CASE STUDY · 90POE
Getting maritime teams to trust the Estimator over Excel
I led the redesign of 90POE’s voyage Estimator, the tool chartering teams use to work out a voyage’s revenue, costs and returns.
ROLE
Senior Product Designer · design lead
TEAM
2 PMs, 1 Head of Product, 6 developers
TIMELINE
2023–2024
SURFACE
Web app · Maritime B2B SaaS
AT A GLANCE
PROBLEM
Operators didn’t trust the Estimator’s numbers, so they double-checked them in Excel.
Switching between tools
Too much on screen
Long, error-prone input
SOLUTION
One workspace built around the KPIs operators decide on.
Tools in a side panel
KPIs first
Step-by-step input
IMPACT
+400%
Adoption growth
+200%
Higher engagement
RESEARCH
Trust, not features, was blocking adoption
We ran discovery sessions and usability tests with chartering managers, operators, PMs and data analysts to find out why the Estimator wasn’t being adopted.
I can’t trust the numbers
Without transparency into assumptions and vessel performance, operators double-checked data in Excel before making decisions.
Nearly every user stressed that data trust and visibility were the single most important factors for adoption.
It takes too many steps to get an estimate
Users jumped between multiple tools mid-workflow, from spreadsheets to third-party calculators.
Many chartering managers described this constant context switching as their biggest source of frustration.
There’s too much information on the screen
Scattered inputs and dense layouts created confusion, especially for new operators.
Several interviewees noted that simplification and clarity were key to making the tool usable in real-world scenarios.
Sometimes I just need a quick answer
Some users needed a fast calculation, while others required detailed voyage simulations.
Most operators emphasized the need for flexibility: a tool that could scale from quick checks to in-depth modeling.
CONSTRAINTS & USERS
Contract and vessel type decided which inputs mattered
Research showed that estimation workflows varied by contract type and vessel type, so the Estimator had to fit those real-world contexts and still meet business priorities.
Voyage-charter operators
FOCUS
Estimating single voyages
NEEDS
Flexible route planning and fuel costs, plus quick “what-if” scenarios
Time-charter operators
FOCUS
Managing long-term contracts
NEEDS
Modeling recurring costs, daily hire rates and vessel performance over time
Vessel-specific roles
FOCUS
Tankers, bulk carriers and other vessel types
NEEDS
Vessel-specific inputs (cargo type, port restrictions, fuel blends) for accurate estimates
Business alignment
We mapped high-friction tasks against business value to prioritize workflows that delivered the greatest impact for both users and the platform.
Dynamic customization
The Estimator adapted automatically to user role, contract type, and vessel responsibilities — reducing clutter and surfacing only the most relevant inputs.
Value pyramid used to prioritize features
Estimate flows and entity states
EXPLORATION
We agreed one goal with product leadership: KPIs first, in context
I started with low-fidelity wireframes to find missing functionality, clarify navigation and validate flows early, working closely with the PMs and the Head of Product so design decisions fit business priorities and system constraints.
The shared goal
Surface critical voyage KPIs in context — demonstrating how operational changes directly impact business outcomes — while keeping workflows scalable across contract types and vessel responsibilities.
KEY DECISIONS
Four design calls, and what each one replaced
Where do advanced tools live?
Instead of
Separate screens and outside tools
Chose
A collapsible side panel inside the workspace
Switching between estimates, datasets and tools broke operators’ focus. I kept benchmarks, analysis and vessel insights within reach, in a side panel, without leaving the estimate.
What does the main screen show?
Instead of
Every metric at once
Chose
Essential KPIs first, advanced data on demand
“There’s too much information on the screen.” Operators felt overwhelmed by unnecessary metrics, so I kept the main screen to the decision-critical KPIs.
How do operators enter a voyage?
Instead of
One long input form
Chose
Guided step-by-step input
Long forms caused errors and friction. I broke input into structured steps to reduce cognitive load and improve accuracy.
One set of inputs, or many?
Instead of
The same inputs for every user
Chose
Views that adapt to role, contract type and vessel
Voyage-charter and time-charter operators, and each vessel type, needed different inputs. “Sometimes I just need a quick answer”: some operators needed a fast calculation, others a full simulation.
Estimator wireframes and screen iterations
FINAL DESIGN
From a quick check to a full simulation on one screen
After several rounds of iteration and validation with operators and PMs, the final Estimator puts the key KPIs up front, adapts to vessel and contract type, and scales from a quick check to a full voyage simulation.
Estimates list
Browse, search, and filter all voyage estimates without leaving the main view.
Advanced tools panel
An expandable side panel for quick access to benchmarks, vessel insights, and what-if analysis — enabling deeper exploration without leaving the main view.
Estimator workspace
The main workspace brings focus to voyage inputs and KPIs, allowing users to adjust parameters, run simulations, and review results in real time. It serves as the central view for planning and validation, keeping critical data always in sight.
The final prototype
Panels dynamically adjust based on the user’s focus and current task.
RESULTS
Operators started trusting the Estimator’s numbers
After the redesign, teams replaced their manual spreadsheets with one shared tool for voyage planning and decisions.
400% adoption growth
Up from limited adoption before the redesign.
200% higher engagement
Users actively explored the advanced voyage insights.
Estimates became the shared reference
Stakeholders trusted shared estimates as the single source of truth.
“We found that the dynamic Voyage Estimator capability, which we’ve very much constructed with 90POE, allows us the visibility to assess which options we’re going to trade into — not only on a vessel basis but very much on a book basis. We can see all the different ships within the different classes and assess what we consider to be the best option and the best decision.”
A. D., Director of Chartering
