Besender
A central hub for managing on-site repair operations.
Supporting service centers in over 45 countries, Besender is a one-stop after sales solution for consumer electronics devices, smart home appliances, and IoT product. Specializing in diagnostics, repairs, and logistics, Besender streamlines after-sales operations through its technology-driven platform.
Role:
UI/UX Intern
Industry:
After-Sales, BMS, Repair
Duration:
Sep 2024 - Dec 2024 (4 months)
CONTEXT
As a UI/UX intern at Besender, my mission was to redesign the central service management platform used by on-site repair professionals in warehouses.
The BMS mobile App is integral to their daily operations, handling everything from tracking repair orders, quality inspections, material management, and machine handling.
The original platform, developed by engineers without hands-on repair experience, overlooked the day-to-day challenges repair professionals face on-site. My role involved identifying pain points within the current workflow and delivering design solutions that improved usability through addressing the practical needs of users.
THE PROBLEM
Design Challenge
How might we redesign key actions in the system to better support the practical needs of on-site repair person?
CURRENT FLOW
The original system was primarily function-driven, with minimal attention paid to design aesthetics.
The lack of visual emphasis with software engineers’ lack of on-field repair experience further contributed to the misalignment. This disconnect made it difficult for users to seamlessly integrate the app into their daily workflows, hindering the app's overall effectiveness in the field. Addressing this gap required a deeper understanding of repair professionals’ unique challenges and workflows, which informed the redesign to better align with user needs and expectations.
RESEARCH
User Interviews
To build a solid foundation of understanding, I realized that gaining direct, hands-on experience was crucial, as I was entirely new to the repair industry. Rather than relying on surveys or online interviews, I decided to visit the warehouse in Ontario to immerse myself in the environment and observe the repair process firsthand.
I shadowed repair technicians as they worked, observing the intricacies of repairing e-scooters and other devices. In addition to shadowing, I conducted in-depth interviews with the professionals, asking questions that helped uncover pain points, inefficiencies, and areas where the app could better support their needs. This hands-on approach gave me valuable, firsthand insights into their challenges and helped me identify key areas where the app could better support their needs.
Asking the right questions
The interviews questions were structured around several key areas in order to capture a complete picture of users' experiences with the current tool.
To map out the entire workflow and identify key steps, tools used, and potential bottlenecks
To uncover unnecessary steps that could be eliminated or streamlined in the system.
To identify pain points in the specific task of data entry and documentation.
To prioritize what information should be displayed prominently in the interface.
To identify significant pain points and areas of dissatisfaction.
To uncover gaps in the system and opportunities to bring external tasks into the platform.
To account for real-world factors like limited space, lighting, or weather that might impact design decisions.
To understand how users prioritize tasks and how the system can better support urgent workflows.
To assess collaboration needs and opportunities for integration of communication tools.
User research insights, gathered through in-depth interviews and observations, identified the following issues as the most prominent challenges for users in the repair process:
Lots of Complex Steps and Redundant Processes
The workflow within the app is unnecessarily complicated, with many steps that are either redundant or involve repetitive actions. Users are forced to repeat similar tasks or re-enter the same information multiple times, leading to inefficiencies.
Better User Interface Design
Key functions and elements are not visually prioritized, which leads to confusion about the app’s hierarchy and navigation structure. Users struggle to find what they need quickly, as the interface does not provide a logical flow or clear visual cues.
Insufficient Consideration of On-Site Conditions
The app does not take into account the challenging conditions repair professionals face when working in warehouses. Factors such as limited connectivity, physical constraints, and the need for quick, hands-free access to information are not sufficiently addressed in the design.
USER STORIES & EPICS
Translating User Needs into Actionable Features
Building on the insights from user interviews, I converted the identified needs into practical user stories. These stories were then categorized into five overarching epics, creating a clear framework that captured the platform’s intended user experience. To ensure that development was focused on the most impactful improvements, I prioritized the features based on user feedback, rating each one on a scale from 1 to 5 according to its importance. This approach provided a structured, data-driven roadmap for enhancing the platform’s functionality and usability.
DESIGN PROCESS
Low Fidelity Ideation
At this stage, I focused on creating simple sketches and wireframes to define the basic layout and user flow of the app. I mapped out key changes in user flow, such as the work order overview, repair input and data entry screens, material parts lookup and request interface, and the progress monitoring function.
User Testing
To assess the prototype’s usability and effectiveness, we conducted preliminary testing through a Qualtrics survey, reaching 35 individuals. The goal was to gather feedback on the overall user experience, identify any areas of confusion, and uncover potential inconsistencies. This testing provided valuable insights into how users interacted with the prototype, highlighting key areas for improvement.
Progress Bar
The old workflow had many repetitive steps, but technical constraints prevented reducing them. To address this, I worked with engineers and introduced a progress bar, which improved structure, reduced cognitive load, and made the process feel shorter and less frustrating.
Users rated 4.7 out of 5 in terms of usefulness
75% of users felt that knowing their current stage in the workflow reduced frustration
SKU Parts Filtering
Previously, users had to scroll through a long list of SKUs from multiple regions, making it difficult to find the right part quickly. To streamline this, I introduced region-specific SKU filtering and a feature that prioritizes the most-used SKUs at the top of the list.
Users rated the feature 4.8 out of 5 in terms of usefulness
82% of users reported that finding the correct part was now much faster
FINAL SOLUTION
Onboarding
An onboarding process was added, featuring a set of questions designed to gather user preferences and key information.
This helps create a more tailored experience, ensuring that the platform better supports the user’s specific needs and workflows during on-site operations.
Work Orders
Streamlined work order creation allow for quick and easy creation of repair tasks.
This helps organize job details efficiently, ensuring that repair professionals can access and manage work orders with minimal effort even when handling multiple tasks at once.
Uninterrupted Workflow
Repair professionals need the flexibility to work without disruption.
Whether dealing with accidental taps, unexpected interruptions, or unstable network connections, maintaining progress should be effortless.
Learnings
1. Immersion and Empathy
There’s no substitute for direct exposure to the user’s environment. Stepping onto the repair floor and observing workflows firsthand provided a depth of understanding that no survey or secondhand report could match.
Watching users interact with the system revealed subtle frustrations and inefficiencies that they didn’t always articulate in interviews.
A hands-on approach not only led to more intuitive design solutions but also built trust with users, reinforcing that their input was valued and integral to the product’s evolution.
Instead of conducting rigid interviews, I found that casual, natural conversations encouraged users to open up about their struggles—often revealing unexpected opportunities for meaningful improvements.
2. Ask, Ask, Ask!
Coming into this project, I had no prior knowledge of repair workflows or the challenges I would encounter. Despite the steep learning curve, I quickly realized that asking the right questions—again and again—was the key to making informed design decisions. Engaging directly with on-site repair professionals and team members allowed me to confidently navigate uncertainties and take meaningful next steps.
Consistently asking “why” and “how” helped clarify user needs, uncover hidden pain points, and align technical feasibility with design priorities.
An open, inquisitive approach fostered collaboration and surfaced valuable insights that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Thanks for reading till the end!
Some screens are not displayed due to NDA protection.
Please feel free to reach out for further details of the project.
