Redesigning internal employment planning
Client
PostNL
Role
Founding UX Designer
Industry
Parcel Delivery · Planning
Timeline
2020 - 2021 · 1 yr 2 mos
PostNL is the leading mail and parcel delivery company in the Netherlands, delivering a total of 7.5 million total parcels and letters daily in the Benelux. As Founding UX Designer, I kickstarted a unified workforce planning platform across 5+ business units, transforming manual processes into digital workflows. Navigating legacy software, conflicting stakeholder needs, and diverse requirements demanded a strategic 0-1 approach. Key responsibilities included developing the product vision, building proof-of-concept prototypes, collaborating with engineers, and presenting demos to 100+ employees.
Redesigning internal employment planning
Client
PostNL
Role
Founding UX Designer
Industry
Parcel Delivery · Planning
Timeline
2020 - 2021 · 1 yr 2 mos
PostNL is the leading mail and parcel delivery company in the Netherlands, delivering a total of 7.5 million total parcels and letters daily in the Benelux. As Founding UX Designer, I kickstarted a unified workforce planning platform across 5+ business units, transforming manual processes into digital workflows. Navigating legacy software, conflicting stakeholder needs, and diverse requirements demanded a strategic 0-1 approach. Key responsibilities included developing the product vision, building proof-of-concept prototypes, collaborating with engineers, and presenting demos to 100+ employees.
Redesigning internal employment planning
Client
PostNL
Role
Founding UX Designer
Industry
Parcel Delivery · Planning
Timeline
2020 - 2021 · 1 yr 2 mos
PostNL is the leading mail and parcel delivery company in the Netherlands, delivering a total of 7.5 million total parcels and letters daily in the Benelux. As Founding UX Designer, I kickstarted a unified workforce planning platform across 5+ business units, transforming manual processes into digital workflows. Navigating legacy software, conflicting stakeholder needs, and diverse requirements demanded a strategic 0-1 approach. Key responsibilities included developing the product vision, building proof-of-concept prototypes, collaborating with engineers, and presenting demos to 100+ employees.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Most of my work at PostNL is protected under NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) due to confidentiality.
Most of my work at PostNL is protected under NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) due to confidentiality.
Reach out to learn more
Problem: Navigating complexity across business units
PostNL's legacy workforce planning system was severely outdated—becoming proficient took planners 6-12 months, requiring them to memorize codes and switch between multiple systems. Each business unit had built manual workarounds, creating data silos. My challenge was unifying these disparate units under one platform while navigating heavy political dynamics and conflicting requirements.
Problem: Navigating complexity across business units
PostNL's legacy workforce planning system was severely outdated—becoming proficient took planners 6-12 months, requiring them to memorize codes and switch between multiple systems. Each business unit had built manual workarounds, creating data silos. My challenge was unifying these disparate units under one platform while navigating heavy political dynamics and conflicting requirements.
Problem: Navigating complexity across business units
PostNL's legacy workforce planning system was severely outdated—becoming proficient took planners 6-12 months, requiring them to memorize codes and switch between multiple systems. Each business unit had built manual workarounds, creating data silos. My challenge was unifying these disparate units under one platform while navigating heavy political dynamics and conflicting requirements.
Following the user; planner, operator, delivery driver
Following the user; planner, operator, delivery driver
Following the user; planner, operator, delivery driver
Approach: Validating a proof-of-concept with real users
I conducted usability studies with planners and machine operators to understand their workflows and pain points. Building interactive prototypes, I validated assumptions before committing to full development. Close collaboration with engineers helped navigate technical constraints. Presenting demos to 100+ employees across business units built buy-in and helped converge conflicting requirements into one unified roadmap.
Approach: Validating a proof-of-concept with real users
I conducted usability studies with planners and machine operators to understand their workflows and pain points. Building interactive prototypes, I validated assumptions before committing to full development. Close collaboration with engineers helped navigate technical constraints. Presenting demos to 100+ employees across business units built buy-in and helped converge conflicting requirements into one unified roadmap.
Approach: Validating a proof-of-concept with real users
I conducted usability studies with planners and machine operators to understand their workflows and pain points. Building interactive prototypes, I validated assumptions before committing to full development. Close collaboration with engineers helped navigate technical constraints. Presenting demos to 100+ employees across business units built buy-in and helped converge conflicting requirements into one unified roadmap.
Translating complexity to simple mental models
Translating complexity to simple mental models
Translating complexity to simple mental models
Solution: A flexible platform balancing efficiency with delight
I designed workflows for planners and machine operators, creating a flexible system serving all business units. Key patterns included dashboards for at-a-glance overviews, mini-workflows in modal drawers for detailed tasks, and delightful concepts for milestone moments like hitting department targets. Detailed prototypes showcased drag-and-drop interactions connecting work, time, and employees.
Solution: A flexible platform balancing efficiency with delight
I designed workflows for planners and machine operators, creating a flexible system serving all business units. Key patterns included dashboards for at-a-glance overviews, mini-workflows in modal drawers for detailed tasks, and delightful concepts for milestone moments like hitting department targets. Detailed prototypes showcased drag-and-drop interactions connecting work, time, and employees.
Solution: A flexible platform balancing efficiency with delight
I designed workflows for planners and machine operators, creating a flexible system serving all business units. Key patterns included dashboards for at-a-glance overviews, mini-workflows in modal drawers for detailed tasks, and delightful concepts for milestone moments like hitting department targets. Detailed prototypes showcased drag-and-drop interactions connecting work, time, and employees.
Outcomes
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
5
+
Business units unified via planning app
A unified platform brought together 5+ business units across PostNL's before separate silos regarding parcel delivery.
7.5M
+
Daily delivered parcels and letters
On an average weekday, 1.2 million parcels and 8 million letters delivered by 37.365 employees creating special moments.
33
+
Sorting centres indirectly serviced
In the Netherlands only 27 parcel, 5 mail, 1 international sorting centre as of 2021 to be serviced from the internal planning platform.
Credits
Credits
Danielle Hoek – Product Owner • Nadine Mosch – Service Designer • Maxim Igorovich Paschenko – Visual Designer • Marc van Willigen – Senior Consultant • Rolf Dullemond – Consultant • Marien Krouwel – Senior Solution Architect • Michiel Arts – Solution Architect • Mariska Dessaur-Terwel – Business Analyst.
More work
More work
