Transform unused space into storage rental, optimizing and streamlining supply chain operations for impactful logistics management.
My Role
As part of a 3-person team, my responsibilities included leading market and stakeholder research, analyzing findings, defining the product concept, and designing the UI. I closely collaborated with the engineering team to design the information architecture and testing.
Skills
Business research, User flow Design, UI Design, concept testing
Duration
3 months
Client
Ring-Co is a female-owned LLC specializing in designing and manufacturing. They deliver innovation through digital, mobile, transit, and consulting products/services. As IUPUI clients, they were seeking an innovative yard management and storage solution for distribution centers.
Challenge
During festive periods like Christmas, distribution centers face storage challenges, causing delayed deliveries and unhappy customers. These centers play a vital role in storing and moving goods efficiently, but space management issues lead to inefficiencies and wasted resources for many companies.
Background
In the bustling logistics industry, optimizing operations and supply chains is paramount. In 2021, online shopping saw a 54% surge among consumers, with 55% emphasizing the significance of fast shipping. To achieve quicker delivery times, 44% of retailers expanded their fulfillment network locations.
Solution
YSpace is a platform that links supply chain centers in need of storage space with underutilized spaces available for rent. Operating like Airbnb, YSpace offers a user-friendly interface for businesses to list their unused space, complete with location, size, and amenities. Fulfillment centers can effortlessly search, book, and pay for the required space, ensuring a seamless and efficient process.
Impact
We effectively capitalized on underutilized or unused spaces, promoting sustainability 🍃, and optimizing resources. This led to an impressive 82% reduction in package delivery time and a significant increase in revenue 💸. We also relieved the stress which comes with signing infinite lease documents.
Research
Market
We initiated our research by analyzing the logistics market, identifying industry players, current trends, and macroeconomic forces.
Industry Forces
Competitors
Key Trends
Market forces
Through market research, we discovered a highly competitive landscape with emerging technology trends among competitors. To develop an innovative solution, we carefully analyzed our competition to identify areas of potential advantage.
We researched B2C, B2B companies that support supply chain operations like Oracle, Loopnet, Fourkites, ShipBob, PINC
These companies offer a range of features, including real-time yard visibility, appointment scheduling, and dock scheduling.
There are also companies that provide land for logistics, such as Prologis, Goodman Group, and Loopnet which offer warehousing and logistics real estate solutions.
User Interviews
Macroeconomic forces
We conducted 21 interviews with experts, including distribution center managers, industry research specialists, trucking company professionals, and Yard Management Solutions developers. Additionally, a workflow diagram was sketched out to understand the scheduling of storage and distribution center process flow. This revealed valuable insights about users, their interdependencies, and current flow pain points.
Target Audience
Logistics Companies that require land to store and distribute their goods efficiently
Persona
Key features
Relieving pains & Creating gains
Property Owners who have excess land which is underutilized or unused
Value proposition
Pains
Gains
YMS, WMS, and TMS solutions companies who can generate new revenue streams
Through our research, we discovered that our customers are primarily small businesses that require storage space for short-term storage or local distribution. But the platform should also cater to customers that are larger corporations with more complex logistics needs, such as cross-border shipping or specialized equipment requirements. To gain more insights into our target audience, we created an accurate customer profile by first identifying the pain points related to logistics in distribution centers. We took note of the tasks that people have to perform in order to fulfill orders and manage inventory. By analyzing this information, we were able to identify potential gains that could be achieved by optimizing space utilization and streamlining warehouse processes. With this customer profiling, we were able to better understand the needs of our users and design a solution that addresses their pain points while maximizing their gains.
Jobs
Pain relievers
Gain creators
Proposed concept
Prototype
We created a basic version of the product that includes its core functionalities. The MVP features are real-time tracking of the yard, camera view, space forecasting, incoming shipment space forecasting, space calculation, space finding, and recommendation, contacting the facility, and messages.
Home page
Space forecasting is a key feature of yspace, as it helps users plan ahead and make informed decisions about their space utilization. Incoming shipment space forecasting allows users to know how much space they need to allocate for upcoming shipments.
Space calculation and recommendation features are essential for users who want to optimize their space utilization. These features suggest the best use of the available space and help users identify the optimal locations for storing their inventory.
Facility details
YSpace provides users with an easy and efficient way to find the perfect storage space for their needs. Users can search for available spaces directly on the platform and filter their search based on factors such as location, type of space, and required area. The platform also offers a map view that allows users to see available spaces in their desired area. YSpace ensures that all available spaces on the platform have been verified and meet the necessary safety and quality standards. Once a suitable space has been identified, users can easily book the space and begin using it for their operations.
Business Model
The biggest question to think about was how can Yspace earn profit?
What did I learn from this project?
Challenge - Midway through the project, we recognized that the scope had expanded beyond our initial plan. To address this, we organized a stakeholder meeting to streamline ideas and test concepts. Using the speed dating method for 8 concepts, we identified the top-ranked idea, which we then explored to create key features and achieve gains.
I learned that testing concepts is an enjoyable method to validate ideas and gauge people's perceptions. Involving stakeholders at every stage of the design process resulted in valuable user feedback.