Shiply
Designing a logistics app to streamline cross-border shipping communication and improve delivery transparency
Overview
Role
UI/UX Designer
Tool
Figma
Duration
4 Weeks
Shiply Shipping Project
Solo Project
Users buying products from China often faced fragmented communication, delayed updates, and uncertainty around shipping status.
I designed Shiply, a cross-border logistics app that streamlines purchasing, shipment management, and real-time delivery tracking for users in the U.S.
Cross-Border Logistics App Design
Project
📄 Overview
This project explores the design of a cross-border logistics app for independent shipping agents between China and the United States. While these agents offer more affordable services, they rely heavily on WeChat, leading to fragmented workflows, delayed communication, and limited shipment visibility.
To address this, I designed a centralized solution that streamlines order management, improves communication, and provides real-time tracking.
👤 Role
This was a self-initiated project where I identified an opportunity in the informal cross-border logistics market and independently drove the end-to-end design process, including user research, workflow analysis, and product design.
Problem
⚡ The Challenge
Fragmented Communication
Order details are managed through chats, making it difficult to track, organize, and verify shipment information.
Time Zone Delays
Cross-border communication leads to slow responses, causing missed deadlines and delayed shipments.
Lack of Transparency
Users have little visibility into shipment status, resulting in uncertainty and reduced trust.
How might we streamline cross-border shipping workflows while improving communication and shipment transparency for users?
Design Process
📚 Research
To better understand the current cross-border logistics experience, I analyzed how independent shipping agents and users manage orders through WeChat.
I reviewed real communication workflows, focusing on how users submit order details, confirm shipping methods, and track delivery progress. This revealed key friction points, including scattered information across chat threads, delayed responses due to time zone differences, and the lack of a structured tracking system.
These insights helped define opportunities to streamline communication, standardize order management, and improve shipment visibility.
📊 Competitive Analysis
To better understand existing logistics solutions, I analyzed the interface and service model of Cainiao, a leading cross-border shipping platform.
I focused on how orders are structured, how shipment information is presented, and how the platform standardizes communication between users and logistics providers. This helped identify key differences between structured platforms and the current WeChat-based workflows used by independent agents.
📊 Research Insights
Through research, I identified a clear gap between structured logistics platforms and informal WeChat-based workflows.
Ideation
📐 Design Principles
From my research, the key principles guided the design of the logistics experience:
Make it SIMPLE to use.
No
Yes
DESIGN
Low-Fidelity
The low-fidelity phase focused on defining core user flows and structuring key features such as order creation, shipment tracking, and communication.
The goal was to quickly explore different layouts and information hierarchies, ensuring a clear and efficient workflow before moving into high-fidelity design.
DESIGN
High-Fidelity
The high-fidelity phase focused on refining the visual design and creating a clean, intuitive interface tailored to users’ needs.
Takeaway
📈 Growth & Learnings
Through this project, I gained a deeper understanding of designing for real-world logistics workflows and the importance of structuring complex information into a clear and intuitive experience.
As a solo designer, I experienced the full end-to-end product design process from 0 to 1, including research, user interviews, workflow planning, UI/UX design, and translating insights into a scalable product solution.