# Distribution Center Operations: Designing operational visibility across mobile and desktop

UX case study by Rita Omatsone, Senior UX & Product Designer. https://ritaomatsoneux.com/work/distribution-center-ops

> A cross-platform operations experience for Lowe's distribution centers: focused workflows on Zebra handhelds for the floor, dashboards for managers, and one system of roles, exceptions and reusable components connecting them.

- **Domain:** Warehouse operations
- **Year:** 2022
- **Platform:** Zebra handheld, desktop, tablet, kiosk
- **Role:** Lead Product Designer
- **Users:** Regional distribution center managers, supervisors and associates
- **Platforms:** Zebra handhelds, desktop, tablet and kiosk
- **Scope:** Dashboards, mobile workflows, exception management, permissions, components

## Results

- **40%** less navigation time per user
- **90%** of managers moved to the new system in 60 days
- **60%** fewer permission misconfigurations
- **$3.2M** estimated annual savings

## The challenge

Distribution centers run on fast decisions. Associates and supervisors need the right information on the floor, while managers need to see performance, trends and exceptions across the whole operation.

I led UX for an operations experience spanning **Zebra handheld devices, desktop dashboards and kiosk interfaces**. The challenge was to support very different needs without forcing every user into the same workflow.

**Different roles, different needs**

- **On the floor:** Associates and supervisors need quick access to what matters for the task in hand, and a way to respond to exceptions where they happen.
- **In the office:** Managers and office teams need a broader view of performance, trends and the issues that need attention.
- **One system:** A single interface could not serve every context. The design had to account for how people work, what they need to see and what they are responsible for.

> The goal: help teams move from reactive problem-solving to proactive operational management.

## Understanding the context

People interact with operational software very differently depending on where they stand. On the floor, rugged handhelds support quick, task-focused interactions. In offices and at kiosks, people can work with larger dashboards and more detail. These differences shaped the whole cross-platform approach.

![Diagram: floor workflows on Zebra handhelds for associates and supervisors, dashboards on desktop, tablet and kiosk for managers, connected by role-based access, exceptions and shared components](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/context-map-1200.webp)

- **Mobile:** Focused workflows that help floor teams access information and act on operational exceptions.
- **Desktop and kiosk:** Broader visibility into operational status, performance trends and what needs oversight.
- **Role-based access:** Information and available actions aligned with each person's responsibilities and permissions.

## Design direction

I approached the experience as a **connected operational system** rather than a set of independent screens. Three principles framed the exploration across mobile and desktop.

- **Prioritize exceptions** (Focus on what needs attention): Surface the issues that need attention, so teams spend their time resolving problems instead of searching through information.
- **Design for the context** (Floor and office are different): Adapt the interaction model to the device and environment. A supervisor on the floor has different needs from a manager reviewing a dashboard.
- **Reuse by default** (Consistent components): Use one set of patterns for tables, tabs, filters and status indicators, while letting each experience serve its own purpose.

## Bringing visibility to the floor

### Decision 01 · Mobile workflows for Zebra handhelds

Supervisors and associates rely on Zebra handhelds while they work. The mobile experience needed focused interactions in a compact interface, so people could reach what was relevant to their task without navigating a complex workflow. I designed workflows that brought key operational information and exception-related actions onto the handheld.

**The handheld app, tab by tab**

![Zebra handheld launcher with yard, pick and ship, cycle count, receiving and My DC apps](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-launcher-1200.webp) Launcher on the Zebra device
![My Supply Chain Red Vest app home with receiving, velocity, switcher, My DC, DC issues and yard](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-home-1200.webp) App home
![Alerts tab: recent alerts as colored cards with counts, then alerts grouped by area](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-alerts-1200.webp) Alerts first
![Alerts tab with priority tags on each metric](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-alerts-2-1200.webp) Priority tags
![Yard tab with yard updates expanded: cube on yard, lines, cube per line and POs on hold](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-yard-1200.webp) Yard
![Yard tab with PO information expanded by PO type](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-yard-po-1200.webp) Yard · PO information
![Inbound tab with the receiving schedule expanded](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-inbound-1200.webp) Inbound
![Building tab with allocated building picks expanded and priority tags](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-building-1200.webp) Building
![Facility tab with shift performance metrics and priority levels](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-facility-1200.webp) Facility · shift performance
![Building update with location utilization: on hand, available and percent full](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-utilization-1200.webp) Location utilization
![Outbound picks with a pick zone selector and its work assignments](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-pickzone-1200.webp) Pick zones
![Outbound work in progress with cartons staged by zone, totals and the missing carton summary](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-outbound-1200.webp) Outbound in progress
![Data load error banner with the last update time and a refresh link](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/m-error-1200.webp) When data fails to load
*One tab per area of the building, each a stack of expandable metric groups. Priority tags carry the exception, so a supervisor sees what needs attention before reading a single number.*

- Information organized for a small screen
- Key statuses and actions that are easy to spot
- Simple navigation between related workflow steps
- Quick access to everything around an exception

> The handheld experience reflects floor operations: focused workflows and relevant information, not a shrunken desktop interface.

## Visibility across operations

### Decision 02 · Desktop and kiosk dashboards

Managers and office-based users need the bigger picture. Desktop and kiosk screens allowed operational information to be organized into dashboards for oversight and trend analysis, with a clearer visual hierarchy for scanning and comparison.

![Manager dashboard for one distribution center: yard demand chart, facility inventory and location utilization, special order and customer order picks, inbound status and outbound picks by zone](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-home-1200.webp)
*One page per distribution center: yard, facility, orders, inbound and outbound, each with a link into its full report. Threshold and pick zone settings sit in the top right menu.*

**From launcher to configuration**

![Launcher grouping every distribution center tool into operations, support, reporting and additional tools](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-launcher-1200.webp) Launcher for every DC tool
![Refined launcher with a lighter header and grouped external tools](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-launcher-v2-1200.webp) Refined launcher
![Dashboard variant with the facility panel on shift performance](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-home-shift-1200.webp) Dashboard · shift performance
![Pick zone configurations table with pick rate and building pick category](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-pickzones-1200.webp) Pick zone configuration
*Managers start from one launcher, land on their DC dashboard and tune the thresholds behind every priority tag.*

- Key information organized for scanning and comparison
- Dashboard components for status and trends
- Different levels of detail for managers and supervisors
- A clear path from the overview into detail

## Designing for exceptions

### Decision 03 · From reactive reporting to action

Rather than a collection of static reports, the experience surfaces exceptions and supports the actions needed to resolve them. Visibility is most useful when it helps people decide what to do next, so desktop oversight and mobile workflows were designed to work as one loop.

![Diagram: an exception is surfaced on the manager dashboard, routed to the right role, acted on with the handheld and resolved back into the overview](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/exception-loop-1200.webp)

- Important exceptions are visible
- It is clear which issues need attention
- Information is connected to the right action
- Resolution happens inside the user's working context

## A scalable, consistent interface

### Decision 04 · Reusable components and patterns

With many devices, workflows and roles, consistency needed a deliberate approach. I explored and refined reusable components such as tabs, filters and tables, so patterns stayed consistent while layouts and interactions adapted to each operational need. It also gave design and engineering a clearer shared foundation.

![Shared components used on the handheld and the dashboard: tabs, priority tags, status tags, expandable metric groups, KPI tiles, a filterable data table, and error and empty states](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/components-1200.webp)

## Roles and permissions

Different people need different information and capabilities. The project aligned access and functionality with operational responsibilities, balancing usability with the controls a complex enterprise environment needs.

**Access that follows responsibility**

![Manage permissions: roles listed with descriptions and the applications each role can use](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-roles-1200.webp) Roles and their applications
![Activity log of permission changes with who changed what and when](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-audit-1200.webp) Audit log
![Launcher with tools the user has no access to shown disabled, with a tooltip explaining why](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-launcher-perm-1200.webp) No access, explained
![Launcher prompting the user to select a distribution center first](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/d-launcher-rdc-1200.webp) Pick a DC first
*Admins manage roles in one place and every change is logged. People without access still see the tool, disabled, with the reason, instead of a missing button.*

- Role-specific workflows that are easy to understand
- Available actions aligned with each user's permissions
- Interfaces that handle access restrictions gracefully
- Consistency across every role's experience

## Bringing it together

**For associates and supervisors**, the mobile experience brings operational information onto the floor. **For managers**, desktop and tablet dashboards support oversight and trend analysis. **Across the product**, shared components and role-aware workflows create one cohesive experience.

> The goal was never just dashboards for reporting. It was connecting operational information with the people responsible for acting on it.

![The connected system: the manager dashboard on desktop, the launcher for every DC tool, and the Zebra handheld alerts, joined by shared components, role-based access and one exception loop](https://ritaomatsoneux.com/images/cases/dc/together-1200.webp)

## Outcome & impact

- **40%** less navigation time per user. about 150 hours a week across distribution centers
- **90%** of managers moved to the new system in 60 days. 70% of supervisors
- **60%** fewer permission misconfigurations
- **$3.2M** estimated annual savings. alongside 17% fewer late-truck escalations

The results reach beyond usability: efficiency, adoption, compliance and how quickly teams can respond to exceptions.

## Reflection

Designing for distribution center operations is about more than individual screens. It means understanding how people, processes, devices and permissions work together, and designing for context: a floor supervisor responding to an exception needs something different from a manager reviewing trends.

**Three principles I took away**

- **Prioritize the operational need:** Focus on the information and actions that matter in the user's working context.
- **Design beyond the interface:** Consider workflows, permissions and cross-functional requirements alongside the screens.
- **Build for consistency and scale:** Reusable patterns make the experience cohesive across devices and workflows.

**What's next:** tailoring dashboards further to each role, exploring predictive exception management, and extending the reusable patterns to other supply-chain applications.