Tier, Shift Monitoring Design
Centralized fleet management with a clear visual overview for operational teams.
Jun 1, 2023
Company
Tier Mobility
Company
Tier Mobility
Role
Product Designer
Role
Product Designer
Service
Research, Design
Service
Research, Design
Duration
4 weeks
Duration
4 weeks
Business Context
Business Context
Tier operates one of Europe’s largest micro-mobility fleets, managing thousands of e-scooters and bikes across 100+ cities. Behind the scenes, Operations Managers, Mechanics, and Rangers keep vehicles charged, repaired, and ready, all coordinated through Tierpark, our B2B web app for planning, tracking, and maintenance.
As the company scaled, Tier aimed to centralize and automate operations. However, Tierpark still relied on manual and fragmented processes. Managers used tools like WhatsApp and Excel to plan shifts and communicate in real time, leading to inefficiency and data silos. The goal was clear: reduce operational costs, unify workflows, and build a scalable platform, turning Tierpark into a single source of truth for city operations.
Tier operates one of Europe’s largest micro-mobility fleets, managing thousands of e-scooters and bikes across 100+ cities. Behind the scenes, Operations Managers, Mechanics, and Rangers keep vehicles charged, repaired, and ready, all coordinated through Tierpark, our B2B web app for planning, tracking, and maintenance.
As the company scaled, Tier aimed to centralize and automate operations. However, Tierpark still relied on manual and fragmented processes. Managers used tools like WhatsApp and Excel to plan shifts and communicate in real time, leading to inefficiency and data silos. The goal was clear: reduce operational costs, unify workflows, and build a scalable platform, turning Tierpark into a single source of truth for city operations.
Problem
Problem
As operations expanded across multiple cities, managers lacked visibility and control over daily field activities. Shift planning was often based on outdated data, and real-time tracking was nearly impossible. Tasks were logged manually in Excel or shared via WhatsApp, creating inconsistencies between what was planned and what actually happened.
Each city had developed its own workarounds, from ad-hoc spreadsheets to local messaging groups, which made it difficult to compare performance or scale processes efficiently. The result was a fragmented system that slowed coordination, inflated costs, and made strategic planning unreliable.
As operations expanded across multiple cities, managers lacked visibility and control over daily field activities. Shift planning was often based on outdated data, and real-time tracking was nearly impossible. Tasks were logged manually in Excel or shared via WhatsApp, creating inconsistencies between what was planned and what actually happened.
Each city had developed its own workarounds, from ad-hoc spreadsheets to local messaging groups, which made it difficult to compare performance or scale processes efficiently. The result was a fragmented system that slowed coordination, inflated costs, and made strategic planning unreliable.
Impact
Impact
By interviewing 20+ Operations Managers across eight cities, we uncovered five critical gaps shaping Tier’s inefficiencies:
Planning Guesswork: shifts built on intuition rather than data.
Equal Task Weight: cleaning and repair tasks treated with the same urgency.
Communication Gaps: reliance on side channels like WhatsApp.
Blind Spots: managers couldn’t see what was happening mid-shift.
Weak Reflection Data: no reliable metrics for post-shift analysis.
This research shifted leadership’s focus from “add more features” to “fix visibility and workflow first.” It became the foundation for a design strategy centered on transparency, scalability, and data-driven decisions, ensuring that every future automation would rest on accurate, live operational insight.
By interviewing 20+ Operations Managers across eight cities, we uncovered five critical gaps shaping Tier’s inefficiencies:
Planning Guesswork: shifts built on intuition rather than data.
Equal Task Weight: cleaning and repair tasks treated with the same urgency.
Communication Gaps: reliance on side channels like WhatsApp.
Blind Spots: managers couldn’t see what was happening mid-shift.
Weak Reflection Data: no reliable metrics for post-shift analysis.
This research shifted leadership’s focus from “add more features” to “fix visibility and workflow first.” It became the foundation for a design strategy centered on transparency, scalability, and data-driven decisions, ensuring that every future automation would rest on accurate, live operational insight.
Approach and Rationale
Approach and Rationale
To redesign Tierpark, I started by understanding the real pain behind daily operations. Over three weeks, I conducted research across eight European cities, interviewing more than twenty Operations Managers. This fieldwork revealed the daily chaos: planning shifts by guesswork, losing visibility mid-shift, and managing communication through scattered channels.
From these insights, we built a clear strategy, fix visibility before adding complexity. Instead of layering new features on top of broken workflows, the goal was to design a single space where managers could see, plan, and react in real time. Together with the Product Manager and Ops stakeholders, we defined key principles: live monitoring over static reports, clear map-based visualization, robust filtering, and data integration for smarter planning.
The rationale was simple: before Tier could automate, it needed one reliable source of operational truth.
To redesign Tierpark, I started by understanding the real pain behind daily operations. Over three weeks, I conducted research across eight European cities, interviewing more than twenty Operations Managers. This fieldwork revealed the daily chaos: planning shifts by guesswork, losing visibility mid-shift, and managing communication through scattered channels.
From these insights, we built a clear strategy, fix visibility before adding complexity. Instead of layering new features on top of broken workflows, the goal was to design a single space where managers could see, plan, and react in real time. Together with the Product Manager and Ops stakeholders, we defined key principles: live monitoring over static reports, clear map-based visualization, robust filtering, and data integration for smarter planning.
The rationale was simple: before Tier could automate, it needed one reliable source of operational truth.
Execution
Execution
I led design from discovery to delivery, collaborating closely with engineers, data analysts, and operations leaders. We transformed the outdated Shift and Swap pages into a unified Shift Monitoring view, combining map and list layouts with real-time task data.
Low- to high-fidelity prototypes were tested with Operations Managers, leading to practical refinements, color-coded priorities, clearer filters, and redesigned map pins that displayed task type, priority, and operator at a glance.
Working side-by-side with the dev team ensured design accuracy and technical feasibility. A pilot rollout confirmed success: managers could monitor every shift live, cut reliance on WhatsApp, and make faster, data-backed decisions.
I led design from discovery to delivery, collaborating closely with engineers, data analysts, and operations leaders. We transformed the outdated Shift and Swap pages into a unified Shift Monitoring view, combining map and list layouts with real-time task data.
Low- to high-fidelity prototypes were tested with Operations Managers, leading to practical refinements, color-coded priorities, clearer filters, and redesigned map pins that displayed task type, priority, and operator at a glance.
Working side-by-side with the dev team ensured design accuracy and technical feasibility. A pilot rollout confirmed success: managers could monitor every shift live, cut reliance on WhatsApp, and make faster, data-backed decisions.
Outcomes
Outcomes
The new Shift Monitoring feature delivered measurable and qualitative gains:
• Real-time visibility: Managers now track all shift activities live, increasing visible task data by ~30%. Anxiety dropped as blind spots disappeared.
• Better planning & efficiency: Managers allocate Rangers proactively, reducing last-minute crises and overtime. City operations became smoother and more predictable.
• User satisfaction: 82 Operations Managers rated the new system 4.2/5, praising it as “a real control center for operations.”
• Consistency: Unified workflows replaced scattered tools, standardizing operations across markets and simplifying onboarding.
• Scalability: The tool now supports upcoming automation, features like shift recommendations and Ranger dispatch via the mobile app. Tierpark evolved from an internal tool into a scalable operational platform, even opening potential for external licensing.
The new Shift Monitoring feature delivered measurable and qualitative gains:
• Real-time visibility: Managers now track all shift activities live, increasing visible task data by ~30%. Anxiety dropped as blind spots disappeared.
• Better planning & efficiency: Managers allocate Rangers proactively, reducing last-minute crises and overtime. City operations became smoother and more predictable.
• User satisfaction: 82 Operations Managers rated the new system 4.2/5, praising it as “a real control center for operations.”
• Consistency: Unified workflows replaced scattered tools, standardizing operations across markets and simplifying onboarding.
• Scalability: The tool now supports upcoming automation, features like shift recommendations and Ranger dispatch via the mobile app. Tierpark evolved from an internal tool into a scalable operational platform, even opening potential for external licensing.
Learnings
Learnings
• Start with the user: Field research revealed the messy reality behind “process inefficiency.” Understanding it firsthand built empathy and adoption.
• Fix the foundation first: Reliable data and visibility must precede automation. Building strong basics made advanced features feasible.
• Collaborate deeply: Designers, engineers, and Ops leaders co-created from day one. This cross-functional rhythm prevented rework and ensured practical solutions.
• Keep iterating: Even post-launch, feedback loops and small refinements yielded large productivity gains. Internal tools thrive through continuous evolution.
Redesigning Tierpark’s shift monitoring wasn’t just a UI project, it fundamentally improved how Tier runs daily operations and laid the groundwork for scalable, data-driven growth.
• Start with the user: Field research revealed the messy reality behind “process inefficiency.” Understanding it firsthand built empathy and adoption.
• Fix the foundation first: Reliable data and visibility must precede automation. Building strong basics made advanced features feasible.
• Collaborate deeply: Designers, engineers, and Ops leaders co-created from day one. This cross-functional rhythm prevented rework and ensured practical solutions.
• Keep iterating: Even post-launch, feedback loops and small refinements yielded large productivity gains. Internal tools thrive through continuous evolution.
Redesigning Tierpark’s shift monitoring wasn’t just a UI project, it fundamentally improved how Tier runs daily operations and laid the groundwork for scalable, data-driven growth.
