UPS WorldShip is a public software made to quickly process a large number of packages from multiple desktops. This new feature updates the customer's package description based on a series of questions and responses to assess the tariff code for accurate customs fees to be paid.
This enhancement was completed in a month. The goal was to create an interface where the customer can update their package contents' description without necessarily knowing the correct harmonized tariff code for accurate customs fees to be assessed. I worked as the designer working with product managers and marketing team groom potential features and ultimately provide to engineering for development.
When shipping internationally, customs fees are assessed based on the contents of the package. The description is matched against the HTS (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) Code Library and assigned an HTS Code. This code is associated with regulations and fees if applicable. If the description is not accurate or too broad, the customer could be charged incorrectly or have issues receiving their package. UPS also has to staff raters to contact customers by phone to obtain this accurate information.
By designing a questionnaire that reacts to the previous answer submitted, a more accurate description can be entered for submission to Customs. This approach would allow the customer to get their package faster and save UPS time and money by reducing the need to directly question customers about their shipment contents.
Collaborating with product managers and marketing, we defined the user flow to allow users to select which descriptions they want to update when their shipment contains multiple commodities. Users have the option to skip commodities and review the new description before proceeding to the next one. Once all the questions have been answered, the user has the option to save the updated descriptions to the shipment or discard them and exit.
The product and marketing teams wanted the pop-up window to have the same aesthetic as UPS WorldShip, which mimics older Windows UI's. The example flow demonstrates updating a description for clothing.
After a discussion and demo with marketing, we decided to expand the 'Other' option to list additional choices in a dropdown, reducing the number of screens users need to navigate. ‘Skip Commodity’ and ‘Cancel’ buttons were also added with modals that confirm if the user wants to skip or cancel, respectively.
Following a second discussion and demo with marketing, we agreed to add a 'Review' button, enabling users to return to the beginning of the questions for a selected commodity to review their answers. 'Additional Options' was also renamed to 'Something Else' to align with the language used on UPS.com.
In the final prototype for the project, I added the ability to select which descriptions the user wanted to work on by adding checkboxes. This gives the user more flexibility in which descriptions they want to update.
Initial reception has been great so far. We have recorded a 40% increase of detailed descriptions that have HTS codes assigned when the shipment is initially logged in WorldShip. Since more shipments have been accurately described, there has been a 15% decrease in calls to customers to gather this information.
