COSCO SPEC 3 APPs
COSCO SPEC 3 APPs
JUN 2022 - SEP 2022
Platform
APP
Service
Design Consulting
Domain
Sea Freight
Location
China (Guangzhou)
The client is dedicated to the operations and management of more than 100 vessels. The scale of this specialized shipping fleet ranks it as the largest in the world.
They are looking for a partner to design 3 brand-new APPs, for their clients, suppliers, and employee based on their 3 corresponding systems on PC, which is designed by their business team and was not been launched yet.
To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of the client.
Scope and mission
Explore the out-of-office scenarios which have not been well-covered by the system on PC and include them in the APP.
Verify if the design of the PC version is rational while designing the corresponding APP.
Encourage their employee, clients, and suppliers to migrate their work from the offline process to the system and engage more potential users to use the product.
Challenge
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Multi-vendor environment
Our team is responsible only for UX and interaction design. UI and development are handled by separate agencies. Each team has different objectives, which can sometimes conflict.
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Uncleared product strategy
1. The strategic differences between the website and app were unclear, requiring significant time to define product positioning for each platform.
2. The client has a general goal but lacks clarity on specific milestones.
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Change the working habit
The sea freight industry has a long-established way of working spanning decades, making it challenging to convince them to move their daily operations online.
Contribution
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User interview and ideation
Host several user interviews to uncover insights and translate concepts into features.
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Workshop facilitation
Facilitated several workshops with other designers to get the client's visions and understand their requirements.
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Wireframe and prototypes
Created wireframes and prototypes to share the vision and design principles to align with clients before we handed them over to the UI team.
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Define scope and priority
We defined the first release scope based on business goals and technical capacity, then prioritized and negotiated features for launch and future phases with the client.
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Validation
Tested high-level prototypes with users to validate assumptions and ensure the solution works.
Product evolution
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Vision workshop
We interviewed COSCO’s clients, suppliers, employees, and senior management to understand expectations for the app, current workflows, and long-term business goals.
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Periodical tasks
Based on the outcomes from the vision workshop, we made a high level plan and divided into 3 phases.
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HMW workshop
After aligning the strategy with the client, we held a HMW workshop with participants from different business units to identify and prioritize features that support each product’s periodic goals.
Strategy
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Periodical tasks
As COSCO is still in the early stage of digital transformation, Phase 1 focuses on collecting clean data — including business metrics, user profiles, behaviors, and feedback — and validating the MVP to confirm the need for a cross-platform system.
Once enough data is collected, the next step is to analyze insights and build a clear roadmap toward market expansion and operational automation.
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Get existing client to use the product
One of COSCO’s key challenges is persuading clients to transition from offline to online operations. To address this, we engaged existing clients in the product design and research process to demonstrate tangible value and emphasize that the product is built to solve their core pain points.
COSCO can also develop training materials highlighting the product’s benefits, enabling client managers to promote it effectively and support their clients after launch. These sessions provide opportunities to gather feedback and refine the product in future iterations.
Once adoption stabilizes, COSCO can expand promotion to new and potential clients. With a growing user base, they can further segment customers and implement targeted strategies to strengthen retention and drive profitability.
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Start small but move fast
Due to limited time and technical capacity, we focused the MVP on one key persona identified from user research.
This persona has a strong impact on profitability. We prioritized high-value, low-effort pain points and selected mobile-friendly features for the MVP. By improving their experience first and collecting feedback, we aim to validate solutions and refine the product to maximize client value.
Discovery
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Interview with COSCO's client
We interviewed several users from different COSCO's clients. We divided them into 3 types based on the business interaction they are in charge with COSCO.
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Observe and interview with COSCO
We worked on-site at COSCO to observe daily operations and client interactions, then conducted interviews to understand their workflow, expectations, and validate assumptions.
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Analyze AS-IS user journey
We mapped out the user journey and check with COSCO and their clients during the interview to help us clarify the current business flow, then identify the current pain points.
Persona
Pre-sales follower
Yongqiang Wang (48)
He works in a pulp company as a senior business manager and the company has regular shipping demands from Brazil to China. 5 years ago his friend who also works in the same industry introduce COSCO SPEC to him and started to collaborate with them.
Behavior
Inquiry phase: The main way to obtain information is inquiring with COSCO by WeChat and email. Sometimes it may be during non-work hours.
Contract signing phase: Considering confidentiality of the contract , communication is mostly done in person or through formal emails.
Goal
Get the quotation as soon as possible, so that he has enough time to discuss it with the finance team and make the subsequent plan.
Make a good deal in the contract negotiation.
Ensure the process works smoothly before the shipment.
Frustrations
No direct access to detailed vessel parameters, pricing, or rates; information must be requested from sales.
Expect prompt support and professional advice for specific requirements.
Need a more efficient way to contact COSCO.
Lack of approximate pricing makes advance planning difficult.
Execution follower
Wei Chen (33)
She works in a pulp company as a logistics specialist. Due to COSCO's strong expertise and wide routes, it has formed long-term and stable cooperation. She is also exploring more potential cooperation with COSCO.
Behavior
As I'm responsible for managing multiple cases, I need to stay up-to-date on the latest status of each one. This sometimes requires me to work late hours.
Transportation progress must be checked via COSCO emails or third-party tracking sites.
I need to go to the port following up the loading frequently.
Goal
Closely monitor the shipping process to identify potential issues and adjust plans promptly.
Ensure successful cargo loading.
Frustrations
Lack of real-time shipping visibility requires proactive contact with COSCO, but responses are often delayed.
No 24/7 support is available for emergencies or urgent inquiries.
Expect advance notice of any shipment changes.
Post-sales follower
Felipe Branco (43)
He works in a pulp company as a logistics manager. The company he work is Cosco's long-term partners in Brazil, they have many expectations for enhancing international cooperations.
Behavior
Due to the time difference, I sometimes need to communicate with COSCO after work.
The long distance between the port and factory requires frequent travel.
Monitor fuel and shipment price changes and verify them against invoices.
Upload verified invoice data into the company’s financial system.
Goal
Closely monitor shipping to identify potential issues and adjust plans promptly.
Ensure successful cargo unloading.
Expedite the settlement process.
Frustrations
Lack of real-time visibility requires us to contact COSCO via email or phone for updates, but responses are often delayed.
Even non-confidential information still needs to be requested from COSCO, leading to inefficiency.
Expect proactive notifications of potential shipment delays.
Expect a faster settlement process.
Insight
From client
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Some clients are still not familiar with COSCO SPEC's services and ability, when they go to the system on PC there is no place for them to check.
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During the entire process, the contract neogtiation takes the longest time because currently all the communication are still via email and phone call and normally it will send back and forth several times.
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During the contract negotiation process, the client is relatively passive, their inputs are based on the first version provided by the COSCO side. Sometimes they already have some idea but still need to wait.
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It's a global business so they need to communicate across several time zones, it's quite hard to contact in time if they have questions, especially when an emergency comes up.
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Currently, all the info is hidden in the email thread, when they draft a new version, they will refer to the previous one. Now they will dig out and export the email, then open them in 2 windows to compare.
From COSCO SPEC
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Negotiation via email is easy to lose track, especially for a business representative from COSCO side who has to serve several clients, sometimes it even delays the contract starting date.
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Especially during the inquiry phase, if the client waits too long they might change their mind to find a new charterer.
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Each client communicates with the business representative via different channels, because every country has its preferred chatting tool, which means they have to install all of them on their own phone.
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Most of the contract info are quite similar, every time they provided a new contract to the client, they just need to change some key information.
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Every time when the client comments on the contract, COSCO need to provide a new version to them and it takes a lot of time.
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The data is everywhere (email, chatting tool, system ...), and it's a nightmare when the person in charge leaves the company, and also a challenge if they want to move on to the next level of data analyzing.
Approach
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Proposal from both side
One party can draw up a draft contract first and then send it to the other, if the receiver agrees, then it can move on to the next step; if not, the receiver can provide a new proposal until both parties make an agreement.
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Detailed history
The sea freight contract is comprised of several terms and agreements. Displaying the editing history for each of them in one place is easier to refer and track.
Solution
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Online co-editing
Their client can also provide their ideal proposal and it also reduces the workload of subsequent contract amendment from the COSCO side.
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Negotiation history
Collect all the version histories in one place under each term, it's easier for both sides to refer to. When it comes to commercial disputes, it's also the single source of truth.
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Standardized contract editing
In order to speed up the process, we transform the traditional contract editing way into a standardized form, users just need to select and fill in some key information in the fields.
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General info and FAQ
In order to mitigate the delayed response caused by the time difference, the system provides more general info and FAQ /chatbot for users to view when they have questions.
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Chatting room and notification
Ensure the client can communicate with the COSCO side in time and get notified of the urgent information.
Prototype testing
In order to verify if the product can really help the user and ensure the user experience is rational, we made a clickable prototype for users to operate on their mobile phones and then collect their feedback to enhance the design.
