BNSF LIVE LIFT
The Problem
This project was one of two initiatives where we consolidated workflows that drivers were previously handling in various rail carrier apps into the DRIVE app. The main benefit for drivers was increased efficiency. By centralizing all tasks within the DRIVE app, we significantly reduced the time drivers spent switching between different apps, and having to wait on support from the railyard saving them time.
The Value
This feature enabled drivers to request a live lift—where a crane operator places or removes a container onto the chassis of a truck—directly within the DRIVE app. Previously, when a driver arrived at a railyard, they had to use the rail carrier's app to complete this task. This process was inefficient, requiring drivers to navigate multiple apps depending on the railyard and causing delays while waiting for the rail carrier to respond.
I sat down with a representative from the business so that I could get a better understanding of the problem that we were approaching. He walked me through the current process that our drivers were going through. When a driver got to the railyard they were having to manage different apps in order to complete their tasks. Having to rely on the rail carrier app for support resulted in the driver spending hours at the railyard that could have been used on their route. The other designer on my team also got the opportunity to visit one of the railyards in person and see this process in action.
Research & Discovery
The Process
We started with our first workshop, which was the ideation session. This meeting was 2hrs long. Everyone sketched their ideas, brought them to the table, and then presented their ideas. Some people wrote their ideas, some people did very simple sketches, and a couple did high fidelity mocks. The goal of the workshop was to gather everyone's view point on how we can solve the problem. To make sure we gather as many view points as possible we have the Product Owners, Business Analysts, driver representation, Developers, UX Designers, and Product Managers. This allows us to work collaboratively and leave the ideation session with a unified idea of how we want to solve the problem.
While each person is presenting, the others are taking notes on their likes, the challenges, and the what-ifs of each idea. A lot of the challenges come from the developers as they see things that are not feasible.
01.
Workshops
Ideation Session
Final Design
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We combined the chassis check and Request live lift tasks which were previously two different workflows into one.
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We removed the chassis prefix as a required input for the driver because we can auto populate that data for them.
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We put the entry point for the workflow in the dynamic checklist