“Parcel not picked, wasted my time waiting for pickup.”Pranay
- A time to plan around
- Who is coming
- Updates without asking
- A quick way out
- missed-pickup reviews
- 306
- match this pattern exactly
- 79
Case study · MyDTDC · Android · Doorstep pickup · 2026
A doorstep pickup that keeps its promise, or tells you early.
My own paid pickup never came.
- Role
- Product designer, solo
- Timeline
- Sep – Oct 2026
- Scope
- Booking to refund, Android
- Status
- Concept · clickable prototype
Chapter 01 of 05
Context
A solo concept: research, flows, screens, a design system and a prototype, from public reviews, the live app and six other courier apps.
The whole story, in 30 seconds.
- 3 daysI waited for a pickup I’d already paid for
- 306one-star reviews describe a missed or late pickup
- 13 → 5steps to book a pickup
- 2 → 9pickup stages the app shows you
Paid ₹535. Promised “today”. Nobody came.
My bookingBengaluru → West Bengal
- Shipping
- ₹435
- Doorstep pickup
- ₹100
- Paid upfront
- ₹535
Pickup promised: “within a stipulated time”
- Day 0Booked and paid“Pickup today.”
- Day 1Waited all day. No call, no message.
- Day 2Called support“It will be done today.”
- Day 3Same answer. Cancelled.
Chapter 02 of 05
Problem/Opportunities
Paid upfront. Then silence. Hundreds of reviews describe the same thing.
306 reviews, read by hand.
- All reviews8,369
- One-star6,065
- Pickup missed or late306
“Evrytime I call the Customer service, they just tell that the pickup will be done today.”
Where people get stuck.
15notesSupport dead-ends
- “They just pick the call and dont even respond.”Aug 2024
- “No response only from service centre.”Dec 2025
15notesPickup not done, cancel fails
- “They will schedule your pickup but never pickup on time.”Feb 2023
- “Booked a pickup for an urgent international shipment… still no sign of any pickup.”Apr 2026
13notesPayment and refund
- “My money is debited but no pick up is done.”Feb 2023
- “I had requested for refund before 15 days but still the refund amount not received.”Jan 2025
Four places to look. None knows your pickup.
The live app · v3.8.2
Twelve links, none about your pickup
“No Bookings!”, right after you booked
Asks for a number you don’t have yet
A phone number, and a long wait
Others charge less and promise more.
| What a sender needs | MyDTDC | Delhivery | Blue Dart | India Post | Porter | Shiprocket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choose a pickup time | No | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Confirmation | No | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agent details | No | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | Partly |
| Status before pickup | No | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Arrival alert | No | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Reschedule in the app | No | Yes | Not stated | No | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| A plan if they miss you | No | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Pickup charge | ₹100 | Free | — | ₹50 | ₹40+ | ₹45+ |
The app speaks once, at payment.
Today Redesign
- 1 · PayYou pay, but get no timeA time before you pay
- 2 · WaitNo updatesStatus without asking
- 3 · Pickup dayNobody comesWarned early, while there’s time
- 4 · SupportNobody owns itAn owner for every problem
- 5 · Way outMoney stuckEasy rebook, a dated refund
Chapter 03 of 05
Scope
How might we turn a paid pickup into a promise you can see, and a missed one into a plan, not a phone call?
Three promises to design for.
- 01Name the time before the payment
- 02Warn while there’s still time
- 03Give every failure an owner and a date
Two kinds of people sending parcels.
“After 30 hours of booking even pickup hadn’t happened. It was urgent.”Play review, Apr 2025
- A guaranteed window
- Early warning
- A fast fallback
- Premium refunded
- reviews mention premium or express
- 52
- of them missed or late
- 46
Map every stage. Show only the next one.
Shown today · 2 Added · 7
- Booked and paidShown today
- Time confirmed
- Executive assigned
- On the way
- Picked upShown today
No executive by 9 am
- At risk
- Missed: case open
- Refund in progress
- Refunded
- Within a stipulated timeThu 1 Oct, 10 am – 1 pm
- No updateExecutive assigned · ID DX-2041 · Call
- It will be done todayExecutive not confirmed yet. Next update by 11 am.
- Refund in some days₹435 is on its way. By Thu 8 Oct.
One new screen. Three ways in.
- Three ways in
- Home · your pickup card
- Bookings
- Any alert
New · Pickup detail
- On it
- Status and the pickup time
- Who is coming, with a call button
- Reschedule or cancel
- Help with this booking
- A case, if it’s missed
- The refund, tracked
- The bottom menu stays as people know it.
29 ideas. 14 kept. These three cut.
- DroppedA live map of the ExecutiveOne Executive, many pickups. A jumping dot promises more than DTDC can keep.
- Built, then droppedAn “Ask AI” support tabA worried sender needs a person and a deadline, not a bot.
- ReversedCharge the ₹100 after pickupTwo payments. A dated refund builds the same trust with one.
Ten decisions, from booking to log in.
Before · live app
After · redesign
Before · live app
After · redesign
Before · live app
After · redesign
01BookingReal 3-hour times, full ones shown
02BookingThe promise sits right above Pay
03BookingConfirmation says what’s next
04BookingYour pickup lives on Home
05Pickup dayBy 9 am, a named Executive
06Pickup dayAmber, with choices, hours early
07Missed pickupA case with an owner opens itself
08Missed pickupThe refund is tracked to the day
09Log inYour phone suggests your number
10Log inThe code fills itself
Chapter 04 of 05
Solutions
Map first. Pixels second.
Five steps, from map to review.
1MapEvery path, the bad ones too · FigJam flows
2SketchEach screen starts from a question · wireframes
3DesignFinal screens on a small design system- 4WireTotals, timers and typing · ≈100 variables
5Review16 decisions checked, 11 changed
Every bad path ends with a new time or your money back.
Solved on the map, before the final design.
One colour, one meaning.
- NavyDTDC is on it
- BlueYour next step
- GreenDone, or you’re covered
- AmberAt risk, we’re acting
- RedWe failed, or money moves
Every state, designed. One clear line each.
1On Home
2Assigned
3May be late
4Still none
5Missed
6New time
7Cancel
8Refund
Totals, timers and typing that work.
- Log in
- Booking
- Pickup day
- Missed pickup
- ≈100 variables
Chapter 05 of 05
Outcomes
No results yet: it’s a concept, so I’m not claiming impact. Here is what I did beyond the brief, and how I’d know it works.
Four things nobody asked for.
- 444reviews kept of 695, read by hand instead of a keyword count
- 5colours, one job each, so status reads the same everywhere
- 11/16of my own decisions changed after a design-lead review
- ≈100variables, so the prototype behaves like the app
How I’d know it works.
- 1The booking promisePickup times and the promise above Pay
- 2Pickup-day updatesHome tracker, the 9 am Executive, the amber warning
- 3Missed-pickup recoveryCases with owners and dated refunds
- −50%“Where is my pickup?” calls, within 3 months
- 0drop in people who finish a booking
- On timepickups inside the chosen time, at today’s rate or better
- < 2%of one-star reviews about pickup, within 6 months
Pass · 4 of 5
First test · 5 recent senders“Book for Thursday. It’s 9:30 am and nobody’s assigned. What do you do?”Pass: they say when and who is coming unaided, and find the refund date in 10 seconds. If DTDC can’t keep the 3-hour time on most days, the fix is the promise, not the screens.
What I’m taking with me.
- 01A screen can’t keep a promise operations can’t
- 02Talk to senders before sketching
- 03Fix the moment, not the whole app
- 04Faster with AI, decided by me
The next pickup should come with a time, a name and a way out.
A self-initiated concept, not made for or approved by DTDC. Review quotes are from public Google Play reviews, with names removed.