Partner Company: Nõo Lihatööstus
Course: Digital Product Management Industry Project
Team Nõo Lihatööstus: Lichettey Aavik, Pirgit Pajoma, Pille Neider-Kuusalu, and Lauri Ütsik (Conversion Master in IT students)
Semester: Spring 2023
The challenge
Nõo Lihatööstus transports their products to clients using various plastic boxes. Once the delivery is made, clients are expected to return the empty boxes. Unfortunately, a significant number of boxes are being misplaced during this process. Nõo Lihatööstus is seeking a digital solution that can effectively monitor and keep track of the quantity of the boxes returned by each individual client.
Process and solution
During the course, the Nõo Lihatööstus team proactively utilized various methodologies and tools of Design Thinking and Digital Product Management. The workflow encompassed several sequential stages: pain-point identification, user research, idea generation, prototype development, and usability testing. As an integral part of this process, the team thoroughly examined and visualized the journey of the boxes. They pinpointed the key stakeholders involved and conducted interviews with truck drivers, logistic center personnel, and high-level management from Nõo Lihatööstus.
The team successfully identified Design Aspects and Design Opportunities related to the challenge. They formulated various How Might We (HMW) questions, and following their research, they pinpointed a crucial HMW question: HMW design a solution to make the entire journey of the transport boxes fully traceable? Employing diverse ideation techniques like Crazy 8 and Mash Up, the team generated numerous solutions for this key design opportunity. Some of the proposed solutions included an Automated System for box transportation, RFID scanners, and a Personal responsibility system.
Ultimately, the Nõo Lihatööstus team successfully created a high-fidelity prototype of a mobile app designed to facilitate truckers in tracking the number of boxes returned at each location. Through multiple rounds of usability testing, the team diligently identified and addressed numerous minor issues, greatly enhancing the convenience and user-friendliness of their solution.