SP Orders Redesign
Client
ShootProof
My Role
Lead UX Designer
Deliverables
User research findings
Low fidelity page designs
High fidelity page designs
This was the biggest project that I worked on during my time at ShootProof because while you can think of it as a stand alone piece of functionality, it works in concert with the gallery shopping cart and pricesheet features. Substantial changes in one feature would need to be reflected in the other two in order to maintain a logical and efficient workflow for the photographer.
The business stood to gain substantial profits by offering packages, a common way to sell up-sell in numerous contexts (everything from cars to photography). Speaking of up-selling, another much requested piece of functionality was the ability to include add-ons for products such as frames, mats, etc. We also wanted to bake in an easier (at cost) studio order flow. As you can see there was a lot of new functionality on the table as we tried to execute on the gallery shopping cart, pricesheets, and orders projects concurrently in an effort to deliver a seamless experience for both the photographer and the end customer. Let's jump in!
My starting process for this project included:
- Review tickets created and sorted by our in-house call team and cluster them together as themes
- Conduct qualitative interviews with users.
- Interview subject matter expert stakeholder(s).
- Sketch as many potential solutions for the themes from both ticket review and interviews as possible.
After prioritizing JIRA tickets and meeting with key stakeholders about the ticket priotization I then draft my user interview discussion guide from the speadsheet. I would probe the conversation about how particular painpoints interfere with workflows or how users could forsee a particular feature request being useful. Basically confirming issues and discussing possibilities for future improvements. After user interviews were complete I start sketching various approaches and screens for how we can start stiching all of these ideas together into actual user flows and screens.The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
Serving different types of photographers
ShootProof originally didn't have any print lab partners so all of our original users were self-fulfilling orders - either manually submitting to print labs, making products themselves, and sometimes a combination of the two. ShootProof had come a long way then and had pushed for use of partner print labs though we still wanted to preserve the option for photographers to use the fulfillment method that made the most sense for them. We made sure to include self-fulfillment photographers in the user research that we did at the onset of the project in order to understand and meet their needs. This lead to the 'item summary' modal which was essentially a packing list that could easily be printed out. We also included the option to download orders as a CSV specifically for self-fulfillment photographers.
Change itself isn’t a virtue. In today’s fast-paced digital world, I believe a designer’s responsibility is to keep evolving products to meet user needs while being mindful that each change impacts users who have adapted to previous workflows. With this in mind, my design approach prioritizes adding valuable new features, preserving familiar elements that work well, fixing broken components, and removing unused features. Each decision is grounded in data analysis, qualitative research, usability testing, and collaborative team discussions.
Item Editing
Editing an item in the old system was disjointed. Cropping the image was done in a modal that users often complained didn't provide a large enough view. Changing the item to a different print product was done in another modal that, again, was hard to navigate. The solution that I came up with was a totally new full screen editor page that allowed for a spacious crop view and full product editing all in one.
Line Items
There was a lot more information to convey with all the new possibilities. What add-ons does the product have? Was this item added to the order by
the photographer? What's the price of the item? Is it part of a package? Any discounts applied? What is the total subtotal of the item? It was a difficult
task to come up with a UI that could answer all of these questions in an elegant way but I think Jordan (UI designer) and I came up with something pretty compelling.
Iconography
All this new functionality meant that there needed to be a much higher level of communication to the photographer so that they understand what the order consisted of and make and changes if necessary. We turned to iconography to help keep the visual design of the orders from becoming cluttered and overwhelming.
We came up with several iterations on the order index, weighed the pros and cons of each and ended up going with something that was a compromise between power and familiarity. We considered an Amazon filter sidebar approach that would have allowed our users to filter orders by just about any dimension of an order. After gathering some additional feedback from users, we decided that the Amazon approach would be too much of a departure from the index pattern(s) used within other features. We did, however, come up with a new spin on the quick filters - a multi-dimensional approach. Quick filters used in other features were based on status and the buttons were simply the various statuses laid out for quick selection. In the Orders feature we decided to add a drop menu to each button which nested variants of each. This added an additional interaction layer to a UI component that users were already familiar with and proved to be our most successful iteration.
Overall this was probably my favorite project that I worked on during my time at ShootProof. It was a long time coming but it was a fun project to work on in concert two other concurrent redesigns (Pricesheets and Gallery Shopping Cart) in an effort to completely remake our ecommerce experience from every angle. We had fits and spurts as far as our process was concerned as a team (Design, Dev and QA) which contributed to the stalling of the project. This project ended up being a huge success for the business as it not only provided rhobust new opportunities for photographers to up-sell products to customers but it also provided a brand new revenue stream to the company in the form of "ShootProof Payments" which increased gross annual profit by 14%!
Chick-fil-A KPS
Client
Chick-Fil-A
My Role
Lead UX Designer
Deliverables
User research findings
High fidelity page designs
Links
Clickable prototypeIt was time for a change. Chick-fil-A, a leader in fast-food innovation, recognized that their Kitchen Production System (KPS) needed a modern overhaul. Despite the company’s dedication to cutting-edge technology, restaurant staff were using an outdated, clunky ‘punch bar’ (a type of small keyboard) to interact with a user interface that looked straight out of MS DOS. The system’s limited display and cumbersome navigation couldn’t keep up with today’s fast-paced kitchen environment. I was assigned to the project as a solo designer to reimagine the KPS, designing an intuitive solution that leverages modern functionality and empowers staff to keep up with demand, streamline workflows, and deliver an exceptional customer experience. This case study details the research, design decisions, and iterative process behind this transformation.
1. Empathize
I started the project by focusing on gaining a deep understanding the needs of Chick-fil-A restaurant staff who rely on the Kitchen Production System (KPS) daily. I conducted several restaurant visits and interviews with team members who used the KPS while bagging orders. Observing these interactions firsthand provided critical insights into the system's strengths, weaknesses, and the pressures staff face during both peak and slower times.
To design a solution that addressed real-world challenges, I explored both best- and worst-case scenarios to account for edge cases and reduce unnecessary information on the screen. Key findings revealed that baggers, despite their title, aren’t responsible for gathering every item in an order. For instance, milkshakes require assistance from other team members, often slowing down the order completion process. Additionally, shortages—such as running out of fries—could occur unexpectedly throughout the day and needed to be accounted for in the KPS.
Another essential feature request was an order history view, enabling staff to review completed orders. This functionality would allow team members to address issues or remake items if an order needed correction, ensuring a seamless and responsive customer experience. These insights laid the foundation for a KPS redesign that would streamline processes and provide staff with the tools to meet Chick-fil-A’s high standards.
Next it was time to iterate on some UI concepts. We experimented with multiple user interface patterns to determine the most effective layout for the KPS. Initially, we explored a vertically-oriented, skeuomorphic design that resembled a physical order receipt, intending to create a familiar feel for staff. However, we found that this layout didn’t make the best use of screen space, limiting the amount of information that could be displayed at once. Next, we tried a horizontal stack design with categorized sections, which improved space efficiency. Unfortunately, this approach compromised readability; if a category within an order was empty, it created blank spaces that disrupted the visual flow.
After testing these iterations, we ultimately returned to the skeuomorphic design, this time with a fresh approach. We introduced expandable order cards that would dynamically adjust, even wrapping to a second row when needed to accommodate larger orders. This flexible card-based design allowed for a more organized display, maintaining readability and maximizing screen efficiency without sacrificing the familiarity that staff found helpful.
I had the opportunity to showcase the redesigned KPS interface at the 2023 Chick-fil-A NEXT conference. This event provided the perfect environment to gather valuable feedback directly from operators and staff who would be using the system. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Both operators and team members expressed enthusiasm for the new features and appreciated the user-centered improvements we had made. The expandable order cards, order history view, and optimized layout were particularly well received, as staff anticipated these features would help them work more efficiently and reduce bottlenecks during peak times. Knowing that our design would directly contribute to increased productivity and customer satisfaction marked a rewarding milestone in the project.
Following the successful showcase at the NEXT conference, we conducted more formal testing at Chick-fil-A’s headquarters in their test kitchen, working closely with local staff to observe the KPS in action. These initial tests provided promising insights, validating the design improvements and confirming that the new features were intuitive and effective. With positive feedback and initial success, Chick-fil-A decided to pilot the updated system in select restaurants on the outskirts of Atlanta.
The pilot results were significant: order delivery times improved by 8%, while the newly implemented order history and flagging features reduced order errors by 3%. These outcomes underscored the impact of a user-centered design approach, demonstrating how thoughtfully designed tools can enhance operational efficiency and accuracy, ultimately benefiting both staff and customers.