Project Overview
User Story
As an AWS Supply Chain user,
I want the ability to use my ERP data to receive insights on my supply chain data,
so that I can quickly take action on recurring and upcoming issues in my supply chain.
Project Summary
The primary application AWS Supply Chain’s first release was Inventory insights. The goal for the first release at Re:Invent 2022 was to provide our customers with ML and AI-driven insights using their current supply chain data.
Most companies have a core set of data that is a resource for the companies supply chain network. Data of this magnitude is managed by an ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning software, which is used to manage the day-to-day business activities such as procurement, risk management, supply chain operations, and more.
Every customer’s ERP helps users act on day-to-day operational goals and manage their duties on their current supply chain topology. What AWS Supply Chain provides customers is ML and AI-driven insights based on their current company’s data to help customers solve problems, measure financial impact of those problems, and provide resolution recommendations to help solve those problems quickly before they impact the bottom line.
Learning the space
Being Curious
First, I met the PM team and quickly started understanding the goals of the product and our users.
For release 1 we needed to establish a core set of functionality that can be delivered to our users as a minimum viable product. This core release will be the product that delivers ongoing enhancements across the globe to other regions Amazon supports.
Second, we need to work with users to quickly identify low-lift wins for the first release and begin a detailed backlog of features they would want to add in the future.
Lastly, we need to start looking ahead to what we will want to deliver 3+ releases out so we can ensure we are designing with the future in mind.
This initial phase of learning was done over the course of a few weeks and I quickly started working on some sketches on how the product could be delivered in GA.
Vision Building
First, I met the PM team and quickly started understanding the goals of the product and our users.
For release 1 we needed to establish a core set of functionality that can be delivered to our users as a minimum viable product. This core release will be the product that delivers ongoing enhancements across the globe to other regions Amazon supports.
Second, we need to work with users to quickly identify low-lift wins for the first release and begin a detailed backlog of features they would want to add in the future.
Lastly, we need to start looking ahead to what we will want to deliver 3+ releases out so we can ensure we are designing with the future in mind.
This initial phase of learning was done over the course of a few weeks and I quickly started working on some sketches on how the product could be delivered in GA.
Galaxy Design System
One of our main goals was to make sure this software didn’t look like anything else currently in the market. Supply Chain software is complex, dense, and though functional, isn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing. We wanted to make sure it was a step in a different direction as far as visual design goes. We constantly evaluated and adjusted our Design System based on feedback and requirements during the work to Re:Invent.
Process
Early Iterations
One of our main goals was to make sure this software didn’t look like anything else currently in the market. Supply Chain software is complex, dense, and though functional, isn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing. We wanted to make sure it was a step in a different direction as far as visual design goes. We constantly evaluated and adjusted our Design System based on feedback and requirements during the work to Re:Invent.
Sketches
Diagrams
Explorations
Mid-Project Iterations
As we started to get feedback from our Go to Market team, internal users, and Senior Executives it became clear we needed to drastically simplify the onboarding process. Our new goal was to be able to get Insights to users as quickly as possible. We then explored providing default ‘Watchlists’ to help customers get started using the product quickly and showing the user on their first time experience how to quickly create unique Watchlists depending on their work, area of responsibility, and desired granularity of the Insights to be provided.
Sketches
Delivered Designs
After countless additional iterations and executive reviews we started feeling confident on what we were going to provide at Re:Invent for Supply Chain Insights. From our previous iterations we moved our core set of release one features to the list below, with some detail.
Easy Onboarding
Quickly get the user from Invite to Insights. Without more set-up than a typical SaaS application, ensuring we get our users working with AWS Supply Chain Insight as quick as possible.
AWS Supply Chain Homepage + Insights Widget
Once onboarded, we wanted to give the user a way to quickly view their updated insight details before moving into the insights space. For the first release, there would only be a few primary applications. Still, in 2023 there will be over double that number, which is why we chose to widgetize the primary Dashboard vs. making the Insights Dashboard the primary view. Though insights will be a prominent piece of the AWS Supply Chain application, the long-term vision was the personalization of a homepage for each user to customize how they feel suits their needs.
Insights Manager
Create their own watchlists for Insights based on a few easy inputs
Manage their insights like tasks in a Kanban view
User a table view to sort by financial impact and time to impact
Insights Detail Pages
Once a user has identified an issue they may wish to dig deeper into the anamoly and resolve the issue. For our first release we provided the users with an Insight Detail page to provide details around the issue and recommendations to help solve it.
Network Map
In the supply chain space a commonly used UI is a Network Map. Part of introducing ourselves into the space with many long-term, established compnaies is to walk the line between providing familir components with style updates and usability enhancements along with new ways to think about their supply chain applications. One of the familiarity building components is the Network Map.
Users can use the Network Map to view their supply chain topology, drill in to the ‘Red’, and identify issues and move into solving them. The Network Map acts as an additional ingress to the Insight Detail pages as well as gives the user a broad view of their supply chain and area of ownership.
Inventory Visibility
AWS Supply Chain would inteligently display products and locations based on the users role and area of responsibility. From the feedback gathered, this was an essential piece of the puzzle for a first release. This helps users identify and confirm they are seeing the right products based on their role as well as lets them dig into details about the product, Insight or not, at any time
Follow Through
Now that we had closed in on what was above and below the line for launch at Re:Invent, we needed to move fast to get our engineering teams the final designs. Though they have been working with us closely during the entire design effort, we now needed to get them all the design guidance we could in a short amount of time to allow for a reasonable engineering runway.
Learnings
Humans
I learned that Supply Chain users are both creatures of habit and are also searching for better and easier ways to do their job. We aimed to get AWS SC Insights out quickly so we can start getting broader sets of feedback to improve the overall functionatlity and provide better ways to work for our users.
Process
- I have always had a very fluid process, and that has helped me be a successful designer in many different product areas, but what this launch helped me learn was the following.
- Presenting to leadership requires very detailed attention to every word and pixel.
- Being a Design Led organization comes with its benefits and its challenges
- Learning from all interactions across every piece of the team is critical to success
- Diagrams help; build, evaluate, and maintain
Myself as a Designer
- From the time I stepped onto the team through the massive hiring effort and now leading my team I have learned so much from this work and this project.
- I can design complex systems that scale far into the future
Follow-through is critical, not only for design delivery but everything I was responsible for - My experiences over the past 18 years were critical to my success
- Flexibility within reason helps when you support 8 tech teams
Next Steps
Fast Follows
Immediately after delivering to engineering, we needed to get working on delivering what would be our ‘fast-follow’ work. This work is a small set of features that we needed to get into the product before we open the product to the public or General Availability.
Next Steps
- Added filtering ability
- Inventory Detail Pages
- Enhancements on Inventory List View
- Segmentation filtering across the app
In Conclusion
In the end, it was pretty insane that I was able to be a part of this project. Looking way back when I was doodling buildings in San Francisco I would have never thought I would be a part of a team of this magnitude and talent. I was honored to have worked with so many talented people and customers through this project and can’t wait to use all the new things I learned.
-M