Enabling doorstep delivery for 38M People in Kenya.
with BAWBAB Technologies
& Team IMUX
BawBabs Vision
Empowering Africa’s Future in the digital economy
To enable Africa to be able to compete in the digital market, The pilot project in Nairobi is an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the BawBabs DAI (Digital Addressing Infrastructure) platform.
Challenge
Currently, in Kenya, there are no formal address systems or address standards. This is a problem in the delivery of services and goods. Technical problems that impact the users' experience include:
Extensive recipient communication
Centralized collection/drop-off points
Using informal interactions to communicate about delivery locations
Complicated and exhausting user experience for placing and receiving deliveries
How to serve people in a digital marketplace
Most business problems are human problems. The challenges faced in regions lacking a formal address system present Bawbab with a unique opportunity to develop a digital product that tackles these issues while benefiting multiple sectors and improving the local economy and well-being of the communities served. By implementing a digital addressing system, starting with a pilot in Nairobi, Kenya, Bawbab can enhance delivery services across various sectors in the region.
Revenue in the eCommerce market is projected to reach US$3,238.00m in 2023 (Statista, 2023)
In the eCommerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to 38.07m users by 2027. (Statista, 2023)
Cross-industry MVP Solution
Social Services | A unified addressing system is essential for social services programs comparable to SNAP benefits, EBT, and Medicare in the U.S.
Healthcare | is significantly affected by the inability to effectively manage, track, and provide care to patients; for instance, there is a need to mobilize healthcare services.
Economic | As the world transitions to the internet and e-commerce, areas lacking the infrastructure to support the seamless delivery of services and goods will be unable to capitalize on the benefits, thereby exacerbating the wealth disparities that already exist between developed and developing countries.
Working with Team IMUX, Bawbab has utilized a user-centered design approach to product development for their MVP. This approach is grounded in robust research, to effectively meet their target users' needs.
MVP Product Benefits
Improved delivery accuracy | By providing precise and standardized addresses, the MVP ensures that packages, services, and resources reach their intended recipients without delays or confusion.
Enhanced e-commerce experience | With a reliable addressing system, consumers can confidently shop online, knowing that their orders will arrive at their doorstep in a timely manner.
Business growth opportunities | Accurate addressing enables businesses to optimize their supply chains and logistics operations, tapping into previously unreachable markets and fostering economic growth.
User-friendly interface | The MVP is designed with intuitive user flows, making it easy for individuals to create and save addresses, track deliveries, and communicate with service providers.
Scalability | The digital addressing system can be easily adapted and expanded to serve other regions, industries, and sectors, maximizing its potential impact on socio-economic development.
IMUX Approach
Team IMUX used a user-centered design and design thinking approach to product development.
To support Bawbab's short and long-term goals, our researchers utilized multiple frameworks that influenced the design of the MVP product and will influence future design iterations. Below outlines IMUX research methodology:
RESEARCH
Desk and Foundational Research
Through literature reviews on linguistic studies, navigation/wayfinding, GIS, and post-colonial/African studies, they gained insights into the problem space.
Explorative Qualitative Interviews
A research plan, user-specific scripts, and protocols for local researchers in Nairobi were created to ensure contextually relevant insights. The Nairobi team completed 10 End-User and 10 Gig Driver interviews while making progress on other user types.
Market Research
IMUX analyzed network connectivity, bandwidth, and the region's past and present physical and economic growth. Drawing insights from competitors' annual reports and 10Ks for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Competitive Analysis
Secondary research on four international location-based services and three e-commerce competitors was conducted. Using competitor matrices, they evaluated factors such as market growth, financial resources, strengths, and weaknesses.
Jobs to Be done
Facing time and resource constraints, the Jobs to be Done framework was utilized instead of user personas.
Design
Defined 3 main user flow tasks: Sign Up, Account creation & address saving, Real-time tracking based on user and business needs
Developed Information Architecture for core product experience based
Created wireframes and iterated based on stakeholder feedback
Defined content needs and wrote microcopy for each step in flow
Designed high-fidelity screens and interaction prototypes for defined flows based on contemporary design and interaction patterns and product brand
Created design documentation for easy project handoff
Collaboration
Team IMUX collaborated consistently and navigated the complexity of the project with team Techify, on the ground researchers in Kenya, and BawBab stakeholders to achieve the vision of DAI MVP
IMUX Approach Benefits
Robust research | adding context to the product, market placement, and technical requirements.
Further Defining Requirements | IMUX engagement with stakeholders in the research and design process helped further define business opportunities and technical product requirements.
High-quality design documentation and assets for future use.
Reusable research protocol | for further customer discovery and research efforts.
Bringing a high-level concept into workable details.
