Background
Sea Wolf Bakers in Seattle, WA, specializes in high-end baked goods for retail consumers and wholesale to local restaurants. Sales are split 60/40 between the two, tracking sales data is complex.
Insighting incident - The workflow
Managers at Sea Wolf use a static PDF to track sales for production planning, which doesn't update dynamically causing workflow issues. My task was to transform this into an intuitive interface.
Closer look at the workflow
After examining the workflow, bakery layout, and personas, it became clear that everyone uses the information differently. The current method of using sales data for production lacked flexibility.
Problem confirmation
Bakers use various bake sheets as daily prep lists. Delivery drivers need scannable documents for smooth deliveries. Ownership wants filterable on-demand data for planning and assigning work. Understanding personas was crucial for identifying each worker's data usage.
Who does it well?
Stripe is the gold standard among the management team at Sea Wolf for sales report visualization. It has a clean interface with options that make sense for tracking sales report information while giving control to filter by several variables.
Opportunity - Preliminary designs
I mapped interactions and created base components based on workflow insights:
Bakers need weekly sales data for production planning.
Management needs customizable data outputs to assign work.
Delivery drivers need data based on time and day.
Retail associates need sector and product based data.
Solutions
Final screens involved three flows, filtering by sector, by product and filtering by date range.
Measurable Impacts
While this project did not proceed to the development phase, it could have delivered measurable value by improving the accuracy of production reporting and minimizing bakery production waste. Here’s an overview of the measurable outcomes I would have focused on if the project had been fully realized:
Metrics and Goals
The primary objective of this system was to provide clear, accurate sales and production reports to optimize daily production. To quantify the impact, I would have tracked:
Waste Reduction: Baseline production waste data would be collected, followed by consistent tracking post-implementation.
Accuracy of Reporting: Improvements in data entry and reduction in manual errors, which would directly reduce time spent on correcting reports.
Efficiency Gains: Time saved in report generation and daily decision-making.
Pre- and Post-Launch Analysis:
To validate the system's effectiveness, I would have gathered and analyzed key production and sales data before and after launch. This analysis would help quantify any reduction in waste and improvement in reporting accuracy, providing actionable insights into production adjustments needed for minimizing overproduction.
Reduction in Production Waste: Accurate, timely sales reports would enable the bakery to adjust production based on demand, reducing excess baked goods and waste.
Time Savings for Staff: By simplifying data entry and generating quick, clear reports, the new interface would free up bakery staff’s time, allowing them to focus on core responsibilities rather than administrative tasks.
Improved Forecasting: Enhanced reporting accuracy would allow for better forecasting of ingredient needs, improving the bakery's inventory management and further reducing the risk of waste from unused ingredients.
