Interview: Product Owner Erik on the new booking process

June 2, 2022

Faster. Easier. Better. With this in mind, we have fundamentally rethought the transport booking process at modility. The result - "Booking Process 2.0" - is now live. In this interview, Product Owner Erik explains why the process was redesigned, how he and the development team handled it, and what benefits it will bring for our users.

Why did you decide to redesign the booking process?

Erik: "We started about a year ago with the goal of creating a simple access to combined transport for all companies. We are constantly working on achieving this goal, and the booking process at modility is the central factor in doing so. After all, it is not only the first point of contact for our customers on the platform, but also the moment that ultimately brings suppliers and demanders together. After a year in the market, we have learned a lot and realized that there are still a number of things we can improve. And that's exactly what we've done."

Which goals did you pursue with the redesign?

Erik: "We had three main objectives. First, we wanted to simplify and speed up the booking process by creating a streamlined transportation search that answers all questions and leads quickly to the booking. Secondly, we wanted to bring more transparency into the process and give more guidance to our users. They need to know at all times where they are currently at, which steps are still to come in the process, and where which data can or must be entered. And thirdly, it was very important to us to take the different requirements of various user groups and players in the market into account."

What has been redesigned and which detail do you like best?

Erik: "We put the entire booking process to the test and looked for all possible ways to improve the process, the sites, and the user experience. There are many points that I like a lot and that have been improved significantly. My personal favorite is the new checkout page where we now have a clear design and a good user guidance which makes booking a transport way easier."

Which steps did you take in the redesign process?

Erik: "Over the past twelve months, we have gained a lot of insights into the use of modility through feedback discussions with customers and analytics data from the platform, especially from the pilot phase. We have collected, consolidated and evaluated this information and, in the next step, examined the areas where the greatest challenges für our users exist in the current status quo and how we can improve them. With these aspects in mind, we then went into a rigorous design process together with the development team as well as experts for user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). Once we had reached the point where the structure and design were clear, we could start with the actual development."

What was the biggest challenge during the project?

Erik: "The biggest challenge was and is certainly the diversity of the market. In the intermodal segment, we find ourselves in a very diverse and complex environment in terms of different roles and levels of experience among businesses. Of course, this is also reflected in our customer base and leads to very different requirements for the platform. In the new booking process, we had to bring these together in a way that works well and adds value for everyone."

What advantages does the new process bring for users?

Erik: "Quite a few! As I said, we had three central goals with the redesign: An easier and faster booking process, more transparency, and the mapping of different roles and requirements. For each of these topics, we put together a separate package of measures. A few examples: The design is now clearer and more consistent across the various pages, making it easier for users to focus on the actual job they are doing. A stepper at the top of each screen also indicates which phase of the booking process the user is currently in, whether it's transportation search, offer selection, or the actual booking. And we have managed to better reflect the various requirements, for example by giving users the choice of whether to first obtain general information on basic CT transport options by entering only start, destination and date into the basic search bar, or to start a detailed search right away, taking individual transport information such as weights, hazardous goods, etc. into account."

A few examples: The design is now clearer and more consistent across the various pages, making it easier for users to focus on the actual job they are doing. A stepper at the top of each screen also indicates which phase of the booking process the user is currently in, whether it's transportation search, offer selection, or the actual booking. And we have managed to better reflect the various requirements, for example by giving users the choice of whether to first obtain general information on basic CT transport options by entering only start, destination and date into the basic search bar, or to start a detailed search right away, taking individual transport information such as weights, hazardous goods, etc. into account."

How can we take a look at the new features now?

Erik: "The booking process is already live. This means that as a registered demander, you can now simply log in to the portal and get started by initiating a new transport search. Those who are not yet registered can do so at www.modility.com ."