Cog - Waste Services Streamlined

COG was founded by CEO Chris Budnik, my colleague at Heiroom. As a waste industry executive, he witnessed firsthand how inefficient management at production plants led to excess costs in the thousands each month. He founded COG to automate and centralize the process of requesting, itemizing, and logging waste removal services at production plants.

COG is a two pronged platform with a front-end invoice requesting system for factory floor workers and a back-end management system for administrators. As the UI/UX Designer for this project, I conducted user research, developed COG’s framework, and prototyped the system in Figma.

My role

UI / UX Designer (Freelance)

User Researcher

Pitch Deck Designer

Date

January 2023 - May 2023

How might WE…

create a tool to increase efficiency and accountability in the invoicing process?

Discovery Research

Step 1:

My first step was to understand the problem facing the users. For this project, I conducted an expert interview with Chris Budnik to understand the current process of requesting invoices and the problems with this system. I also conducted a task analysis based on this interview, and additional market research to understand the scope of the issue.

Findings:

64% of Manufacturers still rely on manual checks to detect invoice errors.

US Government Accountability Office, Summary of GAO’s Performance and Accountability Report, Fiscal Year 2012

duplicate invoices cost mid-size businesses up to $300,000 annually.

KPMG; Low Tech Approach to High Risk Challenges, KPMG Pulse Survey results from the 2012 RSA Archer GRC Summit; June 2012

There is not currently a centralized platform to handle invoicing.

via Expert Interview

Invoices are handled with each vendor separately, leading to lapses in communication.

via Expert Interview

Step 2:

Task Analysis

Based on my expert interview with Chris Budnik, I conducted a task analysis for requesting and invoicing for services. This process seemed needlessly complicated, so I needed to understand how COG could increase efficiency and accountability for all parties.

Without COG

Takeaways:

With COG

Based on this analysis, I determined that COG would streamline the process of requesting and invoicing for services, allowing production plants to complete the process in fewer steps. Additionally, COG would increase communication efficiency by requiring fewer parties to directly communicate and hand off information.

Additionally, an automated system like COG could eliminate duplicate invoicing by blocking floor workers from requesting a service which has already been filed through COG. Based on these findings, I proceeded with my development of the COG system.

Site Map

Step 3:

Based on my task analysis, I created a site map of the COG app. Chris requested that it include a mobile front-end interface where factory floor workers could request services, and a desktop back-end interface where administrators could set up the infrastructure for their specific plant and access an overview of their invoices.

Step 4:

Final Designs

After completing the site map, I created a high-fidelity prototype of the COG system that was ready for development. These included over 50 mobile screens for the front-end interface, and 30 desktop screens for the back-end interface.

It’s a tool, not an experience

Throughout the process, I kept in mind that COG is a utilitarian tool, not a branded experience, so extraneous design design details would only serve to visually complicate and otherwise slow down the user. I used a limited color palette, consisting of mostly white and grey with accents in COG’s signature green hue. Other small color accents draw the user’s eye across the page to important details and buttons.

Information Hierarchies

COG provides users with lots of information: service request numbers, request types, dates and times, and completion status are all necessary metrics to have on hand. When designing, I considered what the most important information was, and displayed that front and center on high level cards. More detailed information is available at the click of a button. This keeps the design visually clean but informative at a glance.

Task Flows

COG is all about efficiency. To facilitate the process of requesting service from the mobile COG app, I implemented intuitive step-by-step processes for ensuring services are fulfilled. Users begin with large details (like what kind of service is being requested) before filling in granular details (like task priority and additional notes).

Modular & Expandable

COG is not a one-size-fits-all model; production plants can set up their own infrastructure within the COG system to accommodate their actual needs. For this reason, I made COG’s back-end modular and infinitely expandable. Administrators can add new infrastructure, vendors, and employees with ease.

An Integrated System

COG’s front-end and back-end systems are designed to work together. The services and contacts available on the front-emd are dictated by what the administrators create in the back-end. The connection between the two systems is reinforced through common language, visual cues, and layouts.

Conclusion

COG is a simple system that effectively tackles a complex issue. The front-end eases the user’s cognitive load, allowing them to efficiently complete tasks without having to divert attention to figure out the interface. The back-end panel allows for higher executive system organization through modular, interconnected building blocks.

The process of designing COG reinforced the importance of conducting user research on individuals with industry experience when designing an interface. As someone with no prior familiarity to the waste service industry, my conversations with Chris Budnik, my task analysis, and site maps proved invaluable in creating COG.

COG is currently awaiting funding to continue with development past the prototype stage.