My role
As the product designer, I worked closely with the PM and service operations leadership to define and design the first digital version of the PDI workflow. I focused on mapping the end-to-end process, removing cross-department friction, and ensuring the solution reflected actual operational behavior rather than a theoretical or idealized flow.
Understanding the problem
Before design began, we mapped the current-state process using stakeholder interviews, working documents, and internal SOPs. Although we did not yet have the opportunity to observe technicians on-site, we built a high-level blueprint.
Through this work, several structural issues became clear:
Technicians re-enter data repeatedly (vehicle info, issue notes, photos)
Handwritten notes lead to inconsistencies in how issues are described
Managers lack a single dashboard of all incoming WAFs and pending approvals
Sales relies on ad hoc communication, which causes delays in buy-in decisions
No audit trail exists, making it hard to trace decisions or verify who changed what
Designing the first version
After mapping the high-level workflow and consolidating inputs from PM and departmental leads, I created the first end-to-end digital prototype of the acquisition-PDI flow(mid-fidelity). The goal for this initial version was to translate the core steps of the manual process into a structured, role-based system: mobile for technicians conducting inspections and desktop for managers reviewing and approving work items.
This early design established key patterns such as three-state checklist inputs, inline issue capture, automatic WAF draft generation, and a centralized approval interface. While the structure was sound, this phase surfaced an important limitation in our process so far: we had not yet conducted a full on-site observational study inside the service bays. Much of the workflow was understood through meetings, documents, and stakeholder interviews, but not through direct shadowing of technicians in their real environment.
Where assumptions fell short
During a design review, a seemingly small detail exposed this gap. In the WAF interface, I had labeled the technician’s input field as “Description.” Service leadership immediately pointed out that technicians do not refer to these as descriptions, they call them "Complaints". That single piece of feedback made it clear that certain terminology, sequence expectations, and micro-behaviors were not fully captured in our first iteration.
This was a pivotal moment. It highlighted that some operational nuances are difficult to uncover without physically seeing how technicians move, communicate, and record issues on the floor. As a result, I noted the need for an on-site analysis phase to validate assumptions, observe real constraints, and refine both terminology and interaction patterns to better match their day-to-day workflows.
Projected impact
Because the product is still in development, the impact metrics below are modeled estimates based on baseline dealership observations and operational bottlenecks identified during discovery:
35–50% faster PDI completion
By eliminating printing, walking, rewriting, and manual scanning.60–70% faster WAF approval turnaround
Structured digital flows reduce back-and-forth and lost paperwork.15–25 minutes saved per vehicle
Aggregated across thousands of annual units = significant labor savings.100% traceability
Digital logs, signatures, and edit history reduce compliance risk.
These projections help set expectations while acknowledging the project’s pre-release status.
Why this matters
This isn’t just another form-digitization project. It’s about changing how the business thinks about acquired inventory. By making the PDI and WAF process digital and structured, we’re enabling faster decisions, reducing risk, and giving the business real data to act on. The system we’re building today is the foundation for smarter, leaner, more predictable RV acquisition operations, and that opens the door for analytics, predictive reconditioning, and deeper integration across service and sales.
skills used
Product Design
Research
Process Design
Workflow Arch
Information Arch
Credits
Me
Project Manager
Digitizing RV inspection workflow
When the dealership acquires a used RV from a customer, the unit goes through a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) to assess its condition and estimate reconditioning costs. This step directly influences the buy-in price and how quickly the unit can be prepared for retail. But the workflow is currently entirely paper-based. Technicians rely on printed checklists, managers review handwritten Work Authorization Forms (WAFs), and sales teams wait on approvals without real-time visibility.
This project focuses on digitizing that flow and aligning the teams around a single, reliable digital source. It addresses an ongoing business problem: inconsistent data, wasted time, and limited visibility continue to erode margin and slow down the acquisition pipeline.
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Pre-Delivery Inspection
Role
UX Designer
Year
2023-2024
Less paperwork, more time for inspections
Manual, Costly, Slow
skills used
Product Design
Research
Process Design
Workflow Arch
Information Arch
Team
Me
Product Manager
Digitizing RV inspection workflow
When the dealership acquires a used RV from a customer, the unit goes through a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) to assess its condition and estimate reconditioning costs. This step directly influences the buy-in price and how quickly the unit can be prepared for retail. But the workflow is currently entirely paper-based. Technicians rely on printed checklists, managers review handwritten Work Authorization Forms (WAFs), and sales teams wait on approvals without real-time visibility.
This project focuses on digitizing that flow and aligning the teams around a single, reliable digital source. It addresses an ongoing business problem: inconsistent data, wasted time, and limited visibility continue to erode margin and slow down the acquisition pipeline.
My role
As the product designer, I worked closely with the PM and service operations leadership to define and design the first digital version of the PDI workflow. I focused on mapping the end-to-end process, removing cross-department friction, and ensuring the solution reflected actual operational behavior rather than a theoretical or idealized flow.
Less paperwork, more time for inspections
Manual, Costly, Slow
Understanding the problem
Before design began, we mapped the current-state process using stakeholder interviews, working documents, and internal SOPs. Although we did not yet have the opportunity to observe technicians on-site, we built a high-level blueprint.
Through this work, several structural issues became clear:
Technicians re-enter data repeatedly (vehicle info, issue notes, photos)
Handwritten notes lead to inconsistencies in how issues are described
Managers lack a single dashboard of all incoming WAFs and pending approvals
Sales relies on ad hoc communication, which causes delays in buy-in decisions
No audit trail exists, making it hard to trace decisions or verify who changed what
Designing the first version
After mapping the high-level workflow and consolidating inputs from PM and departmental leads, I created the first end-to-end digital prototype of the acquisition-PDI flow(mid-fidelity). The goal for this initial version was to translate the core steps of the manual process into a structured, role-based system: mobile for technicians conducting inspections and desktop for managers reviewing and approving work items.
This early design established key patterns such as three-state checklist inputs, inline issue capture, automatic WAF draft generation, and a centralized approval interface. While the structure was sound, this phase surfaced an important limitation in our process so far: we had not yet conducted a full on-site observational study inside the service bays. Much of the workflow was understood through meetings, documents, and stakeholder interviews, but not through direct shadowing of technicians in their real environment.
Inspection process workflow
Where assumptions fell short
During a design review, a seemingly small detail exposed this gap. In the WAF interface, I had labeled the technician’s input field as “Description.” Service leadership immediately pointed out that technicians do not refer to these as descriptions, they call them "Complaints". That single piece of feedback made it clear that certain terminology, sequence expectations, and micro-behaviors were not fully captured in our first iteration.
This was a pivotal moment. It highlighted that some operational nuances are difficult to uncover without physically seeing how technicians move, communicate, and record issues on the floor. As a result, I noted the need for an on-site analysis phase to validate assumptions, observe real constraints, and refine both terminology and interaction patterns to better match their day-to-day workflows.
initial mockups
Projected Impact
Because the product is still in development, the impact metrics below are modeled estimates based on baseline dealership observations and operational bottlenecks identified during discovery:
35–50% faster PDI completion
By eliminating printing, walking, rewriting, and manual scanning.60–70% faster WAF approval turnaround
Structured digital flows reduce back-and-forth and lost paperwork.15–25 minutes saved per vehicle
Aggregated across thousands of annual units = significant labor savings.100% traceability
Digital logs, signatures, and edit history reduce compliance risk.
These projections help set expectations while acknowledging the project’s pre-release status.
Why this matters
This isn’t just another form-digitization project. It’s about changing how the business thinks about acquired inventory. By making the PDI and WAF process digital and structured, we’re enabling faster decisions, reducing risk, and giving the business real data to act on. The system we’re building today is the foundation for smarter, leaner, more predictable RV acquisition operations, and that opens the door for analytics, predictive reconditioning, and deeper integration across service and sales.
skills used
Product Design
Research
Process Design
Workflow Arch
Information Arch
team
Me
Project Manager
Digitizing RV inspection workflow
When the dealership acquires a used RV from a customer, the unit goes through a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) to assess its condition and estimate reconditioning costs. This step directly influences the buy-in price and how quickly the unit can be prepared for retail. But the workflow is currently entirely paper-based. Technicians rely on printed checklists, managers review handwritten Work Authorization Forms (WAFs), and sales teams wait on approvals without real-time visibility.
This project focuses on digitizing that flow and aligning the teams around a single, reliable digital source. It addresses an ongoing business problem: inconsistent data, wasted time, and limited visibility continue to erode margin and slow down the acquisition pipeline.
My role
As the product designer, I worked closely with the PM and service operations leadership to define and design the first digital version of the PDI workflow. I focused on mapping the end-to-end process, removing cross-department friction, and ensuring the solution reflected actual operational behavior rather than a theoretical or idealized flow.
Understanding the problem
Before design began, we mapped the current-state process using stakeholder interviews, working documents, and internal SOPs. Although we did not yet have the opportunity to observe technicians on-site, we built a high-level blueprint.
Through this work, several structural issues became clear:
Technicians re-enter data repeatedly (vehicle info, issue notes, photos)
Handwritten notes lead to inconsistencies in how issues are described
Managers lack a single dashboard of all incoming WAFs and pending approvals
Sales relies on ad hoc communication, which causes delays in buy-in decisions
No audit trail exists, making it hard to trace decisions or verify who changed what
Designing the first version
After mapping the high-level workflow and consolidating inputs from PM and departmental leads, I created the first end-to-end digital prototype of the acquisition-PDI flow(mid-fidelity). The goal for this initial version was to translate the core steps of the manual process into a structured, role-based system: mobile for technicians conducting inspections and desktop for managers reviewing and approving work items.
This early design established key patterns such as three-state checklist inputs, inline issue capture, automatic WAF draft generation, and a centralized approval interface. While the structure was sound, this phase surfaced an important limitation in our process so far: we had not yet conducted a full on-site observational study inside the service bays. Much of the workflow was understood through meetings, documents, and stakeholder interviews, but not through direct shadowing of technicians in their real environment.
Where assumptions fell short
During a design review, a seemingly small detail exposed this gap. In the WAF interface, I had labeled the technician’s input field as “Description.” Service leadership immediately pointed out that technicians do not refer to these as descriptions, they call them "Complaints". That single piece of feedback made it clear that certain terminology, sequence expectations, and micro-behaviors were not fully captured in our first iteration.
This was a pivotal moment. It highlighted that some operational nuances are difficult to uncover without physically seeing how technicians move, communicate, and record issues on the floor. As a result, I noted the need for an on-site analysis phase to validate assumptions, observe real constraints, and refine both terminology and interaction patterns to better match their day-to-day workflows.
Projected impact
Because the product is still in development, the impact metrics below are modeled estimates based on baseline dealership observations and operational bottlenecks identified during discovery:
35–50% faster PDI completion
By eliminating printing, walking, rewriting, and manual scanning.60–70% faster WAF approval turnaround
Structured digital flows reduce back-and-forth and lost paperwork.15–25 minutes saved per vehicle
Aggregated across thousands of annual units = significant labor savings.100% traceability
Digital logs, signatures, and edit history reduce compliance risk.
These projections help set expectations while acknowledging the project’s pre-release status.
Why this matters
This isn’t just another form-digitization project. It’s about changing how the business thinks about acquired inventory. By making the PDI and WAF process digital and structured, we’re enabling faster decisions, reducing risk, and giving the business real data to act on. The system we’re building today is the foundation for smarter, leaner, more predictable RV acquisition operations, and that opens the door for analytics, predictive reconditioning, and deeper integration across service and sales.