Case Story
Transforming Mercury's Shipping Logistics Experience:
Leading UX Design to Deliver The Firm's First Client-Facing Portal
- Role
- UX Design Consultant – Research, Strategy & Cross-Team Alignment
- Teams
- Boston-based UX & Product Team with Engineering in Turkey
- Timeframe
- January 2023 to April 2023 ( Beta launch support )
- Key Contributions
-
- Synthesized client research into actionable UX insights
- Refined portal workflows, layouts, and components in Figma
- Bridged communication between U.S. UX/Product and Turkey-based Dev teams
- Facilitated journey mapping and alignment workshops
- Design Impact
-
- Enabled an on-time, under-budget Beta launch
- Improved usability and clarity for shipment tracking and initiation
- Established a research-driven foundation for future portal iterations
- Organizational Value
-
- Increased cross-team efficiency and reduced design bottlenecks
- Strengthened collaboration between international UX, Product, and Engineering
- Delivered cultural feedback to support long-term UX maturity
Client
Mercury Business Services — https://shipmercury.com — Boston, Massachusetts
A Boston-based logistics company specializing in time- and temperature-sensitive shipping for the healthcare and life sciences sectors.
My Role
UX Design Consultant — Embedded to support an under-resourced UX team in designing and delivering Mercury’s first enterprise client portal. Responsibilities included research synthesis, design strategy, prototyping, and cross-functional collaboration.
Background
Mercury set an ambitious goal: launch its first client-facing portal to streamline shipping, tracking, and communication while preserving the personalized service its clients valued. With only a few months remaining before the Beta release, I was brought in to help accelerate design efforts, maintain momentum, and remove bottlenecks across teams in Boston and Istanbul.
Key Contributions
- Research Analysis Actionable Insights
- Reviewed and synthesized eight client interview recordings.
- Mapped feedback in Notably to identify themes: demand for real-time tracking, transparency, reliability, and easy shipment initiation.
- Converted insights into prioritized design recommendations aligned with business objectives.
- Design Execution & Optimization
- Collaborated in Figma to refine workflows, screens, and components.
- Balanced adherence to Mercury’s design system with targeted enhancements—introducing improved layouts, iconography, and UX patterns.
- Anticipated translation needs ( e.g., German character lengths ) and flagged design-related risks early.
- Cross-Functional Alignment
- Served as a bridge between the Boston UX/Product team and the Turkey-based engineering team.
- Consolidated feedback, clarified requirements, and resolved design inconsistencies to keep development on track ahead of the code freeze.
- Advocated for small, high-impact usability adjustments that improved the client experience without jeopardizing timelines.
- Strategic Facilitation & Culture Support
- Helped run a virtual journey-mapping workshop to align executives, UX, logistics, and engineering around the end-to-end customer experience.
- Shared operational observations that promoted stronger team collaboration, clearer communication, and improved decision-making.
Results
- Stakeholder Discovery & Buy-In
Initiated early conversations with the MassArt Made store manager and staff, learning their goals and identifying opportunities for innovation during the store setup phase. - Research-Driven Design:
Ensured the portal’s core workflows addressed user needs while maintaining Mercury’s high-touch brand. - Improved Cross-Team Efficiency:
Reduced friction between U.S. and international teams, accelerating delivery - Foundation for Growth:
Delivered documented insights, recommendations, and design artifacts that informed future portal iterations.
