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Amazon Flex App

Responsive and user-friendly driver app
UX development project
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About the product
Amazon Flex is a mobile application built up by Amazon to manage the schedules and deliveries of drivers. Through the app, users receive instant orders and reserve block offers. Drivers deliver the orders and earn money. The purpose of the app is support Amazon to fulfil the needs to demand to the drivers by outsourcing them through Amazon flex app
My role: Research, Visuals
Challange
They currently have a delivery app, but it is not responsive. Drivers have primary concerns about the Amazon Flex app usability of the app and they consider the design and structure of the app is not easy and it is complex to use. Most of the drivers' challenges accomplish the specific task by the app which causes delaying their orders and wasting their time. 
Duration: June-August 2021
Objectives
  1. Redesign a user-friendly responsive app that saves time and eliminates distractions of drivers during the pickup and delivery process.
  2. Develop or extend coherent branding and reward system that aligns current drivers' experience and creates strong engagement with Amazon Flex App.
Tools: Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe illustrator,Jamboard
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Design the Process

I am using the DOUBLE DIAMOND framework for this project. Double Diamond is a more traditional UX process that breaks down into 2 main phases - research and design. 
Discover the problem
  • Competition analysis
  • User interviews
Define problem
  • Deconstruction of the existing app
  • Empathy map
  • Users pain point and HMV
  • Users' persona
  • Value development
Design
  • User flow
  • UX design storyboard
  • Sketches
  • Wireframes and prototypes
  • Usability test
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Deliver
  • High fidelity prototypepes

Discover the problem

Objective

Research enables me to understand my users in terms of their motivation to the app, share of the competitors' apps in the drivers' schedule, the expectation of the drivers, and so on. 
To ensure the research stays on track and better guide the responsive app design later, it is essential to create a research plan before starting research. I listed research goals, research questions, assumptions, methodologies, participants, and timeline in my research plan.

Research goals

  1. Understand the main distraction of drivers during pickup and delivery process caused by app. 
  2. Understand the motivation of target audience that may create strong engagement with app.
  3. Learn about the share of the competitors on drivers schedule and types of the motivation offered by rivals.
  4. What is the driver's expectation from Amazon Flex
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Assumptions
  1. I assume that there are some problems in the amazon app in terms of usability that negatively affect the tasks of the drivers.
  2. The main motivation of amazon flex is higher salaries compared to competitors. I do not think that achievement-based motivations such as rewards, and achievements impact users’ behavior.
  3. Competing apps plays important role in drivers weekly schedule and they spend half of their time earning from competitors services.
  4. I think drivers would like to receive more orders every day and they need a variety of reward options by fixing problems in the existing app.

Methodology of the research

​Primary research
  • User interview; (5-8 people, 10-15 minutes each) Through the user interview the drivers’ experience data will be collected, including what problems they have, when these problems appear, and how this affects their attitudes.
Secondary research
  • Competitive analysis:  Through competitive analysis, competitors’ earning proposals, reward programs, and the usability of the app will be analyzed.  

Secondary Research

Research questions
  • Who are competitors?
  • How much-earning propose competitors?
  • What reward programs do competitors offer?
  • Which competitors offer a Better User Experience​
Please refer to the following links to get more detailed information about the research. 
Competitor analysis
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Earning possibility
Average earnings: $18-$22 per hour
​​Earnings in busy periods: $22-$25 per hour
Amount of received orders: $7-$27
Motivational program
1.Uber eats pro
2.Targeted deliveries
3.Earning boost 
Earning possibility
Average earnings: $15-$25 per hour
​​Earnings in busy periods: $20-$40 per/h
Amount of received order: $7-$14
Motivational program
1.Top dasher program
2. Peak pay
3. Targeted deliveries and extra payments.
 
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Earning possibility
Average earnings: $15-$20 per hour
​​Earnings in busy periods: $20-$30 per hour
Amount of received orders: $14-$53 

Motivational program
Targeted deliveries and extra payments
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Which competitors offer better User Experience?
The following factors were researched for good user experience:
How usable is competitors' app?  
How equitable is competitors' app?
How enjoyable is competitors' app? 
How useful is competitors' app?  
​
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Based on competitors analysis Amazon Flex get a very low score in terms of good user experience 
Doordash and uber got the highest score for their user experience design.
Please see competitive research by clicking this link.
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Primary Research

User interview
As a UX designer, I have to focus on the user and the experience they’ll have with the product. For this reason, I did a user interview to create an empathy map later. 
You can find the interview guide through this link. 
In total there are 24 questions with open-ended questions to better understand amazon flex users.
There are 5 participants who attended this interview and described their experience with the app.
​

Assumptions validated

1) Validated: ​ All users mentioned the problem in different parts of the app. And these problems impact their tasks in different situations including driving, sorting of the package, delivering the orders .etc.

2) Validated: Most of the users mentioned that earnings are high in amazon flex comparing to other alternatives. 

3) Not validated: Most of the interview participants mentioned that they click the "Available now" button and waiting for instant offers. However, they also use competing apps. However, amazon flex is their primary choice.

4) Validated:  Amazon flex users expect more orders and need a variety of motivational programs that motivate them.
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Define the problem

Empathy map
Right after the user interview, I collected quite much information and insight from Amazon Flex users. The empathy map was created to synthesize this information and data and better understand user needs.
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Insights
  1. Users need more time to analyze orders from instant order
  2. Drivers look for easy support when they have a problem
  3. Users look for earning and time when they receive instant order
  4. Drivers search for time and distance at the instant popup
  5. New amazon delivery partners looking for better information before they start delivery
  6. They are looking for an easy sorting method of the pack on the app
  7. Drivers are looking for a short and enjoyable learning process 
  8. They are looking for easy menu options
  9. Drivers want a motivating reward system
  10. They require better navigation, feedback system or maps at apartments
  11. Drivers want to keep track his time during pickup, loading, and delivering the orders.​
​
Pain points
  1. Short popup time when they receive instant order
  2. Poor accessibility to driver support service
  3. In a very short time (55sec) hard to see the earning and time of delivery during instant popup 
  4. Lack of the information from location to the station during instant popup
  5. Hard to sort the packages for new amazon flex drivers
  6. Package names are not indicated on the app and it is impossible to find them by 4 digit codes among 20-40 bags
  7. To learn the job at Amazon Flex Learning center is not interesting and boring. There are long texts and hard to understand.
  8. Hard to navigate the menu.  It is extremely difficult at driving and picking up orders.
  9. The Reward system is not motivating drivers.
  10. At apartment complexes, maps are not well organized.
  11. During pickup and loading packages to car drivers cannot see the time limit.
​​

 
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Personas
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Identify key problem areas

Navigation menu
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New orders
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Navigation at apartment complexes
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Package scanning
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Access code is not correct
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Package name does not exist on the app.
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Scanning in grocery stations
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Feedbackfrom rewards and activity hub
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5W statement

  1. As an Amazon Flex Driver, users need more popup time or more clear design for instant offer because they cannot decide to confirm or decline an order during the 55-second time frame.
  2. As Amazon Flex Driver, users need easy communication means except for phone calls so that they can notify Amazon Flex the order will be delivered late to customers because of third-party problems
  3. As Amazon Driver, users need to see the time to start of the block and distance to the station because they often manually type the address of the station and time as they decide if they have time to use other apps.
  4. As Amazon drivers, users need to see the distance from their location to the station on the map because they can not decide the distance from the current instant popup box.
  5. As Amazon flex driver, users need solutions on his app because packages are mixed in the car and they cannot sort them at the drop-off location.
  6. As Amazon flex driver, users need short videos or short texts or other solutions on the app because they do not have the motivation and they cannot read all the text and watch long videos on the app.
  7. As Amazon flex driver, users need better menu options because when they drive or they have a short time they cannot navigate and exit from the menu.
  8. As Amazon flex driver, users need better rewards and rating systems because existing reward systems do not motivate them to act purposfully.
  9. As Amazon drivers, users need better maps possibilities at the apartment complex because the amazon flex app navigates drivers to the unit which is the opposite side of the gate and they first need to drive to the gate first and then navigate to the unit.
  10. As Amazon drivers, user needs to see timer or something to navigate them druing pickup from station and loading the bags to the car because sometimes they cannot find the packages because of the station and they cannot control time. 

HMW (How might we?)

  1. How might we design an instant order popup that drivers could understand in 55 seconds?
  2. How might we provide alternative communication tools with driver support?
  3. How might we design instant popup orders so that drivers could see primary information at the first sight? 
  4. How might we change instant popup orders so the driver can see the distance to the station?
  5. How might we design package sorting for new amazon drivers so that they can easily sort packages on their cars?
  6. How we might design the learning section of the app to make education motivating?
  7. How might we design a useful menu which easily navigates?
  8. How might we design rewards and rating systems which could motivate drivers?
  9. How might we change the map for apartment complexes to make drivers deliver the food easily?
  10. How might we design the app user could track their delivery time ?
  11. How might we design a useful block order reservation screen which easily to click for distance to station and to track time?​
  12. How might we design a useful package loading page which helps drivers to track their times and explain how to group packs.

Value proposition

After analyzing the problem statement I concluded with 3 types of value propositions to the target audience as in the following boxes.
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Amazon Flex offer more than salary and reward
Amazon Flex offers drivers carieer development possibilities
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Amazon Flex offer better user experience
Amazon Flex offers drivers carieer development possibilities
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Amazon Flex offer better earning possibilities
Amazon Flex offers drivers carieer development possibilities

User flow of new orders

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Design phase

UX design storyboard

I used the UX storyboard to answer how might we question. This storyboard gives us an understanding of the main problems and explain how to solve the problem.

Sketches of the app

After drawing story board and user flow, I have created sketches of the app. Sketch of the project helps me to better understand what wireframes i will create to the client. 

Wireframes and prototypes

After drawing sketches, the project looked more clear to start wireframing. I completed the wireframes of the project taking into account the sketches which were built on the result of the research. Wireframes will help me to keep design consistency and better visualize the project. 

Wireframes also explain the questions given in the HWM questions. Each wireframe answer the pains of the users.

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  1. How might we design an instant order popup that drivers could understand in 55 seconds?
User interviews explained that the most important information for the drivers in instant popup orders is earnings, number of stops, total time, and distance. I believe this wireframe will be better for drivers to decide quickly. And of course, we will test this information in a usability test.
2. How might we design instant popup orders so that drivers could see primary information at the first sight? 
Primary information in this wireframe is earnings and the number of the stop. I believe drivers will catch this information immediately.
3. How might we change instant popup orders so the driver can see the distance to the station?
Distance to the station is not so highly important like earnings and number of stops. However, I assume it is in the right place near the name of the grocery store.
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3. How might we provide alternative communication tools with driver support?
Based on my research users are concerned with driver support and requested alternative communication tools. Also, they are concerned that it is difficult to find a support button.  Considering all feedbacks I put tools on the main screen during important moments. Moreover, I have added chat and voice function to effectively communicate with driver support and with customers.
 
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I changed the block order screen and made it easy to direct to the station and to check the time when to start to drive the station and begin delivery to the client.
 
5. How might we design a useful block order reservation screen which easily to click for distance to station and to track time?​
4. How might we design a useful menu which easily navigates?​
According to the user interview, most of the users complained about the menu. The complex menu of the app made their jobs difficult.
I listed the menu at the bottom point of the app where the users can access it easily. The main menu section was selected and rest of the secondary menu elements grouped under the account button.
 
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6. How might we design rewards and rating systems which could motivate drivers?​
I did separate pages for rewards and ratings. In the original app, these 2 pages were under the name of activity hub. However, in my research, no one understands what could be inside of activity hub. 
Moreover, I have included an attractive reward system based on my persona and research results.
 
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7.How might we change the map for apartment complexes to make drivers deliver the food easily?
In most cases gated and secure apartment drivers spend more time. That was the main concern that client's in most cases forgot to write gate code or the codes do not work. 
I created a report form and give clear procedures in such cases. 
In addition to this, in most cases, navigation took drivers to the back of the complex because client pinned unit. For this reason, I did navigation "to gate" and "to unit" navigation method. 
 
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8. How might we design package sorting for new amazon drivers so that they can easily sort packages on their cars?
In order to solve this pain point of users, I offered 2 solutions. First, drivers must see the name of the packs in their app to identify which pack is assigned to a certain code.  The second solution is to give information in their apps how to sort packs in their car trunks.
 
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Another main concern of the users was the time tracking issue. I add time tracking to the different parts of the app to keep drivers in certain time frames. 
 
9. How might we design the app user could track their delivery time?

Prototyping

I have linked the wireframes and tried to simulate the real product for usability testing. Prototyping is important to link design and understand flow of the real product. It saves the time and you do not need spend time to redesign the product. 

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Usability testing

Prepare to usability test

Before starting the usability study I wrote research questions, set KPIs, wrote the methodology, and created scripts for the usability study. You can check the UX research study plan from this link. 
Research objective
Figure out if the wireframes help to decrease users distraction and motivate them to use Amazon Flex
Research questions
I wanted to understand the following questions because this question was our key objective when i started this project.
  1. Do wireframes solve problems of users that distract them?
  2. Do the wireframes motivate users to work in Amazon Flex regularly in the long term?
  3. Does the app cover the expectation of the amazon flex drivers?
Conduct usability study
There are 5 persons in the usability study. I have shown the wireframes to users and they evaluated the app based on the questions given in the scripts. 
Affinity map
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Pattern
4/5 user could not find where to call or was confused about the call button in emergency situation at the deliver to station page.
3/5 user could not figured out what is itinerary button at the page drive to station page.
2/5 user said time frames block the map at drive to station page.
2/5 user did not understand time and say for what it is at the before package loading page.
3/5 user did not understand for where is the not at the end of a delivery page.
Insights
They prefer to call this button differently
They need clear name for this button to understand its function
Users beleive that i must change the shape of the time frame
Users wants me to make time frame more clear in terms of what the function tells users.
User requested to change design by adding illustration to focus on notes instead of adding address.
Update after affinity map
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  • Users think that the timeframe information blocks the map. They need something small box. I changed the design of timeframe.
After usability test 
  • I put call button below to give space for map.
  • Users think that the call button may be a communication tool with clients. They need clarification. I changed "call" to " emergency"
Before
After
  • Users did not understand what problem they could solve by clicking the itinerary. I changed "itinerary" to delivery points
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Before
  • The user was not able to understand what time counts. I used photo to express loading the package and time needed for this process.
After
  • Users complained about the page's purpose. The image now makes pages more clear and gives a message about the purpose of the page.
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After
  • Customer needed to add illustrator that explain the page.
Before
  • Was hard to find note, I put address to the top of the page and left the note at the same place. Added photo to focus on customer note

Identity

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High fidelity prototype

Now I came to the end of the project. Based on users' pain points I have created low fidelity prototypes and tested them. As a result, I have updated my low-fidelity prototypes. Below, you can see the high fidelity prototype of the project which is very close to the actual product.
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After the affinity map some elements were changed in order to make app useful as much as possible. 
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What was changed?
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I distributed the menu at the dashboard as home, schedule, earnings, ratings, account, and rewards. Moreover, I did a separate menu section with less information load to make the app useful.  
According to the research result and empathy map, one of the main pain points of users was the menu. On the existing menu page there too much navigation was placed it makes very difficult to choose the appropriate section by drivers.
Solution
Problem
Before
After
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After
Before
Solution
Problem
The research identified that users want to see earnings first when instant order popup. Further to this number of the stops and total mile as well as time was important.  Users complained that in the existing design instead of earning the name of the store are big letters and all information content of the text. 
Earnings and number of the stops placed on the top to attract users' attention. 
According to the research users needed to control their time and they wanted to see time frames during the pickup, loading, scanning, and delivery period. These options were not existed in the app and I added this features to make app more useful.
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After
Before
I have changed the dashboard and made block orders reachable.
Moreover, users can check the distance also be notified before they start their block orders.
Users concerned about finding the rating and rewards frdaom navigation menu. They also complained about the rewards telling that it is not motivating. I placed rewards and menu at the bottom menu and up menu section of the dashboards and other pages. Rewards and ratings are placed in very accessible part of the menu.
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Impact
Impact
What I learned
Being a UX design and researc enthusiast myself, working on Amazon Flex app was incredibly rewarding. I got to experiment with some of the new Figma features, and narrow down my design process. Although I was not able to fully flesh out other features and designs I wanted to within Amazon Flex due to time constraints, it's not to say I won't try to incorporate them in future projects down the line.
Through this project I have learning how to overcome biases on creating design. Biases are main part during user research. I kept to be neutral and focused on user's problem. I have several time updated my wireframes for better reflection of user problems.
Next steps
I think Amazon Flex team should regularly research users to update app for better user engagement and long term value creation.  For this reason user's feedbacks at the reviews, user interviews and feedback are important. 
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