TL;DR
Improved customer and associate satisfaction, and made the Home screen clearer and more actionable in real-world store conditions.
Overview
I design pragmatic systems for high-pressure store work—clarifying flows, reducing error-prone shortcuts, and restoring trust in daily operations.
At Albertsons, I was the sole product designer for AcuPick’s picking and staging. For handoff, I inherited the v1 flow and owned the v2+ iterations (Direct Staging, in-shift countdown and nudges, OTH5 surfacing).
AcuPick is an internal tool used by store associates to fulfill online orders across Albertsons Companies banners (e.g., Safeway). It supports the full fulfillment process—picking, staging, de-staging, and handoff.
I partner with PM, Engineering, and Operations to ship changes and validate them in multi-store pilots and post-launch studies. This page shares selected highlights; the full, password-protected deck includes research, flows, and metrics.
Impact
Customer experience: NPS trended upward following the redesign.
Associate experience: ASAT improved; List View usability tested strong; the Home screen became clearly more actionable.
Operations: Picking throughput signals improved within key flows (see highlights).
Selected Case Highlights
List View: Plan first, then execute
Increased picking throughput in the field.
Clear route preview and pacing timer increased confidence and satisfaction.
“One-handed, under-pressure” use became scannable and predictable.
Before redesign
The previous design was cluttered, inconsistent, and inefficient for pickers.
After redesign
Clear task breakdown and linear flows reduced errors.
Delightful UI and feedback helped reduce stress and boost engagement.
Substitution Flow — Act before shorting
Reduced unnecessary shorts.
Increased substitution completions.
Fewer customer complaints about missing items (store interviews).
Staging UI — Reduce cognitive load
Shorter staging time.
Fewer input errors with clearer labels and controls.
New-hire onboarding became noticeably faster (manager feedback).
Aisle Mapping — Self-serve ops dashboard
Higher pick-path compliance as owners maintained accurate sequences.
Drag-and-drop updates removed IT bottlenecks.
Changes sync directly to AcuPick so routes stay current.
Direct Staging — Group by customer to speed handoff
Faster handoffs with fewer location searches.
More consistent staging behavior across shifts.
Clear nudges reduced “split staging” issues.
Add Location — Report found locations
Fewer “missing” items after associates reported verified locations.
Clear follow-ups for maintenance clerks.
Positioned for broader rollout with partners.
Gamification (OTH5) — Make performance visible & coachable
Realtime nudges and countdowns during handoff.
Lightweight recognition and reflection after each order.
Peer and self tracking to foster self-directed improvement.
Designing for a highly complex enterprise app requires accounting for numerous use cases and edge scenarios.
This redesign involved structuring intricate workflows, handling multiple interaction patterns, and ensuring a seamless experience for diverse store operations. Each section represents a critical part of the fulfillment process, from manual entry and automation to issue scanning and exception handling.