Driver Mobile App
All-In-One Driver App for Freight, Pay, Routes & Real-Time Support
Enterprise driver mobile app designed to centralize loads, documents, pay, and support in a single experience. As Lead Senior UI/UX Designer, I owned the end-to-end lifecycle—from discovery and journey mapping to Figma system, accessibility, and analytics instrumentation.
A single starting point for drivers to see their next load, route, weather, messages, and pay—all in one glance.
Research & discovery
Methods
- Ride-along interviews with solo & team drivers to capture real-world workflows on the road.
- Contextual inquiry with dispatch, safety, and payroll to understand cross-team dependencies.
- Audit of legacy apps, SMS threads, and portals to map where information was fragmented.
Insights
- Drivers were juggling 4+ channels (calls, SMS, printed trip sheets, portals) to understand each load.
- Most “urgent” issues were actually gaps in visibility—status, appointments, and pay detail.
- Drivers want clarity and predictability more than “features”; anything complex gets ignored.
Risks
- Multiple business units and fleets had slightly different rules and workflows for loads and pay.
- Cell coverage and device performance varied widely, requiring offline-friendly patterns.
- Trust in prior tools was low, so adoption depended on visible reliability and transparent pay.
Problem
- Drivers lacked a single, up-to-date source of truth for loads, routes, and stop details.
- Documents and PODs were often late or incomplete, delaying billing and settlements.
- Dispatch and driver support were overloaded with basic questions about pay, ETAs, and appointments.
Goals
- Give drivers a clear “start of day” experience: what’s my load, where am I going, and when?
- Reduce support calls by surfacing self-service answers inside each load and pay screen.
- Increase on-time deliveries and document completeness without adding friction to the trip.
Driver journey we designed around
Driver logs in to see today’s loads, appointments, route, and any critical alerts.
- Start-of-day summary with first load, time windows, and key stops.
- Weather and routing indicators surfaced before leaving the yard.
Driver reviews stop sequence, instructions, and equipment requirements before rolling.
- Tap-through checklist for equipment, seals, and trailer notes.
- Instructions grouped by stop with clear “must read” callouts.
En-route updates, time changes, and issues are managed in one place.
- Timeline view of stops with clear current / next state.
- In-context messages from dispatch tied to the active load.
POD capture, signatures, and load exceptions are captured at the dock.
- Guided POD capture with auto-enhance and blur detection.
- Per-stop document checklist to avoid missing pages.
Driver reviews settlement, bonuses, and home-time plan without calling payroll.
- Trip-by-trip pay breakdown with clear line items.
- Projected settlement and upcoming home-time visible at a glance.
User journey map — steps & emotions
Observed emotions during moderated tests and pilot launch across core driver tasks.
Driver launches the app at the start of the day to see what’s on deck.
- Home shows next load, ETA, and important alerts in one card.
- Clear “Today” vs “Upcoming” split reduces scanning effort.
Driver checks pickup, delivery windows, and special instructions.
- Stop list shows addresses, appointment types, and gate codes.
- “What’s expected” section summarizes key requirements.
At the shipper, the driver checks in and loads freight.
- Dock details and phone numbers surfaced on the active stop.
- We added clearer cues after testing showed missed instructions.
Driver captures signatures and paperwork at delivery.
- Camera flow guides angle, cropping, and quality in real-time.
- Inline “Looks blurry?” prompts reduce rejected documents.
After the trip, driver verifies pay and mileage.
- Pay breakdown card ties each line item back to loads and stops.
- “Report an issue” opens a guided, structured support flow.
Drivers look ahead to home-time and future loads.
- Home-time requests and approvals visible alongside upcoming loads.
- Reduced uncertainty about when they’ll be back with family.
Driver login & 2-way authentication — secure mobile access (5 screens)
This flow highlights how drivers securely sign in from the cab—using mobile-friendly forms, clear error states, and 2-way authentication that balances security with speed.
Drivers land on a focused welcome screen with “Sign in” and secondary help links. Typography, contrast, and spacing are tuned for quick scanning in the cab.
Email and password fields trigger the right OS keyboards, include show/hide password, inline validation, and accessible labels for screen readers and switch controls.
Drivers pick SMS code, authenticator app, or push notification. Each option explains speed and reliability so drivers choose what fits their device and coverage.
A 6-digit OTP screen uses auto-advance fields, numeric keyboard, countdown timer, and a clear “Resend code” pattern. Errors are explained in plain language with no jargon.
After first successful login, drivers can enable Face ID / fingerprint and choose to trust the device for a limited time window—reducing friction while preserving security.
Load Board search — driver user flow (5 screens)
This flow walks through how a driver finds and books their next load in the mobile app—from search filters to confirmation. Use these screens to highlight the end-to-end experience in your portfolio.
Driver taps Load Board from the home screen and sees saved search presets with origin, radius, and date range pre-filled.
Driver adjusts filters for miles, rate, equipment, and home-time preferences, then saves the combination as a reusable preset.
Card-based results surface route, rate, distance, and timing up front so drivers can scan and shortlist the best options quickly.
Dedicated details screen shows stops, appointment windows, special instructions, and estimated pay so drivers can make an informed decision.
Driver confirms the load, sees a success state, and is taken back into the trip view with their new assignment clearly marked as “Next up”.
End-to-end UI/UX journey & outcomes
The app is structured around the real trips drivers run every day. Each stage of the journey has explicit UX improvements tied to measurable metrics.
| Journey stage | UX improvements | Impact & KPIs |
|---|---|---|
| Plan the day | Start-of-day dashboard with today’s load, appointments, and route; clear separation of “Today” vs “Upcoming” and high-signal alerts (weather, detours, documents). |
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| Execute load | Timeline-based load view with current / next stop, tap-to-call, and in-context messages pinned to each load. |
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| Documents & POD | Guided camera flow with auto-enhance, blur detection, and per-stop document checklists. |
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| Pay & settlements | Trip-based pay details, projected settlement, and structured “Report an issue” flow that captures load, stop, and context automatically. |
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Analytics, events & feedback loops
To measure impact and guide iterations, I defined an event model for GA4 and created dashboards aligned to driver and operations KPIs.
| Area | Key events | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Home & orientation |
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| Load execution |
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| Documents & POD |
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| Pay & issues |
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Qualitative feedback from driver councils and Hotjar in-app surveys validated where to invest next: home-time visibility, lane preferences, and better surfacing of repeat stops and “favorite” routes.
Design system highlights
Color & density
Brand and accent colors optimized for cab environments (glare, low light) with AA contrast. Components tuned for touch targets at 44px+.
Typography & layout
Type scales and clamp-based headings for small devices. Card-based layout keeps critical info near the thumb zone.
Components & states
Status chips, load cards, message previews, alert banners, and document states built as reusable variants to support future features.
Accessibility & inclusive design
| Area | Standard | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color & contrast | WCAG 2.2 AA | Met | High-contrast themes for cab glare; all text & icons meet AA contrast. |
| Touch targets | 2.5.5 | Met | Minimum 44px touch targets; thumb-zone placement for primary actions. |
| Keyboard & switch | 2.1.1 | Met | Flows are navigable via external keyboard / switch controls for some drivers. |
| Semantics & labels | ARIA / HTML | Met | Descriptive labels, roles, and accessible names on all interactive elements. |
| Motion & haptics | 2.3.1 / prefers-reduced-motion | Met | Subtle motion only; respects OS “reduce motion”; haptics limited to key confirmations. |
| Offline / low-bandwidth | Robustness | Review | Critical details cached locally; additional work planned on error states in dead zones. |
Need a Senior UI/UX designer for driver experiences?
I help transportation and logistics teams build driver apps that reduce friction, cut support calls, and earn driver trust—backed by analytics, accessibility, and strong UI systems.