During the peak of the 2020 global pandemic, one of the world’s largest logistics companies faced major bottlenecks in its shipping operations. Their existing software, crucial to coordinating freight movements, was deeply outdated but couldn’t afford downtime due to 24/7 usage. That’s where we came in.

My research teammate and I brought in a human-centered design approach inspired by Design Sprint methodologies, adapted for the remote constraints of a pandemic.

• Interviewing with Intention
  We conducted in-depth interviews with employees across roles, including warehouse workers, forklift drivers, and logistics coordinators… not just leadership. This shift in traditional consulting focus created space for raw honesty and deep insight.

• Remote Ideation Workshops
  We ran collaborative sessions where employees contributed ideas, frustrations, and workarounds. Their level of ownership and creativity was extraordinary, and their suggestions were grounded in lived experience and deep expertise, far more actionable than top-down assumptions.

• Synthesis and Storytelling
  We used a custom synthesis framework to identify patterns and high-leverage opportunities. Our synthesis method became a model for the broader consultancy team, showing how grassroots insights can fuel strategic change.

A Breakthrough Moment

One forklift driver shared a key insight about the geometry of shipping containers—a small detail with massive implications. It challenged existing leadership assumptions and opened the door to more efficient loading strategies that saved both time and cost. This was just one example of the game-changing ideas we uncovered by listening to the people actually doing the work.

The Outcome

We delivered a set of prioritized recommendations grounded in frontline expertise. Just as important, we helped establish a culture of corporate collaboration. The company implemented mechanisms to continuously gather and respond to employee feedback, turning day-to-day work into a wealth of ongoing product strategy.

This project revealed how pandemic constraints became an unlikely advantage: by engaging employees at all levels through adapted workshops, we unlocked a depth of insight that traditional top-down methods would’ve missed. It showed how empathy and facilitation can lead to better products, stronger strategies, and happier cultures.