Plan Your Van is a logistics concept offering van transport and removal services across Europe. It lets customers order transport from one country to another without the back-and-forth of email inquiries or phone calls.
I worked as the product designer on a self-serve portal that automates and simplifies the ordering process, so customers can see costs upfront and book in minutes instead of waiting on a reply from an office worker.
Every booking started with an email
The logistics company invited us in to discuss a specific business problem: to book a van or space in a van, customers had to send an inquiry by email and wait for an office worker to reply. On top of that, customers couldn’t see costs upfront, and every quotation took real manual work on the company’s side.
To simplify and automate the process, the company wanted a portal that could handle the entire ordering flow on its own.
Six interviews, two kinds of customer
The product manager and I ran six in-depth interviews with retail customers to understand their needs and frustrations. Two clear user groups emerged: people who occasionally ship goods abroad and only need space in a van, not the whole thing (like John), and people who move frequently and need transparent, trackable service (like Lucia).
To empathise with users and surface the real pain points, I mapped out John’s user journey end to end.
- Lack of transparency. Opaque pricing and hidden fees made it hard for customers to compare services or understand the full cost upfront.
- Communication issues. Customers struggled to get shipment status updates or reach customer service.
- Delays or damage. Delivery delays and damaged goods were a recurring source of frustration.
- Limited customisation. Few options existed for customers with unusual shipping requirements, like specific handling or packaging needs.
- A complicated booking process. Ordering meant multiple steps and direct contact with the company, rather than a simple, self-serve flow.
How can we simplify the order process for the customer and make it smoother for the company?
Two booking paths with a live price
The portal opens with a simple pickup-and-destination form, then splits into two independent paths depending on whether a customer needs the whole van or just space inside one. Each has its own live price calculator that updates as details are filled in.
- Whole van or space in van: two independent booking paths, instead of one form trying to cover both.
- A dynamic price calculator at the bottom of the site, always up to date with the current selection.
