U Hton: Transformation of Digitized Efficiency

Year

2019

2019

Role

UX Designer

UX Designer

Company

BinaryLab

BinaryLab

Category

Web, Order Management Platform

Web, Order Management Platform

U Hton, a renowned Yangon goldsmith shop for over two decades, was moving into digital space in recent years and wanted to move away from current point of sale system. BinaryLab partnered with them to develop a bespoke order management system. As the UX designer, my mission was to craft an intuitive and error-resistant interface, critical for a system handling such valuable assets.

Unwanted Learning Loop

The system had already taken shape before I joined the design team. It offered a seemingly comprehensive workflow, encompassing order creation, delivery to the goldsmith, quality checks, and customer pick-up. However, rigorous testing revealed a critical disconnect: the user flows we designed didn't align with the mental models our users had developed through years of using physical records and their existing POS system.
This misalignment presented a significant hurdle, as our stakeholders, were adamant about avoiding staff retraining and ensuring seamless onboarding for new employees. Recognizing this disconnect, we prioritized user research. We reinterviewed key users like office staff and shop managers, delving into their daily workflows. We even brought in their physical ledgers and painstakingly observed their interactions with the existing POS.

Designing to Prevent Risk

Instead of immediately jumping into interface design, we began with user testing. Collaborating with developers, I crafted diverse user flows and tested them with actual users, employing card sorting to identify the most intuitive flow. Once the optimal path emerged, I transformed it into a high-fidelity prototype for further testing, establishing a solid foundation for the interface.
To guarantee seamless functionality across desktop and tablet screens within the constraints of web technology, I leveraged the atomic design principle. This modular approach allowed me to first enhance usability by cleanly separating global and local navigation.Next, I redesigned the customer profile for reusability in repeat orders, and meticulously polishing every feature to minimize errors and safeguard against financial risks.

Creating End to End Pipeline

Several agile sprints of iterative development and testing honed the interface into its final form. However, the journey wasn't over. The next hurdle was to bridge the gap between digital and traditional ordering methods. I delved into how customers placed orders through social media, messaging apps, and phone calls, uncovering patterns in their design requests. By analyzing recurring patterns in customer requests for specific designs, we seamlessly integrated these into the system.
Finally, we added seamless delivery management features and custom sales record export formats to complete the puzzle. To ensure consistency and future scalability, I championed the creation of a design system. Collaborating with the development team, I built a comprehensive component library and implemented Storybook for visualization and version control. The system's imminent deployment filled me with a surge of excitement.

Ledgers of Invaluable Stories

Gone are the days of juggling physical records and clunky software. U Hton's staff now manage everything in one unified system, streamlining customer interactions and order tracking. Delays are instantly identified and swiftly resolved, minimizing errors and simplifying audits. This newfound efficiency translates to happier customers, a stronger brand reputation, and a thriving business. The satisfied stakeholders remain actively involved, collaborating with our team to maintain and enhance the system, ensuring its continued success.

This project was my trail by fire in the world of complex system interfaces. I honed my skills in database management, wrestled with intricate user flows, and learned to navigate the agile development process alongside talented developers. Most importantly, I laid the cornerstone of U Hton's design system, instilling a culture of its use within the project. These invaluable lessons fueled my confidence, propelling me to tackle even more complex systems successfully in coming years.

Let Me

Terraform

Your Mars

copied to clipboard

Redesigned in May 2024

Let Me

Terraform

Your Mars

copied to clipboard

Redesigned in May 2024

Let Me

Terraform

Your Mars

copied to clipboard

Redesigned in May 2024

Let Me

Terraform

Your Mars

copied to clipboard

Redesigned in May 2024