KoptiHub Prototype Achieves 'A' Usability Score for Cooperative Warehouse Management
Category: Modelling · Effect: Strong effect · Year: 2025
A user-centered design approach to prototyping warehouse management software for cooperatives can lead to highly usable digital solutions.
Design Takeaway
When designing digital solutions for specific organizational types, prioritize user feedback throughout the prototyping phase to ensure high usability and adoption.
Why It Matters
Developing functional prototypes using user-centered methodologies allows for early validation of design concepts and ensures that the final product meets the specific needs and operational realities of its intended users. This iterative process minimizes the risk of developing solutions that are technically sound but practically unworkable.
Key Finding
The KoptiHub prototype was found to be highly usable by cooperative administrators, indicating a successful application of user-centered design principles in developing warehouse management tools for this sector.
Key Findings
- The KoptiHub prototype achieved a System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 82.17, corresponding to an 'A' grade.
- The prototype demonstrated superior usability compared to previous warehouse management solutions in a cooperative setting.
- Users identified potential areas for improvement, including interface simplification and AI-driven forecasting.
Research Evidence
Aim: To develop and evaluate a user-centered prototype for cooperative warehouse management that improves inventory tracking and procurement processes.
Method: Prototyping and User-Centered Design (UCD) with System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluation.
Procedure: A digital warehouse management prototype named 'KoptiHub' was developed using a UCD approach. The prototype was then tested with cooperative administrators using the System Usability Scale (SUS) to measure its usability.
Sample Size: 15 participants
Context: Cooperative warehouse management within small and medium enterprises (SMEs) specializing in soybean-based industries.
Design Principle
Iterative prototyping informed by user feedback is essential for developing effective and usable digital tools.
How to Apply
When developing new software or digital tools, create interactive prototypes early in the design process and gather feedback from representative users to refine the design before full development.
Limitations
The study was conducted with a specific cooperative, and the findings may not be universally generalizable to all cooperative settings without further testing. The prototype's AI forecasting feature was not yet implemented.
Student Guide (IB Design Technology)
Simple Explanation: Building a test version of a warehouse app for a cooperative and asking users to try it out showed that the app was very easy to use and helpful.
Why This Matters: This research shows how important it is to involve users when designing new products, especially digital ones, to make sure they are easy to use and solve real problems.
Critical Thinking: How might the specific context of a 'cooperative' influence the design requirements for warehouse management software compared to a standard commercial enterprise?
IA-Ready Paragraph: The development of the KoptiHub prototype followed a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, resulting in a highly usable system with a System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 82.17. This demonstrates the effectiveness of involving end-users throughout the design and prototyping phases to ensure that digital solutions meet practical requirements and user expectations, a principle applicable to any design project aiming for user adoption.
Project Tips
- When creating a prototype, focus on the core functions that address the main problem.
- Use a standardized usability questionnaire like SUS to get quantifiable results.
How to Use in IA
- Use the UCD process described to inform your own design methodology.
- Cite the SUS score as evidence of your prototype's usability.
Examiner Tips
- Ensure that the user-centered design process is clearly documented, showing how user feedback influenced design decisions.
- The justification for choosing a specific prototyping method should be clear.
Independent Variable: User-Centered Design approach and prototype features.
Dependent Variable: Usability score (SUS) and user satisfaction.
Controlled Variables: Type of industry (soybean-based), cooperative setting, and specific tasks performed during testing.
Strengths
- Clear application of UCD principles.
- Quantitative usability measurement using SUS.
Critical Questions
- Were the tasks given to the participants representative of their daily work?
- How would the SUS score change if the prototype included more advanced features like AI forecasting?
Extended Essay Application
- Investigate the scalability of UCD-developed prototypes for warehouse management across different types of SMEs or cooperatives.
- Explore the integration of AI-driven forecasting into warehouse management prototypes and its impact on usability and efficiency.
Source
KOPTIHUB: A WAREHOUSE APPLICATION PROTOTYPE FROM COOPERATIVE PERS PECTIVE · Pilar Nusa Mandiri · 2025 · 10.33480/pilar.v21i2.6456