Problem Space
Overview
Microclear Suite's Customs Management System
Customs Management System is a trade facilitation application which allows automation of customs operations and advanced customs management techniques using information analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The system helps goods carriers process customs & clearance, while offering customs officials access to submitted applications to review declarations and validate them. It allows different customs officials at different organisational levels to be connected and work in-sync on the same platform throughout the journey of any goods being exported or imported from one country to another.
Challenges
Key Challenges
Key challenges — legacy system pain points across usability, workflow, and technology
Design Approach
Collaborative, Lean
Collaboration was one of the key elements of the engagement. It was crucial that the design outputs were in coherence with multiple departments as well as the development teams so as each works under a focused goal.
The design strategy was more of a Goal Focused Design.
Understanding and Synthesis
Discovery
Understanding the Current System
To understand the domain and functional model, the focus was on putting all ears into listening to domain experts in e-services.
Key activities performed
User task flow maps Created to understand the main priority of each persona & department involved in the system.
Stakeholder workshops Performed with the stakeholders and core team to understand key pain points across the workflow.
Affinity mapping — insights clustered into themes: suggestive info-task, clear mental model, priority-based
Synthesis
Listing Down and Problem Definition
Listing Down
Listed expectations of end-users after reviewing the current system from a usability point of view. These helped gain a direction to evaluate the existing product.
Problem Definition
A workshop with the Agility team and stakeholders revealed the most critical problems. Open-ended questions, observations, and discussion helped to understand and detail out the workflow of the entire system.
Ideation and Prototyping
Hypothesis
Distinct information flow A system with distinct information flow showing real-time status of each goods consignment.
Role-based UI Show only the relevant content based on each user's role and organisational level.
Wizard-based approach Wizard-based form filling with the ability to drop off anywhere and resume when needed.
Prototyping
Initial Prototypes & Wireframes
Once the low-fi wireframes and information architecture was done, they were presented to stakeholders for feedback. Using low-fi wireframes and paper prototypes, feedback loops were shorter and much more effective.
At a later point, final hi-fidelity wireframes were created to flesh out different sections of the pages and get final buy-out from stakeholders and developers.
High-fidelity wireframes — customs declarations, validation workflows, and role-based views
Following stakeholder sign-off on wireframes, the visual design for the entire system was created — translating the structural decisions into a polished, role-appropriate interface.
Visual Design Specification
Full visual design document for the Microclear Suite customs management system — covering UI components, colour system, typography, and role-based screen layouts.
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Conclusion
Reflections
Key Learnings
What this project taught
Workshop-first mode A major portion of the work was in workshop mode — requiring constant presence on the floor, interacting with stakeholders and simultaneously churning out ideas in brainstorming exercises. A big opportunity to learn and think on the feet.
Designing for legacy applications Legacy applications are much more difficult than B2C, B2B, or standard enterprise apps — they've been in constant evolution from the client's functional requirements, leaving very little room for user-centred thinking.
Technology constraints are design constraints The technology stack is a crucial aspect of legacy applications — they are dated, and it's very difficult to agree on upgrading technology based on design changes alone. Learning the basics of the underlying technology before proposing modern interactions is essential.
Design thinking must be embedded in teams Design doesn't stop with screens and deliverables. It is more important to inculcate design thinking among the people working on applications every day — developers, sales people, and marketing teams alike.
“Design doesn't stop with a few screens and deliverables — it is more important to inculcate design thinking among the people working on the applications every day.”— Debashish Sahu, Project Lead