The HelloFresh Request

The HelloFresh Request is a platform that aims to improve communication between replenishers and forklift drivers within the HelloFresh production warehouse whilst also streamlining the requesting product process to improve efficiency and reduce delays.

Role
User research, Competitive analysis, User Persona, User Journey Map, Ideation, Wireframes, High Fidelity Design.

Team Members
Klimson Pin

Project Timeline
June, 2024

Overview

As a current worker at the HelloFresh production warehouse, I have noticed that there are many things that could be done more effectively and this problem resonates with me the most. As a former replenisher I have experienced first hand the consequences of poor communication with fork lift drivers and have always thought that something must change and although this sentiment is shared, nothing has changed. Therefore I have decided to research this issue to understand the problem and find a potential solution.

The Problem

In the HelloFresh warehouse, replenishers and forklift drivers communicate with each other so that product can be delivered to the assembly line and be refilled to be picked and packed by workers. However, poor communication between the replenishers and forklift drivers have affected the efficiency of this process with miscommunication and technical difficulties causing delays that puts pressure on the replenishers who must continuously supply the assembly line.

Andrew (replenisher) working at the back of the assembly line.

Research

To understand the pain points of both the replenishers and forklift drivers, I interviewed three replenishers and the forklift driver assigned for our assembly line to gain their insights and opinions on this issue. Although I have personal experience, I want to gain insight from others to remove any biases on my part. I then used an affinity diagram to gather important themes/quotes and synthesise the data.


Interviewees: Adam (replenisher), Andrew (replenisher), Antonio (replenisher), Bernie (forklift driver)

Research Questions

  • What are the specific issues that arise when a product runs out on the line?

  • How do replenishers and forklift drivers deal with the situation when they aren’t able to communicate clearly?

  • How do the workers feel about the current process of requesting products?

Affinity Diagram

Research Insights

  • Communication using walkie talkies are affected by multiple factors which are technical difficulties (damaged or missing), English proficiency, forklift drivers not confirming orders, and the comfortability of workers with using a walkie talkie.

  • The consequences of poor communication creates a lot of pressure for the replenishers who may run out of product or have to leave their team to find a forklift driver.

  • The requests that are made through a walkie talkie aren’t complex therefore the effort into having to look for a forklift driver or vice versa is almost wasteful.

  • Forklift drivers sometimes find it difficult to remember what to bring as they are managing two assembly lines at once but their walkie talkie is on the same channel as the rest of the warehouse making it difficult to distinguish which order is for them.

User Personas

Using the insights from the interviews and from my own personal observation as a worker, I then created two user personas to understand the needs and pain points of a typical replenisher and forklift driver at HelloFresh.

User persona-replenisher.png
User persona-forklift driver.png

User Journey Maps

Using the user personas I then created user journey maps to see the pain points, thought processes, and goals of both replenishers and forklift drivers through their perspective of the same process. This allowed me to understand on a deeper level where exactly in the process they experience issues and the causes and repercussions.

User Journey Map.jpg
User Journey Map-1.jpg

After synthesising the interview data and analysing the user journey maps, I then narrowed down the problem so I can be clear about the issue that I am addressing with my solution.

Redefined problem statement

Effective communication using walkie talkies in the warehouse is hindered by technical difficulties, language barriers, and user discomfort. Forklift drivers often fail to confirm orders and struggle to distinguish requests due to shared communication channels and the inability to communicate properly with replenishers. This poor communication places undue pressure on replenishers, leading to product shortages or inefficient searches for forklift drivers, ultimately wasting time and effort.

I then decided to create a criteria for which the solution must meet for it to be effective in addressing the pain points of both replenishers and forklift drivers.

Criteria for solution

  • Must be easily accessible and reliable.

  • Must provide clear confirmation that the forklift driver has received and delivered product to the assembly line.

  • Must be easy to use for anyone working as a replenisher/forklift driver regardless of their experience, english proficiency and hearing ability.

  • Reduces the cognitive load of the forklift drivers.

Competitor Analysis

Now that I fully understand the pain points of both replenishers and forklift drivers I then researched if there were any current solutions on the market for this specific issue. Due to the specific nature of this issue I only managed to find one that provides some solutions in comparison to the walkie talkie.

Honeywell Voice A710x Mobile Device

Is a wearable headset device that allows for voice communication with others. It provides features that allow for better clarity of communication between forklift drivers and replenishers such as the noise cancelling feature and it being wearable which could allow for a better chance of workers hearing each other. However it fails to meet most of the points in the criteria.

Strengths

  • Noise cancelling

  • Hands free/wearable

  • Cold storage friendly

Weaknesses

  • Still carries the same miscommunication issues as the walkie talkies

  • Headsets could potentially become cumbersome as replenishers move around a lot.

  • Difficult to share if someone else needs to use it

  • Cost

  • Battery life

Opportunities

  • Something that is hands free

  • Not affected by noise or allows for clearer audio communication

Threats

  • Rapid advancements in technology could render the current model obsolete.

  • Economic fluctuations can cause some companies to budget harder therefore purchasing less products.

Ideation

Using the criteria I then brainstormed some ideas to address this issue and ultimately narrowed the ideas down to two.

Concept 1

A digital platform for the Ipad that allows replenishers to “order” for product when they need it. The app will have all the ingredients that the assembly line will be using that day and how many units of each item they need and have currently used. E.g. Chicken Breast (13/357). Once they order the product the forklift driver can confirm they have received the order on their end and send a notification when they have delivered the pallet. On the forklift driver’s end they can also notify the replenishers if that specific product has run out or they are waiting for a delivery.

Pros

  • Provides clear communication between the forklift drivers and replenishers and allows the forklift driver to confirm requests and notify when the pallet has been delivered.

  • More accessible and simple to use as many people would have used a similar “order taking” platform before. 

Cons

  • Similar to the walkie talkie the Ipad could go missing or be broken. 

Concept 2

Walkie talkie booth that is easy to find for the replenishers and also protects the walkie talkie from being damaged or going missing. Inside the booth there will be instructions on how to operate the walkie talkie for those that are new and also what to say and what the expected response from the forklift driver is so they know the request has been received. The booth also blocks out noise so it allows the replenisher to be able to hear the response from the forklift driver clearly.

Pros

  • Can be easily found.

  • Walkie talkie is unlikely to go missing as it has a designated place.

  • The booth allows for better communication as it blocks out the noise of the warehouse.

  • Provided instructions will help most new workers when making a request. 

Cons

  • People who aren’t proficient with English and new workers may still struggle even with the signage to help them.

  • The same issue with forklifts not consistently confirming requests will still be prevalent.

Narrowed down solution

After analysing the pros and cons of each concept, I decided to combine features from both concepts to address the cons that were prevalent in both. The first concept addresses all the sections of the criteria however the problem still remains that the Ipad could be damaged or go missing which would be solved by integrating the phone booth feature of concept 2. The integration of the Ipad being located in the booth allows for replenishers to easily locate where the Ipad is, have an easy and clear way to communicate with the forklift driver, and reduce the chance of the Ipad going missing/being broken.

Initial Sketches

I then created some sketches for both replenishers and forklift drivers to get a rough idea of how I want the layout to look and how i’m going to incorporate the specific features that both roles need.

Replenisher Version

Forklift Driver Version

Wireframes

Once I was set on a layout I then created some lo-fidelity wireframes so I can begin the user testing. I kept the wireframes at a lo-fidelity to avoid getting too attached to a specific design which could possibly happen if the fidelity is too high too early.

Replenisher Version

Forklift Driver Version

User Testing

Replenisher Version User Testing

For the user testing I gathered 4 replenishers from my assembly line and asked them to perform two tasks. Once the tasks were completed I asked them some follow up questions to get their feedback and further insights.

Tasks

1. Call for Beef Mince to Assembly 1

2. The forklift driver has sent a notification in regards to your request. Find out what he said.

Here is what I found…

Findings

  • The users had no issue calling for beef mince however many said that it would be nice if the boxes for each product would be bigger because inside the warehouse they wear gloves.

  • One user who wasn’t as proficient in English said that including an image of the product would be useful as when he calls for product sometimes he grabs the real thing and reads the label to make sure.

Insights gained

  • Due to recent safety regulations, all replenishers must wear gloves at all times and therefore I must consider this in my design as it would be an inconvenience and disallowed for them to have to take them off to request for product.

  • Many workers remember specific products by the packaging that it comes in therefore not only would it be easier for those who don’t speak English well, but it would also make it faster for those who have worked as a replenisher for a while.

Revised replenisher homepage wireframe based on user testing findings

Forklift Driver Version User Testing

For the user testing for the forklift driver version of the concept I asked Bernie (the designated forklift driver for my assembly line) to complete two tasks on my wireframe prototype.

Tasks

1. The replenishers on assembly 1 have requested beef mince, confirm you have received the request then confirm that you have delivered the new pallet to the assembly line on the app.

2. The replenishers have requested beef mince however there is a delay on delivery, notify the replenishers that there will be a delay.

Here is what I found…

Findings

  • Users found it easy to use and said that it definitely would help with him remembering and keeping track of what he has to deliver to the assembly lines.

  • Users appreciated the quick message options as sometimes they want to relay a message to the replenishers but no one is there to listen. They also suggested that the walkie talkie could still be in use but only to contact the assembly line leader on more complicated issues.

Insights gained

  • Due to recent safety regulations, all replenishers must wear gloves at all times and therefore I must consider this in my design as it would be an inconvenience and disallowed for them to have to take them off to request for product.

  • Many workers remember specific products by the packaging that it comes in therefore not only would it be easier for those who don’t speak English well, but it would also make it faster for those who have worked as a replenisher for a while.

Ipad “phone booth” iterations

Standing Ipad kiosk vs Wall Mounted

For the “phone booth” feature that will house the Ipad I decided on two concepts, an Ipad kiosk similar to a phone booth and a wall mounted Ipad casing. To get some insight into which concept would be more suitable I ran a quick questionnaire with the interviewees to get their thoughts and opinions and ultimately decided on the wall mounted option. Here is there reason why.

Insights

Protection

The main downfall of using an Ipad in an environment like a production warehouse is that it could be easily broken due to the movement of workers, forklift drivers etc, therefore protection is the number one priority. With the Ipad mounted up against the wall with a protective casing, workers would be unable to drop it or accidentally damage it.

“If protection is so important, wouldn’t a kiosk provide even more protection??”

Safety

Yes whilst the kiosk would provide more protection for the Ipad there are environmental factors and cost factors that make it an impractical option for the warehouse.

  • The installment of the kiosk will take up space and therefore become a hazard that forklift drivers, workers, and workers using pallet jacks must avoid.

  • The marginal protection that the kiosk would provide would be difficult to justify when considering the cost of installing a kiosk on every assembly line in comparison to the cost of wall mounting

Mockup

High-Fidelity Mockups

Key Takeaways

Removing biases

Due to me being a former replenisher, I occasionally felt that I was projecting my own opinions when interpreting interview data. Although as a researcher I should use my own judgement and logic when interpreting and synthesising data, I have to also view the data not only objectively but through the lenses of the people I interviewed. I believe I was able to achieve that and it was interesting to see how different people view the same problem and how they deal with it.

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