Solera | Omnitracs

Location Intelligence

Designed a 0→1 facility intelligence platform using data from 6M+ locations to help logistics teams understand site conditions, reduce uncertainty, and plan deliveries more efficiently.

Role
Lead UX/UI Designer
Team
PM, Engineers, Data Architects
Timeline
14 months
Platform
SaaS web + mobile
Facility detail page with satellite view, dwell-time chart and facility ratingsLocation search results with list and map filtering

Problem statement

Drivers lose unpaid hours waiting at shipping facilities, and no one had reliable data on wait times, parking or amenities, so shippers, carriers and drivers were all planning blind.

Outcomes

  1. Shipped a 0→1 MVP unifying facility data for 6M+ locations

  2. Connected the Sylectus Driver App to crowdsource real-time field data for the desktop platform

  3. Early beta engagement reinforced the need for a mobile-first roadmap

My role

Research & Strategy

  • Identified cross-functional risks, dependencies and constraints to guide scope
  • Defined MVP requirements and advocated for a mobile-first strategy
  • Aligned enterprise goals with user needs into one roadmap

Design Execution

  • Turned complex logistics scenarios into journey maps, wireframes and workflows
  • Delivered hi-fi UI for facility profiles, owner tools, the dashboard and Sylectus Driver App
  • Carried the UI through two rebrands, including a full overhaul for Solera’s new brand

Systems & Launch

  • Mapped entity relationships (shippers, receivers, 3PLs) with data architects
  • Designed beta launch and app store marketing assets
  • Established patterns for location search and geofencing

Quantitative industry research

The hidden cost of waiting

Federal research links detention at facilities to lost driver earnings and higher crash risk. Trucks idle, earnings drop, and drivers rush to make up time.

6.2%Higher expected crash rate for every 15-minute increase in average dwell time
$1.1–1.3BEstimated annual earnings drivers lose to detention

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Estimates Show Commercial Driver Detention Increases Crash Risks and Costs (2018).

“It’s a hit or miss there. Once it took an hour, and another time it took 4 hrs. My advice… just prepare for the worst case scenario.”
Truck driver, from forum research
Truck driver smiling behind the wheel

Solution overview

Two layers, one source of truth

Rather than choose between speed to market and long-term value, we paired a desktop platform for paying stakeholders with field data captured from drivers, creating a continuous feedback loop between on-the-ground conditions and facility intelligence.

  1. 01DriversReport conditions from the Sylectus Driver App
  2. 02Facility dataWait times, parking and amenities for 6M+ locations
  3. 03Desktop platformShippers and receivers manage requirements
  4. 04Carriers & 3PLsPlan routes and avoid delays
Better plans send drivers to better-prepared facilities, and their reports keep the data current

Design decisions

Key design decisions

Decision 01

Advocated for drivers, then sequenced the roadmap

What I did. Research showed drivers carried the heaviest burden and were the most reliable source of facility data, so I advocated a mobile-first strategy. Stakeholders prioritized a desktop web app for facility owners, shippers/receivers and 3PLs, the groups making purchasing and operational decisions. I reframed the plan as two layers: a desktop platform for those customers, fed by driver data captured through the existing Sylectus Driver App before a dedicated mobile product existed.

Why it mattered. It met commercial timelines and supported early sales conversations without giving up the field data that makes facility intelligence reliable.

Sylectus Driver App screens for reporting facility conditions
Sylectus Driver App screens. Driver ratings and on-the-ground feedback from the app fed each facility profile.
Decision 02

Facility profiles built for situational awareness

What I did. Designed location profiles that bring together an interactive map with geofences and truck paths, dwell trends, monthly visit counts, amenities and business hours.

Why it mattered. Carriers and drivers lacked a reliable way to understand facility conditions. Profiles put dwell, parking, congestion and amenities in one place for planning.

Facility detail page with satellite view, dwell-time chart and facility ratings
Location profile: satellite map with geofence and truck paths, plus visit counts and dwell-time distribution.
Decision 03

Put facility owners in charge of their data

What I did. Designed a guided management flow where owners claim and verify a facility, then update hours, closures, amenities, location type, contacts, appointment scheduling and safety procedures.

Why it mattered. Owner-maintained details support accuracy and accountability, so fleets can trust what they see.

Edit My Location Details page showing appointment scheduling settings
Edit My Location Details: a structured, section-by-section editor, shown here on appointment scheduling.
Decision 04

Designed through two rebrands

What I did. An acquisition triggered a full Solera rebrand, then a second brand strategy soon after. I restructured the MVP twice, anchoring on stable layouts, navigation and hierarchy rather than visual styling, and used targeted prototypes, like the Edit Relationship flow, to validate terminology and align stakeholders while the visual system shifted.

Why it mattered. The shifting brand forced clearer component reuse and left a cleaner, more scalable interface.

Legacy Omnitracs fleet safety dashboard with driver risk, weather and routing
The legacy Omnitracs fleet safety dashboard (driver risk, weather and routing) that the product had to evolve from.

Reflection

Look beyond the interface

Location Intelligence changed how I think about solving the problem a user feels versus the system creating that problem. Drivers experienced the frustration firsthand, but many of the causes lived upstream in missing or inconsistent facility data. Connecting those two sides taught me to look beyond a single user or interface and design for the larger system around them.

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