The logistics company invited us to a meeting to discuss the challenges they face with their business model. They offer transport services to retail clients, but many potential customers are put off by the lengthy ordering process. To book a van or space in a van, customers must send an inquiry via email and wait for a response from an office worker. Additionally, they cannot see the costs upfront, and it requires a lot of manual work from the office worker to create a quotation. To simplify and automate the process, the company would like to create a portal that streamlines the ordering process.

Me & the product manager conducted 6 in-depth interviews with retail users to understand better their needs and frustrations. We specified two groups of users:

1. People using logistics services on a regular basis, who are sending some goods abroad and they don't need to rent the whole van. They just need a reliable service who will treat their packages with special care. (like John)

2. People who are moving a lot and they need a transparent service to see the price up-front and to have the ability of tracking the van. (like Lucia)

To emphasise with users and to find out the real pain points, I created the user journey:

After interviewing some retail clients, we gathered pain points and potential areas of improvement for retail customers who require van or space in van to removal across European countries:

1. Lack of transparency: Some logistics companies may have opaque pricing policies or hidden fees, which can make it difficult for customers to accurately compare pricing and understand the full cost of their transportation services.
2. Communication issues: Customers may experience communication issues with logistics companies, such as a lack of updates on shipment status or difficulty reaching customer service representatives.
3. Delays or damage: Customers may experience delays in delivery or damage to their goods during transportation, which can result in frustration and inconvenience.
4. Limited customization options: Some logistics companies may not offer enough customization options for customers with unique shipping requirements, such as specific handling or packaging needs.
5. Complicated booking process: The process of booking transportation services may be complicated or time-consuming for customers, especially if they have to go through multiple steps or contact the logistics company directly to make a booking.
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According to the results of user research, we created two user personas for emphasising the problems and as a key talk point to the stakeholders: