Simon Barker
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UX / UI
USER INTERVIEWS

Streamlining the allocation experience for Zeelo

When Zeelo’s allocation process became the #1 operational cost driver, I led the redesign of a scalable, self-serve solution.
Overview

Tackling the biggest operational bottleneck

I led the end-to-end redesign of Zeelo’s new and improved allocation experience – a critical process where upcoming journeys are assigned a vehicle and driver. The previous experience was highly manual and time-consuming, amounting to more than 500 hours of work per month for the customer care team. Zeelo needed to rethink the experience to save money and resources, reduce manual errors, and improve data security.

Team

Designer (me)
Product manager
Engineers x5

Duties

Research
UX/UI
User interviews

Timeframe

8 weeks

Results

Saved >500 hours per month for the customer care team (£60K annual savings)
A scalable, future-proof solution to accommodate business growth
Described by operators as “easy to use” and “very straightforward”
Reduced allocation errors by 77% (from 1.3% to 0.3%)
Contents
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
Overview
About Zeelo
Problem
Goal
Discovery
Design iterations
Solution
Results
A screenshot of the new allocation experience
The new allocation experience provides a clear, at-a-glance view of upcoming trips.
About Zeelo

The business behind the challenge

Zeelo is a market leading transit-tech company that partners with organisations to provide safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation for employees and students. Zeelo provides the tech, setup, and support but they rely on partnering coach operators for drivers and vehicles.
Two workers in high-visibility jackets on-board a Zeelo bus
Frontline workers commuting with Zeelo. Designed to support essential industries with safe and dependable transport.
Workers queueing outside their workplace to board the Zeelo bus
A Zeelo-branded vehicle in service during the morning commute. Trusted by thousands of riders each day.
Problem

Manual processes became a costly barrier to growth

Since the company’s creation, Zeelo’s partnering coach operators submitted their allocation data (vehicle and driver details) through a shared Google Sheet. Zeelo’s customer care team then manually copy the information into the Zeelo platform. The process was highly manual, duplicative, prone to human error, and unable to support the needs of a scaling, multi-market business. It also introduced growing data security risks, with limited automation, no role-based access, and no ability to track changes reliably. With trip volumes increasing over 30% year-on-year, manual allocations had become not just the #1 operational cost driver, but a barrier to both scalability and service quality.
A screenshot of GSheets being used to allocate trips for Zeelo
The legacy process relied on operators manually entering their allocation data into shared spreadsheets.
A screenshot of the old allocation experience on the Zeelo platform
The customer care team were required to copy allocation data from shared spreadsheets into the Zeelo platform.
Goal

Designing a scalable, self-serve solution that operators trust

The goal was to overhaul allocations into a self-serve, scalable solution that shifted the responsibility directly to coach operators while improving both accuracy and security. We needed to eliminate Zeelo's dependency on manual workflows, but also design an experience operators would actually use.
A peak at the new experience
This redesign aimed to shift allocation responsibility to operators through a simple, reliable interface that could scale with increasing trip volumes.
Discovery

Digging deep to understand operator challenges

I knew very little about allocations when I began this project, so to ensure I would deliver a solution that was both effective and well-considered, I recognised the need to dedicate plenty of time to the discovery phase.
01
Shadowing customer care
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I shadowed and supported the customer care team in the allocation process, gathering insights and first-hand experience to understand their workflows, challenges, and uncover new pain points. This research uncovered another major time sink in the process: chasing operators. Reminders were being sent manually to individual operators and tracked on a Notion table.
02
Operator interviews
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I interviewed six operators to understand how they manage allocations within their own operations and their experience with Zeelo's process. Most operators were not tech-savvy, but all felt comfortable using spreadsheet tools. This confirmed the need to ground the new experience in familiar, intuitive patterns to reduce friction and build confidence. All six used a tool called “Coach Manager” to manage their operations, which 4/6 praised as “very helpful” for its colour-coding that shows at-a-glance which trips are already allocated and which still need attention.
03
Competitor analysis
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I analysed Distinctive Systems Coach Manager, the most widely used tool among the operators I interviewed. Its spreadsheet format and colour-coding stood out (orange for unsaved information, green for saved), making key information scannable at a glance. Operators consistently praised this simplicity and clarity, reinforcing my belief that effective design doesn't reinvent familiar behaviours, it builds on them to reduce cognitive load and promote confidence. These insights became instrumental in shaping a solution that balanced familiarity with the need for scalability.
04
User persona
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I created a new persona, Dave Quesada, the owner of Quesada Coaches, a family-run business and one of Warwickshire's leading coach operators. Dave represented the typical operator: time-poor, not deeply technical, but proud of running a high-quality service. This persona kept our design thinking grounded in real-world operator needs.
The existing experience on the Zeelo platform couldn’t simply be transferred to the Operator Portal – it was confusing, used an outdated design language, and was riddled with technical limitations. Through my discovery work, it became clear the experience needed significant rethinking: operators were being chased manually to submit their allocations, the list of trips lacked clarity for quick scanning, filters were hard to interpret, and there were no safeguards for issues like driver double bookings. Addressing these gaps became central to designing a system that reduced friction, improved clarity, and supported growth.
A screenshot of Distinctive Systems Coach Manager
Distinctive System’s Coach Manager was the most popular tool among operators for managing their allocations.
A cropped screenshot taken from a shadowing session with customer care at Zeelo
Shadowing customer care revealed the operational challenges and inefficiencies of the existing process.
Design iterations

Turning research into real-world solutions

Informed by research and the new persona, I led the design direction from early concept to final implementation. I began with quick sketches and wireframes to explore ideas, focused on creating an experience that was clear, familiar, and scalable. The designs evolved through structured feedback loops with the product manager, head of design, and key stakeholders, allowing us to iterate efficiently. Throughout, I prioritised simplicity, system thinking, and alignment, ensuring the final solution was not only practical but built to support Zeelo's long-term growth.
01
Design iterations
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My goal was to create an experience that felt simple, intuitive, and familiar, given most operators had limited technical experience. I deliberately mirrored spreadsheet patterns, making the interface approachable while reducing cognitive load. This approach stayed true to my belief of favouring well-established patterns over clever hacks, giving operators the clarity and confidence they needed to complete allocations quickly and accurately.
02
Workshopping
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To address two of the biggest challenges; how operators should enter allocation data and how to remind operators to do their allocations, I facilitated a workshop with the squad. The session consisted of a presentation, Crazy 8s, and a voting exercise. This collaboration was crucial for brainstorming solutions and gathering diverse perspectives. This resulted in a more comprehensive set of ideas and stronger team alignment on tackling these challenges.
03
Fixing blockers
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We faced a notable challenge with the “autosave” functionality, where entered data would save automatically, like in a Google Sheet. Discussions with the engineering team revealed that this wasn't feasible given the timeframe, so we shelved it for a later version and opted for a manual “Save” button instead. We adapted the plan early, prioritising feasibility without compromising the clarity or reliability of the core experience.
04
Product definition
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I collaborated closely with engineers and the PM to scope a realistic MVP, something simple, high-impact, and extensible. This approach gave the team a clear delivery target while leaving room to iterate further based on feedback.
Reflecting on this phase, the key takeaway was how much designing for familiarity and simplicity shaped the direction of our early iterations. By grounding the experience in patterns operators already understood, we reduced friction and strengthened confidence with every design round. Aligning quickly as a team, we set the foundation for a solution that felt intuitive from the outset and ready to support business growth.
An early design concept
This design iteration tested how strategic use of colour could improve scanability and reduce errors.
A close up of the manual 'Save' button
Due to engineering limitations, autosave functionality was deferred, and a manual “Save” button was introduced.
Solution

A scalable, self-serve system designed for clarity

Rooted in the Zeelo design system, the final solution strikes a careful balance between efficiency, simplicity, and user-friendliness. I deliberately leaned on familiar patterns and intuitive affordances to reduce friction for operators while maximising confidence and speed. Where possible, we reused existing components to keep the system lightweight and avoid unnecessary complexity. The final design reflects my belief in keeping things simple to stay fast and focused. Operators can now enter allocations directly into the Zeelo platform, eliminating customer care from the process and ensuring data security (via role-based access).
A screenshot of the new experience showing customised filters
A customised view with clear filters shows operators only the trips assigned to them, with a pre-selected date range to keep focus sharp and relevant.
A close up of the new experience, showing the colour-coded statuses
Colour-coded statuses highlight saved, unsaved, and missing data, allowing operators to quickly identify where attention is needed.
A screenshot from the new experience showing the in-line editing functionality
Leveraging operators’ familiarity with spreadsheets, the new design lets users edit data directly in the table, making the process intuitive, efficient, and frustration-free.
An error message shown when a driver is double booked
The system flags drivers who lack DBS checks or are double booked, while role-based access ensures only authorised users can manage allocations, prioritising safety and security.
The reminder email sent to Operators who haven't completed their allocations
A new automated reminder system ensures that customer care no longer need to manually chase operators, enhancing efficiency and reliability.
A screenshot showing the selection of multiple trips at once for allocation
Operators can select multiple trips at once to make bulk changes, ensuring a faster and more reliable experience.
Results

Cutting costs, errors, and complexity

The new allocation experience has been a resounding success, eliminating over 500 hours of manual work each month and reducing allocation errors by 77%. The solution’s lightweight design meant it was delivered quickly while its scalability ensures it can effortlessly support Zeelo’s expanding network of operator partners. By simplifying this critical workflow, we not only freed up resources, but also improved the operator experience and laid the groundwork for future growth.

Key results

Saved >500 hours per month for the customer care team (£60K annual savings)
A scalable, future-proof solution to accommodate business growth
Described by operators as “easy to use” and “very straightforward”
Reduced allocation errors by 77% (from 1.3% to 0.3%)