UI Design: Hackathon
At Ascent Global Logistics, I volunteered to partake in a Hackathon amongst employees, where we engaged in a dynamic inter-team competition. Our mission was to devise a fresh and inventive process or product that could be assimilated into Ascent's operational framework, with the aim of enhancing our business capabilities. In my team, comprised of five individuals with diverse skill sets, I assumed the role of the designated UI designer for our product. We were allotted three weeks to conduct preliminary research, design, and develop our concept, which we then presented before a panel of judges comprising of the CTO and four product managers. Our team's creation was a blockchain platform aimed at tracking company assets, thereby bolstering asset lifecycle management and ensuring optimal transparency and security with regard to every asset event.
Role: UI Designer
Tools Used: Figma
Project Duration: June 1st - June 22nd, 2022
Goals
Group Goal
Our proposed blockchain system would aim to achieve the following:
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Significantly reduce operational costs
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Safeguard the asset lifecycle of our fleet through enhanced protection and transparency
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Store asset data in a decentralized and distributed blockchain architecture, encrypted into small, digestible segments that can still be accessed even in the event of network malfunctions
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Enhance the security and transparency of maintenance transactions
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Bolster the accuracy and efficiency of asset recording, tracking, assignment, linkage, and data sharing
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Streamline the asset management approach to mitigate customer inquiries and complaints, thereby promoting a more seamless and user-friendly experience
Personal Goal
My personal objective was to conceptualize a design that would seamlessly integrate the multiple functions of our asset tracking blockchain, while simultaneously ensuring optimal usability for Ascent's diverse user groups. Moreover, I aimed to draw inspiration from existing web platforms utilized by Ascent users, while giving our design a fresh aesthetic that aptly reflects the cutting-edge nature of blockchain technology, and the industry-wide shift toward Web 3.
Responsibilities
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Meet with team daily to discuss design concepts and ideas
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Create mockups in Figma
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Create a simple prototype in Figma
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Assist creating final PowerPoint presentation
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Present design ideas and prototype to panel of judges
Ideation
Requirements
Within the blockchain, users needed to be able to complete the following transactions:
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How to create an asset on the block
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How to create transactions (maintenance)
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How to mine for our assets
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How to list assets
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Show asset history
Because these transactions were essential to our project, my designs centered around ideas of how users would be able to complete each of those transactions in a way that most of our target users would understand, since it was highly likely that our target users had very limited knowledge on what a blockchain was.
Inspiration
Peak
I remained committed to prioritizing the overall quality of the user experience. To achieve this objective, I drew upon Ascent's existing PEAK platforms as a source of inspiration, given that the target audience for our blockchain would likely comprise current PEAK users. I reviewed user interviews and testing data pertaining to the PEAK platforms to ensure that the voice of the user remained paramount in the development process. Furthermore, I leveraged the design elements and features of the PEAK platform as a means of informing my own creative decisions and ensuring optimal coherence and consistency throughout our suite of products.
Web 3
In light of the fact that our project involved the creation of a blockchain, I was keen to incorporate various web 3 trends into my design work. Building upon this aspiration, I also took inspiration from the ongoing experimentation of Ascent's design team with respect to incorporating dark mode into the PEAK platform. With these guiding principles in mind, I endeavored to create a visually-striking aesthetic that juxtaposed vibrant, eye-catching hues with cool, dark backgrounds.
Conclusion
Final Mockups
Final Presentation
The final presentation in front of the panel of judges and the other 3 teams occurred on Friday June 17th, 2022. We presented the demo of our product and then were asked a range of questions from the judges from design choices, functionality, purpose, implementation time and cost for the company, and team member contributions. We felt like we sufficiently answered all of the questions asked and ensured everyone’s contributions were represented in our answers. Speaking for myself I was very nervous about our demo considering we had such a limited amount of time which prevented the developers on my team from really finishing the UI as I had designed it. Despite the setback in UI, the developers on my team did an absolutely amazing job at creating the blockchain and ensuring it was a fully functional product, while still doing their best to modify the UI with the limited time they had. Below you can see screenshots of the final product that was presented to the judges.
The Winners
WE WON 1ST PLACE!!
Looking back, I really do appreciate the creativeness of my team and willingness to go the extra mile to learn about blockchain when we knew absolutely nothing about it before starting this project. Working with my team was definitely a highlight of my time at Ascent!