Work
Cowfy Management
A redesign of the guest itinerary component for
multi-day Adventures.
Summary
Discovery
Ideation
Design
Usability testing
Challenges
Improvements
Challenge
User Research/User Journey Mapping/
Competitive Analysis/Design Audit/
Visual design/Prototyping/Testing
My Role
Product designer
Year
2020
Timeline
2 weeks
Tools
Figma, Principle
Background
Cowfy is a company that specializes in manufacturing high-quality cooling fans for farms, and they require a comprehensive client management portal for their customers to track the status of their fan manufacturing orders. This portal serves as a dashboard for Cowfy's clients to manage orders, purchase materials, monitor the status of the manufacturing process, track payments, and access contracts and invoices.
The goal of this case study is to develop a user-centered CRM dashboard that simplifies complex processes, provides real-time collaboration and communication tools, enhances customer experience, and offers a clear and intuitive interface for managing every aspect of Cowfy's customer interactions.
Defining the Problem
Target Users:
Farm owners and managers who purchase Cowfy fans
Sales representatives managing client relationships
Customer support teams assisting clients with inquiries
Cowfy’s internal team members involved in manufacturing, sales, and logistics
Objectives
Create an intuitive, user-friendly portal that offers transparency and control over order statuses.
Provide a seamless CRM experience that centralizes all client information and interactions.
Improve communication and collaboration between Cowfy and its clients.
Research
User Research
To understand the requirements and pain points of Cowfy's clients, we conducted the following research activities:
Interviews with farm owners and managers to understand how they manage orders and track the status of manufacturing processes.
Surveys targeting Cowfy's sales representatives and customer support teams to identify communication and tracking challenges.
Competitive Analysis of similar CRM and order management systems to identify best practices and areas for improvement.
Key Findings:
Clients want to track order status, payment progress, and shipping details in real time.
Many clients prefer having all contracts, invoices, and communication history stored in one central location.
The lack of real-time notifications about order updates, manufacturing delays, or payment issues often leads to frustration.
Users want easy access to customer support and real-time collaboration tools for document management.
2.2 Pain Points
Difficulty tracking multiple orders or projects simultaneously.
Lack of transparency about the manufacturing process and order status.
Limited visibility into outstanding invoices and payment statuses.
Inefficient communication and follow-up due to scattered client information.
2.3 Goals
Provide transparency and detailed tracking for orders and projects.
Create a centralized platform for communication, document management, and contract storage.
Implement automation to streamline follow-ups, communication, and customer lifecycle management.
Improve user engagement with real-time notifications and updates.
Design process
Information Architecture
The information architecture was designed to ensure that users could easily navigate and access critical
information:
Dashboard: Overview of order statuses, recent activities, and notifications.
Orders & Projects: Detailed tracking of the manufacturing process, including pending payments and shipments.
Contracts & Invoices: Central repository for documents, contracts, invoices, and payment history.
Client Management: Detailed client profiles, communication history, and interaction logs.
Materials Purchase: Options to browse, select, and order materials required for fan manufacturing.
Notifications & Alerts: Alerts for payment deadlines, order status updates, and communication requests.
Collaboration Tools: Document collaboration, comment sections, and task assignment.
3.2 Wireframing & Prototyping
Low-fidelity wireframes were created to visualize the layout and structure of the web portal.
The primary focus was on ease of use, clarity, and accessibility. Key screens included:
Home Dashboard: A summary of orders, payments, recent activities, and notifications.
Order Tracking Page: Detailed progress bar, manufacturing stages, and payment statuses.
Client Profile Page: Centralized client information, interaction history, and preferences.
Contracts & Invoices: A section with downloadable files, status updates, and digital signatures.
User feedback was gathered during the prototype testing phase to ensure that the design was intuitive
and met the users' expectations.
5.1 Testing Objectives
Assess the intuitiveness and ease of navigation for the dashboard.
Determine if users can easily access and understand order statuses, invoices, and contracts.
Verify the functionality of communication tools and document collaboration features.
5.2 Test Results & Findings
Users found the dashboard intuitive and appreciated the clarity of the progress bars and order statuses.
The communication tracking feature was highly praised for its ability to centralize all interactions.
A few users suggested improvements to the notification system to include more detailed updates.
Impact
Key Takeaways:
The portal enhances transparency and builds trust with clients by offering detailed order tracking and communication history.
Real-time collaboration tools and automated communication features reduce manual work and improve efficiency.
Customization, personalization, and advanced analytics provide a tailored and valuable experience for Cowfy's clients.
Solutions & Improvements
6.1 Enhanced Notification System
Implement more detailed and customizable notification settings for order updates, payment statuses, and shipment tracking.
Introduce in-app and email notifications for major milestones, such as order completion or payment confirmations.
6.2 Improved Collaboration Tools
Enable version control for documents, allowing users to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed.
Implement a "chat" feature within the portal for real-time collaboration and communication between clients and Cowfy representatives.
6.3 Advanced Analytics & Reporting
Include analytics features for clients to monitor spending, order trends, and product preferences.
Generate detailed reports that clients can export for internal use or presentations.
6.4 Customization & Personalization
Offer more customization options, allowing clients to tailor their dashboards, reports, and communication preferences.
Introduce a "dark mode" and different themes to enhance the visual experience.
6.5 Automation Enhancements
Implement AI-powered suggestions for follow-up emails, upselling opportunities, and communication templates.
Introduce automated reminders for overdue invoices and pending contracts.
6.6 Additional Security Measures
Implement advanced encryption for document storage and secure document sharing.
Regular security audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.