The project's primary focus is on enhancing cold-chain operations, critical for transporting temperature-sensitive items such as food, medicine, and chemicals. Despite technological advancements, these operations still rely on outdated methods like paperwork, phone calls, and meetings. The aim is to modernize and streamline these processes. Cold chain monitoring involves handling highly sensitive data. Theft or tampering with information related to vaccines, oil containers, or food shipments can have severe consequences, including poisoning and bio-warfare. Therefore, robust monitoring and tracking are essential. Additionally, in case of mishaps, significant legal work is involved. Designing a digital bookkeeping system for initiating, monitoring, and tracking such shipments presents a significant design challenge, accompanied by a sense of responsibility. It's important to note that niche products like these have their own complexities, often assumed to be common knowledge within the industry. While this may hold true for most white and gray-collar professionals, floor workers may lack familiarity with industry jargon and the technical skills required to use such platforms. Conversely, higher-ranking individuals may be unaware of detailed procedures and practical challenges. The project commenced in August 2021 with research into the industry and Adapt Loggers, a company specializing in temperature monitoring devices for cold-chain shipments. Insights were gathered from engineers, sales, and marketing teams regarding customer needs and challenges. Due to security concerns, direct stakeholder interviews were limited. Instead, the team mapped the cold-chain process through workshops and role-play exercises to identify user tasks and areas for improvement. Post defining project scope, timeframes, and budget, the wireframes and a design system were created. Achievements went beyond streamlining user flows, extending to addressing customer concerns, issue tracking, notifications, marketing efforts, and continually enhancing the digital platform. The design system not only unified various portals but also extended to product collaterals and e-commerce website.
