Rio Tinto-Project START
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Introduction
Brief: Redesign the START Portal and App to make sustainability and order tracking easy and transparent for Rio Tinto’s aluminum customers.
Challenge: Complex ESG data, clunky MVP, redundant screens, and users needing fast, clear order info.
Goals: Streamline workflows, improve navigation, and boost user trust in sustainability data.
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Discovery Phase
Stakeholder interviews: Product leads, engineers, and sustainability managers.
Business requirements: ESG transparency, secure blockchain data, mobile and web access.
User needs assessment: Customers want real-time order status, easy document access, and clear sustainability credentials.
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Problem Framing
Problem statement: Users struggled with modal windows, confusing menus, and redundant steps—making order tracking and ESG data hard to use.
Success criteria: Fast, intuitive flows, clear navigation, and no redundant screens.
Constraints: Built on Microsoft Metro Design System, must support blockchain and legacy workflows.
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User Research
User interviews: Feedback on MVP pain points, especially around navigation and data access.
Competitive analysis: Benchmarked against other B2B sustainability and order-tracking portals.
Market research findings: Transparency and speed are critical for user trust and adoption.
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Synthesis
User personas: “The Sustainability-Focused Customer,” “The Onsite Staff,” “The Operations Manager.”
Journey mapping: From order placement to shipment tracking and ESG label review.
Key insights: Users want everything in three taps or less, with clear feedback and minimal clutter.
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Solution Development
Info architecture: Reorganized menus, split redundant screens, and clarified dropdowns.
Wireframes & prototypes: Explored new tab structure, improved tables, and mobile-first flows.
Visual design system: Used Rio Tinto’s DS for consistency, added clear status cues and progression indicators.
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Testing
Usability testing: Ran with real customers and staff—flagged confusing flows and slow navigation.
User feedback: Switched from modal windows to tabs, added tick boxes for tables, and improved visual feedback.
Design iterations: Refined all flows for clarity and speed, added 3-tap principle to mobile app.
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Implementation
Handoff process: Annotated wireframes and specs delivered to devs.
Development collaboration: Frequent sprints, close QA, and fast bug fixes.
Go-to-market strategy: Rolled out to Pacific region first, with plans for global expansion.
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Results & Impact
Metrics & KPIs: Faster order tracking, fewer support tickets, higher user satisfaction.
User adoption: Customers and staff reported smoother workflows and better ESG data access.
Business impact: Boosted trust in Rio Tinto’s sustainability leadership and set the stage for future product growth.
Lessons learned: Streamlined navigation and transparency are everything for B2B digital tools.
START: Transforming Sustainable Leadership in Rio Tinto's Aluminum Industry
At the heart of our strategic approach to Sustainable Leadership lies START, the pivotal Commercial program meticulously crafted to propel our efforts forward. With a primary focus on our esteemed Aluminum product, START's core objectives revolve around establishing and fortifying Rio Tinto's ESG credentials within the Aluminum industry. We are dedicated to ingraining crucial environmental standards derived from the products we offer, further solidifying our commitment to sustainability.
Embracing a pioneering approach, START endeavors to capture and authenticate the provenance of metal throughout Rio Tinto's extensive value chain. This, in turn, empowers our discerning clientele with unparalleled visibility into the progression of their sales orders, up to the point of fulfillment. To bolster this groundbreaking initiative, we have harnessed the prowess of cutting-edge Digital Enablement tools, including the implementation of a Distributed Ledger (Blockchain) to securely house all ESG data within a consortium-based platform.
Moreover, the introduction of the START Label and Report, meticulously tailored to relay comprehensive insights spanning 10 critical ESG criteria for every Aluminum smelter, marks a pivotal stride in fostering transparency and accountability. Complementing these advancements, the inception of the START Web Portal and Mobile Application has opened a digital avenue for our esteemed customers, facilitating seamless access to crucial order information, real-time status updates, shipment tracking, essential documentation, and invaluable insights into the sustainability label and provenance of their cherished products. Through the unparalleled fusion of innovation and sustainability, START stands tall as an emblem of our unwavering dedication to reshaping the landscape of sustainable leadership within the Aluminum industry.
Features
Order status tracking
Order history
Sustainability label
Provenance
Document management
I had been tasked with providing a comprehensive evaluation of the latest version of the START Portal. My approach was to implement the Standard UX Law of Proximity and the Aesthetic-Usability Effect as the foundation for enhancing user flow. Given that the MVP system was developed using the Microsoft Metro Design System, the initial implementation featured large-scale side-revealing model windows, which obstructed information from adjacent screens. After careful consideration, this design approach was replaced with a more user-friendly solution - opening screens in new tabs and reorganizing the taxonomy of the dropdown menus to facilitate a content-friendly UI. This involved arranging the content from high to low, as well as incorporating tick boxes for easier scanning and analysis of the abundant tables displayed on the screens.
Project START App
I had then been tasked with providing feedback and design solutions for the onsite app, aiming to enable staff members to efficiently scan metal loads and access relevant consignment information. Despite the initial functionality of the core app features, there were numerous redundant screens in use. For the redesign, I developed mockups applying the 3-tap principle to streamline information access. Additionally, leveraging the Rio Tinto Design System, I incorporated UI elements that conveyed the progression of time and the moment of delivery, aiding users in tracking the product's movement throughout the creation and delivery process.