Product design case study / Enterprise UX
Madim Express
From isolated warehouses to a connected, predictive supply network.
Rethinking military uniform logistics through shared inventory visibility, coordinated stock transfers, and AI-assisted demand forecasting.
- Project type
- Independent Product Concept
- My role
- UX Research · Product Strategy · UX/UI Design
- Focus
- Enterprise UX · Logistics · Decision Support
- Tools
- Figma
Research-informed design concept · Not deployed
01 / Overview
A simple uniform request. A much bigger logistics challenge.
Replacing a worn-out or incorrectly sized uniform should be a straightforward task.
Yet the experience can depend heavily on local stock availability, manual coordination, and the supply procedures of each military unit.
Madim Express explores how connecting inventory information across units could help logistics teams locate available resources, coordinate transfers, and prepare for demand before shortages occur.
The goal wasn't simply to digitize another request form. It was to rethink how existing resources could be discovered and allocated.
- Connected Inventory
- Coordinated Transfers
- Predictive Planning
02 / The problem
When local inventory runs out, the waiting begins.
In the existing process, soldiers generally depend on local logistics personnel to obtain replacement uniforms.
When the required item isn't available, the request can become dependent on restocking schedules, manual follow-ups, and existing supply channels.
The process provides limited visibility into possible alternatives outside the immediate unit.
A shortage in one warehouse doesn't necessarily mean the item is unavailable everywhere.
The existing workflow
Reactive, locally constrained fulfillment- 01Soldier requests a replacement.
- 02Local warehouse checks availability.
- 03Required item is unavailable.
- 04 · BottleneckRequest waits for replenishment or additional coordination.
- 05Soldier receives the item after the supply process is completed.
03 / Discovery
The problem wasn't universal. The experience was inconsistent.
To understand the existing experience, I conducted six qualitative interviews with military personnel from different roles and service environments.
The research focused on how replacement uniforms were requested, what happened when items were unavailable, and how participants navigated delays.
- 6
- User interviews
- 4 of 6
- Described meaningful friction
- 3
- Core opportunity areas identified
Small qualitative sample. These figures describe the interviewed participants and are not population-level statistics.
Insight 01
Limited inventory visibility
Participants could not always determine whether the required item was available before visiting or contacting supply personnel.
Design implication
Provide searchable inventory visibility across participating locations.
Insight 02
Unpredictable waiting times
Some requests were delayed by stock shortages or by supply collection processes that depended on accumulating enough requests.
Design implication
Explore alternative stock sources and improve visibility into request status.
Insight 03
Dependency on local processes
The experience varied considerably depending on the unit's inventory, logistics procedures, and access to personnel.
Design implication
Support a more consistent workflow while preserving necessary organizational approvals.
I've been waiting a month to replace my uniform, and there's still no solution.
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
Two experiences. Different barriers.
Exploratory interviews about obtaining and replacing uniforms.
Participant A
19 · Corporal · 8 months of service
INTERVIEW SUMMARY
Needed to replace worn uniforms. Access was straightforward because of personal connections at the supply office.
Reported no difficulty with his own process.
Participant M
27 · Major · 8 years of service
INTERVIEW SUMMARY
An urgent uniform need required a trip to Tel Hashomer. Traffic, entry and parking made the journey difficult.
Felt logistics took time away from operational duties
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES — INTERPRETATION
01—Clearer access
Explore a consistent request process that relies less on personal connections.
02—Nearby options
Help users identify alternative supply locations before travelling.
03—Preserve convenience
Keep sizing and eligibility information clear when moving the process online.
Qualitative input from two participants. These interviews inform design exploration; they do not validate forecasting or warehouse-transfer features.
Research methodology & limitations
Six qualitative interviews provided exploratory insights into the uniform replacement experience. Participants included service members in different roles, including one with responsibility for coordinating uniform requests.
The research was not statistically representative and did not include usability testing of the proposed product with logistics operators.
04 / Reframing the problem
What if the real problem wasn't always the shortage — but the lack of visibility?
The obvious response was to make uniform requests faster and easier.
But the research suggested a broader question: what happens when a local warehouse is out of stock, while the required item might already exist somewhere else in the supply network?
Instead of optimizing only the request itself, I explored how inventory could be connected across locations.
That shift changed the direction of the project.
Initial framing
How might we make uniform ordering easier?
Reframed opportunity
How might we help logistics teams locate and coordinate existing stock before waiting for replenishment?
Product direction
Connect inventory.
Coordinate transfers.
Anticipate demand.
From digitizing a process to rethinking the system behind it.
This reframing represents my product hypothesis, not a proven finding about network-wide inventory availability.
05 / The solution
One connected system. Three complementary capabilities.
Madim Express was designed around three connected opportunities: making inventory visible, turning that visibility into coordinated action, and supporting earlier planning through demand forecasts.
Capability 01
Connected Inventory
Make stock availability visible across participating warehouses so logistics personnel can identify possible alternatives when local stock is unavailable.
Capability 02
Coordinated Fulfillment
Help operators compare potential stock sources and prepare structured transfer requests while maintaining existing communication and approval processes.
Capability 03
Predictive Planning
Explore how inventory records, historical consumption, and planned recruitment cycles could support shortage forecasts and proactive replenishment decisions.
Layer 01
Inventory Data
Stock records across participating warehouses
Layer 02
Logistics Decision Support
Compare sources, priorities and risk
Supporting input
Demand forecasting (conceptual)
Layer 03
Coordination & Fulfillment
Transfer requests via existing channels
06 / Constraints & trade-offs
A better system still has to fit the organization using it.
The concept needed to account for established logistics processes rather than assume every existing workflow could be replaced.
Constraint 01
Established approval workflows
Transferring equipment between military units can involve coordination, authorization, and documentation.
Design response
Preserve a familiar email-based handoff through Outlook rather than introduce an entirely new approval system.
Constraint 02
Reliable inventory information
A shared inventory view is only useful when stock records are accurate and sufficiently up to date.
Design response
Make stock availability and source location visible within the concept, while treating synchronization and data reliability as technical requirements to validate.
Constraint 03
Planning around demand
Forecasting future needs requires more than a visually convincing graph.
Design response
Explore the use of recruitment schedules, historical consumption, and current stock as potential forecasting inputs, without claiming validated prediction accuracy.
The design challenge was to introduce smarter decisions without ignoring the operational reality around them.
07 / Key design decisions
Decision 01 — Connected inventory
Don't just show the shortage. Show the next available option.
When a local warehouse lacks the required item, the system should help operators move from identifying the problem to exploring a possible solution.
I designed a map-based restocking interface that presents alternative warehouses, available stock, location, and fulfillment options.
The goal is to make existing inventory easier to discover and turn that visibility into a practical next step.
Key UX rationale
Visibility alone isn't enough. Operators need enough context to choose an appropriate action.
- 01Available stock
- 02Alternative warehouses
- 03Pickup / delivery options
- 04Communication action
Decision 02 — Predictive thinking
From reacting to shortages to anticipating them.
Traditional inventory workflows often become visible to users only when something goes wrong.
I explored how demand forecasts could help logistics teams identify potential shortages earlier.
The interface brings together projected demand, current stock, estimated deficits, and recommended restocking opportunities.
The concept uses planned recruitment cycles and historical consumption as potential forecasting inputs, helping teams consider future demand rather than only current inventory.
Key UX rationale
A prediction is only useful when users can understand the risk and identify a possible response.
The recommendation view turns a forecasted deficit into concrete options — which warehouses hold the item and how much could be sourced from each.
Decision 03 — Operational clarity
Making hundreds of requests manageable.
Large-scale logistics work requires more than an overview of total orders.
Operators need to find specific requests, identify exceptions, understand priorities, and track fulfillment progress.
I designed an order-management interface that combines searchable records, status filtering, grouping by unit, and priority indicators.
A supporting dashboard provides an operational overview of orders, inventory, and potential shortages.
Key UX rationale
The interface should help logistics personnel identify what requires attention, not simply display more data.
08 / Workflow integration
The best workflow isn't always the one that replaces everything.
Military logistics processes often rely on documented communication and coordination between responsible personnel.
Instead of designing an entirely new communication and approval environment, I explored a handoff from Madim Express to Outlook.
After selecting a suitable warehouse, the operator can review a structured email draft containing the relevant request details.
This approach is intended to reduce repetitive information entry while preserving a familiar communication process.
From shortage to transfer request
- 01A potential stock shortage is identified.
- 02The operator checks available stock across locations.
- 03A suitable warehouse is selected.
- 04Madim Express prepares a structured Outlook email draft.
- 05The operator reviews the details and sends the request.
- 06Approval and follow-up continue through established organizational processes.
The drafted email includes
- Origin and destination unit
- Item description and quantity
- Relevant warehouse details
- Request context and priority
- Intended recipients and copied stakeholders
Shown with fictional sample data only.
madim-outlook-prefilled-emailOutlook mockup — prefilled transfer request: item, quantity, source/destination, recipients.
09 / The proposed experience
Changing how a shortage is resolved.
Before
Locally constrained process
- 1Request replacement uniform.
- 2Check local inventory.
- 3Discover missing stock.
- 4Coordinate through existing supply channels.
- 5Wait for replenishment or an alternative arrangement.
Linear · single source
After
Proposed connected workflow
- 1Identify the item shortage.
- 2Search inventory across participating locations.
- 3Find a potential alternative stock source.
- 4Prepare a structured transfer request.
- 5Coordinate fulfillment through existing approval channels.
Connected · multiple sources
10 / Expected impact
Measuring the value of a more connected supply network.
Madim Express was designed as a research-informed concept and was not deployed or evaluated in a live logistics environment.
Rather than presenting unverified improvements, I defined the operational metrics that would help evaluate whether the solution creates real value.
01
Time to Find Available Stock
Measure how long it takes logistics personnel to identify a possible alternative source when a local warehouse is out of stock.
02
Stockout Resolution Time
Measure the time between identifying a shortage and fulfilling the request, comparing replenishment and inter-unit transfer scenarios.
03
Manual Coordination Time
Measure the time spent searching for stock, making calls, entering request details, and coordinating between units.
04
Prevented Stockouts
Evaluate whether forecasts and earlier planning reduce the number of shortages that reach the point of disrupting fulfillment.
How I would estimate potential time savings
- Manual coordination time saved per request =
- Current workflow time − Proposed workflow time
- Potential monthly hours saved =
- Time saved per request × Monthly request volume ÷ 60
- Potential fulfillment time reduction =
- Baseline shortage resolution time − Resolution time through an available alternative source
These metrics define how impact could be evaluated. No operational improvement percentages or production savings have been measured.
11 / Validation & limitations
A promising direction. Still a hypothesis to test.
The research identified genuine difficulties in uniform replacement, but the proposed system was not presented to participants or tested with logistics operators.
Before implementation, several assumptions would need to be examined.
- 1Next step · not started
Workflow usability
Can logistics personnel successfully identify a shortage, find an alternative source, and prepare a transfer request?
- 2Next step · not started
Operational feasibility
Can available stock be reliably shared and transferred between participating units under existing approval and transportation requirements?
- 3Next step · not started
Forecast reliability
How accurately can inventory demand be predicted using real consumption and recruitment data?
- 4Next step · not started
End-to-end impact
Does the connected workflow meaningfully reduce coordination effort and fulfillment delays compared with existing processes?
12 / Reflection
The biggest design opportunity wasn't the interface. It was the system behind it.
This project reinforced an important lesson in product design: improving an existing process isn't always the same as solving the underlying problem.
What began as an exploration of uniform ordering evolved into a broader concept for connected inventory and proactive logistics planning.
The research helped identify where soldiers experienced friction. The design process challenged me to consider how information, coordination, and existing organizational workflows could work together to address those problems.
The next step would be to validate the solution with logistics operators, test the feasibility of inventory sharing, and measure the impact using real operational data.
Good product design doesn't just make existing workflows easier. It questions whether there's a better way for the system to work.