IAA Tow

Initiated and led the understanding and research phase by conducting both qualitative and quantitative research including:

• “Shadowing/ride along” sessions with individual drivers as they performed pickups and drop-offs.
• Onsite user interviews while drivers wait for pickups and drop-offs at the branch

Deliverables

• Created and shared a document that told a story of the “normal day” for a tower
• Created personas based on the research to help drive future decisions
• Identified major future enhancements and aligned features with major problems and learnings
• Documented the user journey to give teams visibility to daily goals, struggles and mental models to establish the user as a focal point for driving decision making.

In collaboration with the product team it was apparent from the beginning that there was a fair amount of complexity in this initiative.

I ran an exercise to map the existing ecosystem, and the team (various product team members and UX designers) collaborated to map out the multiple touch points so we could visualize:

• Opportunities that weren’t obvious
• Barriers of entry for affected users
• Service layers that would need to exist to create a viable experience
• Touchpoints for apps

This exercise also helped prioritize features and align deliveries across multiple products.

Based on the research we learned about the process for how towers get assignments to pick-up and drop-off vehicles. We were able to quickly design flows and validate the designs with simple flow prototypes.

What did we learn

• No major issues with the flow of the app
• Concerns about the amount of “Inventory” a user could have in his queue. We later reduced that list
• Tow truck operators were very interested in knowing how they might request additional assignments
• Tow truck drivers wanted a better map in which to see where the vehicle is located so they could be empowered to make logistic decisions to save time
• Being able to see images of the vehicles are critical to them being prepared when they arrive to pickup.

Integrated Map Feature

By plotting vehicles on an interactive map, tow truck operators can better understand where vehicles are located and where they need to be dropped off and can be more efficient which benefits both the driver and the customer.

Ability to Schedule in Bulk

We changed the flow from a “queue” concept to a flow that enables them to scheduling multiple cars. We used the “queue” concept to allow the system to “Save” the progress of an incomplete step. Which would give the tower more flexibility if they get interrupted while scheduling since the task might take several minutes.

Dashboard Redesign

• Improved Information Architecture: Redesigned the landing view to establish a clear visual hierarchy, prioritizing mission-critical tasks and reducing cognitive load.
• Logistics Optimization: Introduced clear distinctions between branch pick-ups and deliveries. This allows towers to “stack” trips, significantly reducing travel time and operational costs.
• Strategic Segmentation: Separated IAA requests from buyer requests to protect seller SLAs. By segmenting these workflows, we ensured high-priority tasks remain the primary focus without obstructing the tower’s ability to manage side-volume.
• Streamlined Navigation: Consolidated account settings into a standard profile menu, removing competing elements from the main dashboard to follow industry mental models.

Adding More Vehicle Images

More vehicle images were added to the detail view. Images are very valuable to tow truck drivers as it helps them understand what kind of equipment is needed and they can then come prepared. This directly tied to our goals of reduced pick up times.

If a tow truck operator is not adequately prepared, they may have to come back bc they didn’t have the correct equipment to handle a more difficult situation.

On top of the mobile app product, there was a need for an administrative tool that internal users could leverage to manage the inventory and operational processes

What was the design effort?

During our research phase, we had been working closely with the future users of this platform since they were key stakeholders. As the lead, we leveraged our design framework to quickly visualize the unique needs that this internal product would address. We reviewed them with our stakeholders along the process and helped guide the direction and streamline the implementation by leveraging our design system and coded library resource.