1.The project background

When I joined the fulfilment squad at an e-commerce company, I found that data on order tracking within the app was fragmented, and there was no existing research on customers' fulfilment journeys.

As a product designer, I organised a workshop with the research lead, squad product owner, and developers to collaboratively map out the complex fulfilment journeys from the customers’ perspective. We documented our assumptions, surfaced what we thought we knew, and gathered each team member’s research questions.

Through this process, we uncovered many unknowns and ambiguous problem areas that hindered our ability to design effective improvements. We agreed that foundational research was essential to close these knowledge gaps. Our research objective became to understand the end-to-end process, pinpoint moments of customer frustration, and learn how they navigated the issues they encountered.

2. The methodology

The PLATFORM

Doing a diary study is a rather new concept amongst Thai UX research community, as they can carries challenge of data collection consistency, with Thai participants’s tendency to require more frequent prompts for data submission. Aware of this challenge, we decided to use LINE, as a main communication channel between researchers and participants, of which also acted as a diary submission platform.

The HOW and WHO

Given that post-purchase journeys encompass various sub-journeys like order tracking, returns, refunds, and customer service interaction, I proposed conducting a month-long diary study with frequent buyers to capture this holistic experience across 3 main user groups; the food retailers, restaurant owners, and pro consumer (individual buyer).

3. Data collection and analysis

Collaborative insight analysis

We created a data collection board on Miro to capture an overview of the participants' experiences over a one-month period. Each researcher would come to put down key activities, remarks, emotions, and put sticky notes of what they have noticed.

After each week, we came together for a debrief session and cross-analysis. The board served as our space to discuss the commonality and differences of the issues found. As a result, we had fresh insight weekly to deliver in the product meeting session.

Diary prompt and follow up with participants

The team set up prompt schedule to ensure the customers submit their entries weekly. Once data is submitted, each researcher has their own "focus participants" they can analyse and find key insight on their own, while follow up with the participants when necessary.

New insights and evidence

• manual process invented by users to track missing products (e.g. external communication channel and artefacts like paper to track down and keep progress)

• how refund processes of different payment types are not intuitive, and require active actions from the users

• how little the users use order tracking feature in app, due to their unreliability and not up to expected frequency

4. The findings and outcome

Assumption validation

We observed common behaviour patterns and pain points across different user groups. By creating a heatmap to track problem frequency over time (with darker red indicating higher frequency), we validated our assumptions around issues like surprised out-of-stock situations and non-streamlined delivery events stemming from unreliable driver journeys.

The first foundational research for the product roadmap

These findings were shared and discussed with the post-purchase squad, leading to roadmap prioritisation sessions involving UX researchers, product owners, and tech leads.

5. My personal takeaways

1) Fulfilment is both a process and a feeling

This project illuminated how fulfilment is not just a destination but an evolving journey with peaks and valleys. Recognising this as both a process and an emotional experience helped shift the focus from creating purely outcome-driven solutions to ones that support users throughout their journey. This shift is a reminder to consider the journey’s emotional highs and lows when designing for meaningful, lasting user engagement.

2) Collaboration Multiplies Perspectives

Working closely with other researchers brought diverse perspectives to the project, from data analysis to storytelling. Collaborating with team members who approach the user journey from different angles enriched our understanding and led to more holistic solutions. This project underscored how diverse input can shape more comprehensive and empathetic outcomes.

3) Diary studies can be challenging but rewarding

Conducting a diary study proved to be a unique challenge, as this method is relatively new in Thailand’s research landscape. However, using familiar communication channels like LINE made it easier for participants to engage regularly, bridging the gap between their daily lives and the research process. This experience highlighted the value of adapting research methods to cultural contexts and using accessible tools to enhance participant comfort and data richness.