As the Export Intelligence team, we looked at how to use data to improve the entire export process from a service and UX perspective. With the vastness of the export ecosystem, including government regulators, exporters and 3rd parties, and industry bodies, this was the most complex project I’ve worked on. Adding to the complexity, we identified and developed solutions that we may not necessarily build and/or own.

Problem

Regulation of export processes, such as licensing and permit application and approval and on-site audits, demand much time and resources, and is slowed down more by out-dated and manual systems.

As part of the Export Congestion Busting program, our goal was to assist in transitioning Australian exports to adopting the Canadian export regulation ‘risk-based’ model, where exporters share more data about their actions with the regulation departments to show how they mitigate risks (contamination, etc.) to reduce the need for on-site audits, and to ultimately speed up the process.

My deliverables

I joined the team a year into the project for a 12 month contract to assist the Service Designer in 1) researching to identify opportunities to streamline the system for both regulatory staff and exporters to help shift toward the risk-based model, and to 2) design and test UX solutions.

Main stakeholders

Cross-departmental staff and experts in export regulation for all commodities (Meat, Dairy, Live Animal Exports, and Plants), exporters, and 3rd parties such as Freight Forwarders.

Projects

– Project 1: Design a data and insight section of the Export Service for exporters, both authenticated and unauthenticated views—Jump to project on page

– Project 2: Design a modernised, streamlined, and modular export licensing system that could be used by all commodities—Jump to project on page

While there was some exporter distrust of government handling of data, we wanted to understand what data they would be comfortable sharing and what they would want from the government in exchange.

Our first project was to design a data and insight section of the Export Service for exporters, both authenticated and unauthenticated views, to encourage data sharing to support the transition to the ‘Risk-based’ export model. (The idea had been validated with early concepts, we needed to now determine the specifics.)

1. Review previous exporter research to summarise customer needs and pains, and to create profiles to represent them in their absence
2. Map the export permit process using previous research and validating with regulatory staff to identify what data was available, systems used, and what exporter actions blocked their process
3. Interview exporter 3rd party administrators to 1) understand the different Exporter roles, responsibilities, and needs to inform potential profiles and permissions, and 2) what data they needed and wanted to streamline their process
4. Summarised business processes, data, and systems insights for the development team to inform system/process redesign
5. Design and test dashboard concepts

Analysis

I reviewed existing customer research to summarise customer needs and pains in applying for, monitoring, and collecting export licenses and permits.

Output

To summarise the insights, I created three exporter profiles to represent the three business sizes which was were the differences of needs and pains were.

To understand the regulation processes from the government staff’s perspective, I mapped their internal processes.

Using the profiles as guides, I designed a contextual research project and interviewed 3rd parties representing each of the three exporter profiles that processed the permits and license applications, to:
1. Map their process, technology, times, etc.
2. Hear their pains and needs
3. Capture manual/integrity breaks

Method:

1 round of 3 participants, one from each profile

1 hour contextual observation and interview

Verbatim:

Output

3rd Party Profiles

I created profiles to summarise and represent the needs and pains of 3rd party exporter administrators.

The Service Designer and I summarised our insights about the business processes, data, and systems insights for the development team to inform the system/process redesign

Using insights from the user interviews, I worked with the UX Designer to develop several concepts for the exporter dashboard, and we tested them with exporters and administrators.

Key things we wanted to know:

1. User-desirability of the concepts

2. How users engage with the concepts

3. Gauge users’ interest in seeing their own data visualised with industry and government data

4. Understand how industry data can be used

Method:

2 rounds of 6 participants

1 hour moderated

Interview, concept testing, card sorting

Concepts tested

Insights

Participant Snapshots

To make my research reusable by other teams, and to better understand the roles and responsibilities to all exporters, I created ‘participant snapshots’ of each tested participant.

Outcomes

As a team, we packaged our insights into handover documentation to give to the team who would build and own the exporter dashboard.

Although my contract completed before this work was completed, I can see how this work is still on the roadmap for the evolution of the export service.

After a project restructure and pivot the Export Intelligence team was reassigned to assist the Export Licensing team to deliver a vision for a modernised, streamlined service that could be broken down into delivery stages.

Our goal was to identify problems and opportunities that could then be prioritised.

The Service Designer and myself worked together to:
1. Map the export licensing process using previous research and validating with regulatory staff to identify what data was available, how it flowed, and what exporter actions blocked their process
3. Visit the Melbourne and Brisbane offices to conduct contextual observations of staff processing licenses and to understand the differences for each commodity
4. Design one modulated service that could be utilised by all commodities

1. Mapping the export licensing service

Key objectives of this mapping were to map:
1. The step-by-step processes for approving, renewing, revoking, and amending licenses for Meat products and Live Exports
2. The needs, pains, ideals, and opportunities of internal licensing staff

2. Staff envisioning exercise

We then ran an envisioning session with individuals from all levels to capture their ideas and wishes in regard to improving the licensing process and system.

3. Mapping needs, pains, and desires to high-level need statements

We then collated the insights and converted the needs and desires into high-level need statements

Insights

Clarifying the people of the export ecosystem

Visualising the two licensing teams as profiles to highlight similar needs and pains

Determining the similar challenges for both commodities to inform opportunities

An aspirational team profile

To guide the solutioning, and to highlight the specific solutions needed, I created a visual ‘Aspirational Team Profile’ as a snapshot of a future multi-commodity licensing team that merged the profiles together, and were combined with all the improvements and insights from the envisioning exercises.

Key service redesign recommendations

As a team, we packaged our insights into a Design Brief to guide feasibility, viability, and priority discussions, and e handed it over to the team who would build and own the exporter dashboard.