Revamping
dPO Technologies
Administrative Platform
Enhancing Efficiency and Streamlining Administrative Workflows
Timeline: 2024.1 - 2024.4.
My Contributions: Research & UX Design
Team: Three Product Designers and A Development Team
Background
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dPO "Park Everywhere" Platform provides solutions to the current truck parking crisis in the US, helping truckers find reliable parking spots while assisting property owners to turn empty or underutilized spaces into a steady passive income stream. To achieve its goal, dPO has launched two different platforms for truckers (carriers) and parking lot owners (hosts); carriers can book spots while hosts can manage their listings and receive orders. dPO Admins have to take care of both platforms, view platform statistics, and address users' needs.
Problems
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However, we found current dPO Administrative system not efficient enough in managing bookings and payments, as well as not well structured in user management. The Admins are not able to view and manage bookings and payment details in one place, and they have trouble resetting permissions for different user roles.
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To address the issues, in this project, I redraw the Information Architecture (IA) for the whole Admin system, work with the team to improve the UX design, and hand the updated version to the Development team.
01
Identifying the Issues
The first step of our Admin system improvement process is to understand the pain-points of users (i.e., the Administrators and the Executive Team) and clarify the requirements. I interview our Admins and summarize the main difficulties they are now facing.
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To briefly summarize, first, users report the absence of a booking management system. This deficiency complicates the handling of bookings and creates multiple unnecessary steps for Admins to manage user reservations effectively.
Second, the current arrangement of user information is suboptimal. Essential elements such as listings and bookings are inappropriately nested under general user information, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
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In the current system, I do not have a separate section where I could manage all the bookings. The listing management part is great; but when you got user's ticket, you want to see all the booking orders and check if there's anything abnormal."
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The user management is a little bit confusing. I have all the user info in one screen and sometimes you need time to figure out how to reset specific data."
02
Revamping the Information Architecture
In the next stage of enhancing the dPO admin system, I undertook a critical revamp of the existing platform information architecture (IA).
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This process involved two strategic steps:
First, I mapped out the current IA to clearly detail the areas needing improvement. This initial mapping served as a baseline for identifying core issues.
Image 1. Overview Information Architecture for old dPO Admin System
After delineating the existing information architecture, I pinpointed three primary issues.
Inefficient Information Segregation
The system lacks separate screens for managing listings, bookings, and payment transactions. Presently, bookings are nested under User Management, which dilutes the focus from efficient management.
Solutions:
To establish distinct pages for listings, bookings, and payments, enhancing the direct management and interconnectivity of these elements without overcrowding the navigation experience.
Complex Settings Navigation
The settings are currently divided into "Account Settings" for admin accounts and "General Settings" for overall platform management. The both are not clearly classified and are overloaded with numerous sub-categories. This setup leads to a cumbersome user experience.
Solutions:
To separate these settings more distinctly, possibly through additional navigation options, to simplify access and reduce the cognitive load on users.
Role Classification Confusion
The admin platform currently features inconsistent role classifications across different screens, with outdated terminology (e.g., renter/host) that complicates user interaction.
Solutions:
To update the role definitions and to consider adding a dedicated department function screen.
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Subsequently, I designed a revised IA that specifically addresses these problems, aiming to enhance clarity, functionality, and user navigation. I shared the work with the whole design team, and we had a meeting to finalize the IA, preparing for the following design process.
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Image 2. Revised Information Architecture for dPO Admin System
03
Design Solutions
During the design process, the design team works together on the specific enhancements to further refine the platform. Following the detailed assessment of the existing IA (information architecture), the design improvements introduced are tailored to directly address and resolve the core issues.
Decision 1: Streamlined System Segmentation
A significant design improvement in the admin system has been the segregation of listing management, booking management, and user management into distinct systems.
Previous IA:
These three functionalities were intermingled, leading to a cluttered user interface that often confused and overwhelmed users.
Updated IA:
The three management systems are separated to clarify the functionality available to users, making it much more intuitive to navigate and operate.
Revised Design:
This newly added booking management system allows admins to filter bookings by time, status, and location, making it easier to manage and oversee bookings. Statuses are shown with different colored badges for quick recognition.
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The booking details screen includes both booking info and a payment timeline, helping admins verify transaction completion efficiently. This straightforward update significantly improves the admin’s ability to track and manage bookings effectively.
Decision 2: Simplified and Clarified Settings Navigation
Another notable enhancement made in the admin system has been the restructuring of the Settings into more intuitive and clearly defined sections, improving both navigation and management efficiency.
Previous IA:
Previously, the Settings were categorized under "Account Settings" and "General Settings." These labels were ambiguous, often causing confusion among users trying to navigate these options.
Updated IA:
To improve clarity and usability, we renamed the two main sections to "My Account" and "Platform Control." This change distinctly separates personal admin settings from those affecting the entire platform.
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We also restructured the navigation within each main section to be more user-friendly and added specific content areas like "Roles and Permissions" and "Email Announcements."
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The updates to the IA (information architecture) have laid the groundwork for further design improvements.
In addressing the previously identified complexity of the settings navigation, a major design revision has been the consolidation of various sub-navigation elements—such as breadcrumbs, drop-down menus, and multiple navigation bars—into a singular, streamlined secondary navigation bar. This change significantly simplifies the user interface, making it more intuitive and reducing the cognitive load on users.
The Previous Nav:
Too many layers of navigation burden our users.
The Revised Nav:
The secondary nav bar outlines the screens, speeding up the task completion process.
Revised Design:
Other than the updated Nav bars, improvements for the new Settings include a redesigned information hierarchy in the account login area, which now allows users to more easily locate and modify their personal information.
Additionally, a new Roles and Permissions module has been introduced, enabling administrators to finely control user access to various platform functions based on their roles. Also, administrators now possess the capability to manage and customize the content of email and newsletter notifications directly through the settings interface.
These updates collectively streamline user interactions and bolster administrative efficiency, ensuring a more robust and user-centric platform experience.
04
Project Outcomes and Developer Handoff
As we conclude both the research and design phases of the dPO admin system enhancements, the collaborative efforts of three product designers have significantly improved the overall user experience. The design team worked seamlessly together to streamline the information architecture and user interfaces, leading to a more intuitive and effective system.
Reflections and Next Steps
During the handoff to the development team, feedbacks indicate the necessity of integrating the existing payment system into the new design. This integration requires revising our initial proposals to accommodate the technical specifications and capabilities of the current payment infrastructure. Such adaptations are crucial for maintaining system consistency and ensuring a smooth user transition post-update.
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Looking ahead, the next steps involve populating the updated system with data and conducting multiple rounds of user testing. These tests are designed to gather user feedback and identify any areas for further refinement, ensuring that the new features not only meet but exceed user expectations.
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This detailed approach from design through to development handoff and future planning underscores our commitment to delivering a superior product that meets the needs of our users and leverages the best of our collaborative design efforts.