Car Fleet System
In this project, I drew inspiration from my current position as a UX project manager. The challenges depicted in this project reflect the challenges I cope with in my job. This system's purpose is to manage the car fleet of a rental car company.
The prototype, system goals and users have been modified to maintain business privacy.
The Problem
The company needs to monitor and manage a car fleet. It offers four car options:
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Rental car
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Leasing
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Replacement cars
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Transportation – privet services
The system must track vehicle malfunctions and locations. Currently, the company uses a car fleet management system that lacks vehicle repair history and garage repair management. Maintenance employees receive malfunction reports via WhatsApp and email. They often miss reports and waste time visiting cars multiple times due to inconsistent information. Additionally, they cannot identify recurring vehicle problems. The system also does not manage car accessories, hindering the repair team's preparation.
Business Goals
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Manage car fleet.
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Track available vehicles.
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Maximum fleet utilization.
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Manage mechanical and technological car issues.
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Manage maintenance worker schedule, cleaning, repairs and complaints.
Main Challenges
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Diverse user base with varying technological proficiency.
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Different user requirements within different workflow for the same process leading to potential information overload on screens.
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Low user motivation to adopt new systems and work methods.
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Integration with multiple external systems.
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Varying user expertise levels within the same workflows and processes.
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As a Project Manager, I inherited an undefined existing system, requiring a ground-up design based on real-time user needs and feedback.
How do I deal with these challenges?
How do I deal with these challenges?
First, as a PM, I need to find "the key players," the users who have the highest motivation to manage their day better and want technological solutions. This kind of user will be the most cooperative. Second, in the UX aspect, I need to understand how all the teams work today, what difficulties they face daily, what motivates them, and then find a solution that fits them all. The system must be user-friendly and intuitive so that it won't be intimidating at first glance due to the user's characteristics.
The system was intended for use by different departments with varying needs. To tailor the system to their requirements and successfully implement it within the organization, I prioritized development requests based on implementation steps. I categorized all user requests into three groups: must-have, important, and nice-to-have. I then divided these requests into phases aligned with implementation steps, ensuring all users had essential features before system adoption. Although "must-have" features were prioritized, they weren't necessarily included in phase one but were essential before user implementation.
Project management
User Reaserch
The data was collected primarily from user interviews. I also conducted field research in the parking lots to observe team workflows, identify their daily challenges, and gain a deeper understanding of their work methods. After v1 development, I conducted a pilot with one team to evaluate system usability, gathered additional requirements, and delivered them to the developers.
Personas
The users are:
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Technicians mechanics and repair teams
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Financial and general managers
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Customer managers
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Sales
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Safety officers
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Cleaners
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Branch managers
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Control team
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Accident and insurance department
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Admin
“I can’t follow all the reports because there are to many of them”
Dror
Dror responsible for repairing malfunction issues in the vehicles. He receives daily problem reports via WhatsApp and email, which he organizes in excel sheet. These reports can originate from various sources. Every morning, Dror reviews the Excel file to determine his starting location. He then checks the car's daily schedule to confirm availability. Despite this, he may arrive at a parking lot to find the car missing.
Difficulties and concerns:
•Manage all information and reports.
•Prioritize tasks.
•Coordinate technician assignments to avoid duplicate efforts.
•Currently making manually summarize reports at each parking lot.
•Encounter unexpected car locations at parking lots.
Main motivation:
•Centralized access to all vehicle-related reports.
•Real-time notifications for assigned tasks.
Dror's Goals
1. Determine daily starting point and schedule.
2. Filter cars by location.
3. Review car usage schedule.
4. View personal task list.
5. Track assigned report and car updates.
Information Architecture
Flowchart
The main flow of the prototype demonstrates the process a user follows to view and manage a malfunction report.
As Dror, I want to open a malfunction report so that I could resolve the car's issue.
Prototype
Nots regarding the prototype:
# The main screen displays a suggested calendar based on assigned tasks to a specific user.
# Users can click on a car's image to report a malfunction.
# The track vehicle reports page offers list, car, and location view options.
