ltd, an automotive instrumentation manufacturing company, offers a wide range of instrumentation erection hardware to customers, serving industries like oil and gas, power, and railways globally.
WHO?
I served as the sole product designer for Fluid Controls, working closely with CEO and Managers and development teams to digitize their order processing and packing workflow.
WHEN?
May - Dec 2023
WHY?
The existing manual order management and packing process was error-prone and inefficient, leading to mispacked or missing items and difficulty in tracing orders. Warehouse employees struggled with verifying packed items, while supervisors lacked visibility into order accuracy, resulting in increased rework, customer dissatisfaction, and financial losses.
WHAT?
A order management system and barcode-driven packaging designed to minimize errors and optimize workflow efficiency, featuring a web interface for supervisors to create and manage orders,
A mobile interface for warehouse employees to scan and verify items during packing. This system enhanced tracing orders, minimized mispacks, and provided better traceability throughout the supply chain.
IMPACT
Achieved an 83% reduction in packing errors within three months of deployment, improving accuracy and reliability.
Increased operational efficiency by 27%, streamlining the packing workflow.
Enhanced traceability across the supply chain, ensuring better order management.
~ With growing orders and packing errors, the need of automation increased
INterviews with stakeholders
To address the need for workflow digitization, I began with initial research, including an interview with the company's general manager and a field visit to their warehouse. I observed supervisors creating orders in Excel sheets and manually passing them to the warehouse for packing, highlighting inefficiencies in communication and tracing.
"Our business has started growing, and so have the orders. Maintaining records on Excel sheets has become tiresome. We want to gradually automate our workflow, starting with order management."
During the warehouse visit, I observed workers manually tracking items, packing orders, and verifying inventory. I also shadowed them through critical stages of the process to identify common pain points.
"If I misplace even one item, it takes hours to figure out where it went. It slows down everything."
KEY CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED
Supervisor's Problems
Significant time spent on manual processing of order details on paper.
Lack of accurate verification of the correct order packed.
Increased workload as business scales, making manual record-keeping unsustainable.
Field Worker's Difficulties
Confusion and misplacement of items due to lack of a clear system.
Time-consuming manual cross-checking of items during packing.
Limited access to real-time updates or order details.
These factors collectively led to business losses, a decline in customer satisfaction, and significant bottlenecks in operations as the business expanded, highlighting the inefficiencies of manual processes.
~ Goal and the Opportunity
Goal
These insights highlighted the need for a system that would reduce human error, provide real-time updates, and streamline the entire packing workflow.
— design a MVP solution that manages orders and helps verify correct order packing in real-time, providing transparency, minimizing errors, and improving operational efficiency.
The Opportunity
As the business expands, Fluid Controls can leverage technology to streamline operations, laying the foundation to expand its market presence while maintaining operational excellence and customer trust, while also creating opportunities to introduce advanced B2B capabilities.
~ Understanding how orders are packed in the warehouse
To understand the gaps and pain points in the current packing process, I mapped out the existing order and packing workflow to understand the opportunities to automize the process.
Order Packing hierarchy
ORDER and packing sheet
Lets understand the existing workflow right from order taking to shipment.
existing workflow
~ Automating packing orders with barcodes
INITIAL SOLUTION
Understanding the workflow and challenges, I proposed a solution where supervisors could create orders with packing hierarchies linked to barcodes. Workers would scan these barcodes to verify correct packing and establish a traceable hierarchy for better order accuracy.
INITIAL SOLUTION
NEW REVISED SOLUTION
After discussions with stakeholders, we opted for a more flexible approach. Instead of pre-assigning specific barcodes to individual boxes, we generated a sheet of barcodes assigned for the entire order. This allowed workers to use any barcode from the sheet for any box within that order, making the packing process more adaptable while maintaining traceability.
FINAL SOLUTION
~ Exploring layouts and designs
Order creation explorations
I focused on making the transition as smooth as possible for supervisors who had years of experience with Excel. To achieve this, I explored layouts which could be intuitive and easy to use.
Here are few explorations followed by the selected one:
Exploration 1
The initial dialog box design seemed compact and clean. However, as order complexity grew, its limitations became evident.
Compact and clean layout.
Simple and easy to use for basic orders.
Became restrictive as order complexity increased.
User testing revealed frustration due to space constraints, as order details increased.
Rejected: Limited scalability in content AccomModation
Exploration 2
Another variation I designed, slide-out panels with multiple navigation tabs, aiming to break down the order creation process into manageable steps.
Broke down order creation into manageable steps.
Reduced visual clutter compared to single-view design.
Allowed for more detailed forms within each section.
Increased cognitive load when adding multiple items.
Navigating between tabs felt confusing.
Rejected: users confused with Navigation Tabs and Cognitive Load
Exploration 3
Still adopting the single-panel slide-out approach, I focused on simplifying item addition. Users could now add one item at a time, with each addition automatically updating the item main table.
Simplified item addition with a clear, linear workflow.
Users could add one time at a time, reducing complexities.
Automatic update to order table provided instant feedback.
SELECTED: Linear workflow eases the complexities and cognitive load
~ Supervisor's Workflow: Order Creation in Action
Supervisors uses this portal to create orders, assign packing orders, generate barcodes, track progress and maintain records.
Order creation Process
~ Warehouse Workflow: How Orders Are Scanned and Packed
To begin packing, users log in using their station ID and select their assigned table ID. Each table has specific orders that need to be scanned and packed. Users then select an order and the big box in which it will be packed.
Order SELECTION Process
To pack an order, users first scan the barcode on a small box, linking it to the polybag being packed inside. The app then prompts them to scan all items while placing them in the box. Once all items are verified, they scan the big box to finalize packing. This process is repeated for all remaining packages, ensuring accuracy and traceability.
Order scanning Workflow
To ensure the users get feedback if any errors, I designed some error states that could guide users in packing orders correctly.
Error States WHILE scanning
~ Measuring Success: Workers on the New Packing Workflow
I conducted a usability testing with 2 supervisors and 3 workers responsible for packaging, ensuring the design met real-world needs. The results were overwhelmingly positive, meeting all predefined benchmarks.
Performance metrics
What Users Said After Testing the New Packing Process
"Having a system, made it very easy to maintain records. "
“At first, I thought scanning everything would slow me down, but it actually keeps things organized.”
"The order packing process became much easier due to the predefined packing hierarchy."
"I don’t have to rely on the Excel sheet while packing, which is great because sometimes I struggle to understand the language., everything is automatic"
~ Lessons learned
Stakeholder collaboration
One of the key lessons I learned was engaging stakeholders early in the design process to ensure alignment and implementation.
Balancing Simplicity & Functionality
Functionality is more important than aesthetics. I designed the system to be intuitive and easy to use, ensuring a smooth transition from manual to digital workflows for all users.
Planning for Growth
As the company transitions to digitizing its entire inventory and supply chain, designing for scalability is crucial. We laid the foundation for expansion, ensuring the system can adapt to future needs and growing operations.
Next Projects
Conceptualized and designed a system empowering homeowners to adopt sustainable practices and administrators to efficiently monitor sustainability metrics for the town.
Designed a university-led mobile app to help students improve financial literacy through investment simulation, expert advising, and a community forum.