Co-Design System
-
The co-design system played a pivotal role in the success of this project by fostering collaboration between cross-functional teams and end users. Through a series of structured co-design workshops, Intake Administrators, Inspectors, and Sales Representatives actively contributed their insights, pain points, and ideas.
-
This participatory approach ensured that the new application and service design truly reflected the needs and workflows of those using it.
-
The co-design system not only encouraged ownership and alignment among stakeholders but also accelerated decision-making, reduced rework, and resulted in a more intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly solution across all stages of the equipment lifecycle.
Transforming the Equipment Lifecycle: A Service Design Success at Ritchie Bros
Project Details
Company: Ritchie Bros
Project: Building an Equipment Service Design
My Role: UX Service Designer
Team & Project Duration
Team: UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer, Business Analyst, and Process Analyst.
Department involved: Intake Admin, FieldStaff, Inspectors and Sales
Durations: 6 Months
Tools & Methods Used
Service Blueprinting, Journey Mapping, Stakeholder Interviews, Cross-functional Workshops, Value Stream Mapping, Figma, Miro, Lucidchart
Before
After
Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
Pain points Identified
(Before the Redesign)
Post-Redesign Value Addition
-
Intake and inspection disconnected; inspection unaware of incoming items
-
Sales teams working with outdated or missing data
-
Manual handoffs caused lag, duplication, and data loss
-
No system-wide visibility on equipment readiness status
-
Inconsistent terminology across departments
-
Digital intake + automation reduced handoff lag from 2.5 days to 1 day
-
Inspection App on iOS improved field efficiency and real-time visibility
-
Unified profiles ensured accurate, up-to-date information across teams
-
Status tracker and alerting enabled proactive management of stuck items
-
Shared taxonomy improved communication and collaboration
Discovery
-
I initiated a holistic research approach by engaging 18+ stakeholders through:
-
1:1 interviews with Intake Clerks, Inspectors, and Sales Coordinators
-
On-site shadowing of equipment check-ins and inspections
-
Review of internal documentation, intake forms, and inspection logs
-
Process mapping workshops with each department
Discovery Phase
Customer Journey Map
Key Findings
-
Intake used paper forms which weren’t standardized across locations.
-
Inspection lacked real-time visibility into incoming equipment.
-
Sales often had missing data (like missing inspection notes, wrong categories).
-
Each department used different terminology for similar steps.
Taxonomy Alignment
Created Share Language and Checklist for all teams. Prevented miscommunication across departments.
Services We Provide
I facilitated co-design workshops with cross-functional stakeholders to reimagine the service.
Digital Intake Dashboard
-
Custom-designed UI to capture standardized fields (category, condition, attachments)
-
Triggered real-time notifications to Inspection Team upon check-in
Inspection Queue Automation
-
Integrated inspection app showed a prioritized queue
-
Linked intake data, inspection status, and internal notes
Equipment Profile Sync
-
A unified equipment profile auto-fed into the Sales Team dashboard
-
Included photos, specs, and inspection outcomes
Status Tracker with Handoff Logic
-
Visual status bar visible across departments
-
Triggered alerts if any item stalled for 48+ hours
Inspection App
The Ritchie Bros Inspection App was thoughtfully designed and optimized for the iOS platform, ensuring a fast, intuitive, and reliable experience for inspectors in the field.
Built with real-time syncing, offline functionality, and a clean, mobile-first interface, it allowed inspectors to easily prioritize tasks, capture notes, and upload photos directly from their devices.
Field users praised the app for its speed, clarity, and ease of use—highlighting how it significantly reduced paperwork and improved daily workflow efficiency.
Co-Design Workshop
Mapping Workshops
Keynotes
-
30% reduction in equipment processing time from intake to live auction listing.
-
Streamlined communication flow between departments using standardized checklists and digital tagging.
-
Centralized data integration enabling real-time equipment tracking across departments.
-
Improved customer satisfaction due to consistent updates and reduced equipment handling errors.
-
Increased throughput, allowing the sales team to list more equipment per auction cycle.
This service design solution not only optimized internal efficiency but also elevated the customer and employee experience—setting a new standard for operational excellence at Ritchie Bros
Conclusion & Final Result
The comprehensive service design initiative at Ritchie Bros. successfully bridged operational silos between the Intake, Inspection, and Sales departments, resulting in a more cohesive, transparent, and efficient end-to-end equipment processing workflow.
Through service ecosystem mapping, journey mapping, and service blueprinting, we uncovered pain points, communication gaps, and redundancies that had previously caused delays and customer dissatisfaction. Co-design workshops with frontline staff and department heads played a crucial role in crafting solutions that were both functional and adoptable.
Process Stage
Impact
-
The impact of the Ritchie Bros service design initiative was both measurable and significant. Intake-to-inspection lag was reduced from an average of 2.5 days to just 1 day, accelerating equipment readiness.
-
Readiness errors dropped dramatically from 18% to 3%, increasing data accuracy and auction preparedness. Internal team satisfaction rose from 56% to 91%, reflecting improved collaboration and clarity.
-
Most notably, on-time auction readiness increased from 74% to 98%, directly supporting business outcomes and customer satisfaction.
Increased
91%
Increased
98%
Reduced
3%
Implementation
-
Agile Collaboration: Worked closely with PMs, developers, and operations teams to translate the service blueprint into actionable deliverables.
-
Tool Design:
-
Designed the Digital Intake Dashboard with standardized fields and real-time validation.
-
Shaped the Inspection App UI for field usability and task prioritization.
-
Developed the Unified Equipment Profile to auto-sync inspection data with the Sales Catalog.
-
-
Status Tracker: Introduced a real-time, cross-department tracker with 48+ hour stall alerts.
-
Terminology Alignment: Created a shared glossary and integrated role-specific checklists to reduce miscommunication.
-
Pilot Rollout: Deployed in Texas and Alberta branches; captured live feedback and iterated based on user input.
-
Training & Change Management: Designed interactive training sessions, onboarding guides, and Slack-based support for smooth adoption.
Service Blueprint
Ecosystem Mapping
Reflection
-
This case underscored the power of service design thinking in operational contexts. By co-creating solutions with the people closest to the work, we moved from departmental silos to a cohesive, human-centered service ecosystem.
-
The solution wasn’t just a process improvement — it was a cultural shift toward transparency, alignment, and continuous improvement.
Synthesis & Service Mapping
I led the creation of a comprehensive service blueprint that visualized:
Customer touchpoints (e.g., equipment drop-off)
Frontstage (employee-facing interactions)
Backstage (internal systems/processes)
Support systems (e.g., CRM, Inspection App, Auction Management Tool)
We identified 15 friction points and 9 opportunity areas
Problem Statement
Ritchie Bros, a global leader in asset disposition, was experiencing fragmented communication and handoffs across departments involved in the equipment lifecycle:
-
Intake Department: Registered equipment but lacked clarity on inspection requirements.
-
Inspection Team: Often received incomplete or delayed intake data.
-
Sales Department: Faced delays and inaccuracies in equipment details needed to prepare for live auctions.
These silos led to delays, inconsistent equipment data, customer dissatisfaction, and missed auction readiness deadlines.
Objective
Design an integrated service flow that:
-
Aligns cross-departmental processes
-
Reduces handoff friction
-
Ensures equipment is intake-ready, inspection-complete, and sale-ready for auctions
-
Improves internal team collaboration and visibility