Netherlands Field Research

Executive Summary

This case study details a comprehensive field research initiative conducted in the Netherlands in August 2024 directly engaging with delivery drivers and depot employees across three locations. As a key member of a cross-functional research team, I investigated a range of topics related to app usability, driver behavior, and the effectiveness of the Backoffice software for monitoring depot operations.

Key insights revealed mixed adoption of a new setup flow in the application, critical challenges drivers face in last-meter navigation and address accuracy, and specific needs for improved Backoffice notifications and analytics for depot staff. This research provided actionable recommendations to enhance user experience, improve operational efficiency, and guide future product development for both driver-facing applications and internal Backoffice systems.

Project Overview & Context

In August 2024, a cross-functional team embarked on a field research trip across three key depots in the Netherlands: Sliedrecht, Amsterdam, and Drachten. The team comprised three User Researcher (including myself), a Product Owner, and a Customer representative.

The overarching goal was to gain a holistic understanding of user experiences, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for improvement across various touchpoints of our software solutions. This involved investigating topics related to the delivery drivers mobile application, address data accuracy and the Backoffice system leveraged by depot employees.

Research scope:

• Driver App: New setup flow usability and adoption

• Driver App: Challenges with splitting waypoints for deliveries and collections and general driver behavior 

• Last Meter behavior: Driver behaviors during the last meters of parcel delivery related to finding building entrances and parking spots,

• Backoffice: Depot employee needs for tracking analytics, notifications, landing page information, and general workflow efficiencies

While the trip yielded a wealth of insights across all areas, this case study will highlight key findings and recommendations primarily focusing on the Driver App's  setup flow, Last Meter navigation challenges, and selected insights from Backoffice usage for depot employees.

For a public-facing overview of this research initiative, please see the article published by Bettermile on Medium.

To maintain confidentiality, no direct in-app or Backoffice screenshots are shown in this portfolio. Findings are based on user feedback, discussions of feature concepts, and observed workflows

My Role

As a User Researcher on this cross-functional research team, my contributions were integral to the success of this multi-location field study. 

My responsibilities included:

• Co-planning research activities and guidelines across the diverse set of topics for both driver and depot employee engagements

• Organizing and coordinating logistical aspects for the depot visits, ensuring smooth scheduling and alignment with local management

• Actively conducting onsite qualitative research, including semi-structured interviews, contextual inquiries, and observational sessions with drivers and depot staff

• Leading specific interview segments, particularly focusing on the Last Meter experiences with drivers

• Collaborating daily with a Product Owner, Customer Representative, and other Researchers to synthesize emerging findings

• Analyzing qualitative data from interview notes and observations to identify key themes, pain points, and user needs

• Contributing to the formulation of actionable recommendations and the subsequent dissemination of findings to wider product and development teams

Methodology

The research primarily employed qualitative methods during onsite visits to the Sliedrecht, Amsterdam, and Drachten depots. This allowed for direct interaction with users in their working context.

Participants

Drivers: A total of 33 drivers provided detailed feedback specifically on the setup flow (9 in Sliedrecht, 20 in Amsterdam, 4 in Drachten). Similar group sizes contributed to other driver-focused topics like Last Meter behavior.

Depot Employees: Various depot employees across the three locations were interviewed, including Depot Managers, Administrators and Driver Support staff to understand their workflows and their usage of the Backoffice.

Insights Collection Methods

Semi-structured Interviews: Conducted with both drivers and depot employees to explore their experiences, needs, pain points, and suggestions related to the specified research topics.

Contextual Inquiry & Observation: Observing depot employees during their daily tasks to understand Backoffice workflows. For drivers, while direct observation of entire routes was limited, discussions often involved them recalling or demonstrating specific interactions with the app's concepts.

Feedback Sessions: Dedicated discussions focused on specific features like the new setup flow or concepts for Backoffice improvements.

On-Site & In-Sync

Our research team, a cross-functional unit of three User Researchers, one Product Owner, and one Customer representative, cultivated a deeply collaborative atmosphere. 

To ensure comprehensive insights from each depot, we branched into smaller, agile groups, allowing us to delve into diverse topics and engage with a wide array of user types. The rhythm of daily debriefs proved invaluable, empowering us to synthesize emerging findings and iteratively sharpen our research focus as the fieldwork progressed.

Key Findings & Insights

Driver App - Setup Flow

Overall Reception: Feedback on the new Tour Setup Flow was mixed. While some drivers, particularly newer ones, found it beneficial. others, especially experienced drivers, perceived it as unnecessary or time-consuming.

Awareness & Engagement: A portion of drivers hadn't noticed the new flow or seemed disengaged. Others skipped it entirely, relying on route familiarity.

Clarity & UI: The clarity of steps was generally viewed positively by those who engaged with it. However, some drivers found the process overwhelming initially or felt it required too much manual input, especially daily address corrections.

Perceived Importance: Newer drivers often understood the flow's importance for proper setup. Experienced drivers frequently questioned its value for their established routines.

Improvement Suggestion Highlight: A recurring suggestion was to use more visuals like images or short videos for instructions, as drivers are often in a rush.

Driver App - Last Meter behavior

Entrance Identification: Drivers, especially newer ones, struggled to identify correct building entrances, particularly for apartment complexes and large industrial sites. Experienced drivers relied heavily on familiarity.

Specific Challenges: Large complexes like universities, hospitals or shopping centers with multiple waypoints but single drop-off points caused confusion. Business addresses often had separate customer vs. delivery entrances, requiring drivers to ask for directions.

Parking Behavior: Drivers generally did not report major issues finding parking but prioritized proximity to the entrance and ease of departure. They adapted strategies based on parcel size and environment parking closer to the entrance the bulkier the parcel gets.

Depot Employees - Backoffice Insights

Notification Needs: Depot employees, particularly Driver Support, expressed a strong need for real-time notifications on critical tour events, such as ETA jumps, tours at risk of being blocked, successful pick-ups, and drivers not logged in. They also desired customization of these notifications.

Landing Page Information: When first opening the Backoffice, depot staff desired an immediate overview of critical information, such as Tour category graphs, tours at risk of being blocked, and a list of tours not using the app, rather than the current default view.

KPIs & Data Usage: While some KPIs like Tour category were used, many depot employees were unaware of key Backoffice features or found the data presentation overwhelming. Subcontractors, in particular, felt needed performance KPIs were missing. There was also a noted trend of Backoffice data being integrated into other tools, reducing direct Backoffice logins for some users.

Training & Feature Awareness: A significant theme was the lack of training and awareness for both drivers and depot employees regarding new app and Backoffice features.

Actionable Recommendations

The comprehensive insights gathered from drivers and depot employees during the Netherlands research trip led to a series of actionable recommendations aimed at enhancing user experience, improving operational efficiency, and guiding future product development. 

Key recommendations included:

Setup Flow:

• • • Re-evaluate the setup flow to reduce the amount of text and manual input required. Explore using more visual aids like icons, or simple diagrams for instructions, especially as many drivers are in a rush and may not read lengthy text

    • Consider a way for experienced drivers to quickly bypass detailed steps if they are already familiar with their routes and settings, as many currently skip the flow 

    • Enhance First Waypoint Selection for drivers who find it difficult to select their first waypoint from a long list especially new drivers or those with >100 Waypoints and provide more guidance, such as a visual overview of addresses on a map during this step

Last Meter Navigation:

• • • Prioritize functionality to allow for, and display, precise pin locations at exact building entrances or handover locations, especially for apartment buildings, large complexes, and businesses with distinct loading zones. Address driver feedback that current pins are often on the center of a building or on the wrong side.

    • Address issues where address components like house number suffixes are not displayed or parsed correctly in the app, leading to navigation errors.

General App Enhancements:

• • • Given the significant number of drivers speaking Arabic, explore adding multilingual support to the app to improve understanding and drive engagement.

 Backoffice & Depot Operations:

• • Develop more sophisticated and customizable notifications for depot employees regarding tours at risk of being blocked, allowing for preventative action.

  • Simplify complex dashboards and provide better onboarding or in-context help for depot employees to understand available data and features. Improve communication about new Backoffice features.

  • Tailor Backoffice views or create specific tools and dashboards for subcontractors, considering their varied needs and current low usage of the BO. Make relevant KPIs like Tour category easily accessible and understandable for them.

To ensure these insights translated into tangible improvements, the research findings and detailed recommendations were presented to key stakeholders across product, design, and development in dedicated shareout sessions, facilitating discussion and prioritization of next steps.

Learnings & Reflections

This multi-topic field research trip was an invaluable experience in managing complex research logistics, collaborating intensely within a cross-functional team, and synthesizing diverse qualitative data from multiple user groups. A key learning was the challenge and importance of balancing a broad investigative scope with the need to dive deep into specific critical areas. Prioritization and adaptive interviewing techniques were essential. Engaging directly with users in their own working environments provided contextual insights that remote research might not capture, particularly regarding operational constraints and real-world workarounds. I gained a deeper appreciation for the varied needs and perspectives of different user segments and the importance of tailoring solutions accordingly. The collaborative nature of the trip, working alongside Product and Customer Team members, facilitated immediate shared understanding and buy-in for the research findings, which I believe is crucial for driving action.