CHILL

Background

CHILL began with a challenge at Proto-A-Thon 2026: helping food-distribution teams manage cold-chain incidents when shipment information, temperature alerts, and quality-control records were scattered across different tools.

My role focused on UI design and prototyping, collaborating with teammates working on UX research and business strategy. I translated our findings into interfaces for vehicle monitoring, product tracking, alerts, and QC documentation.

Process

Our research highlighted the difficulty of connecting an incident with the information needed to investigate it. We designed the monitoring experience to link alerts with affected vehicles, products, temperature histories, and responsible personnel, giving teams a shared context for reviewing each incident.

We tested the monitoring prototype with five participants across five tasks, recording a System Usability Scale score of 76/100. Feedback also highlighted overly dense monitoring cards. The team revised their spacing and layout, although those changes still need follow-up testing.

Outcome

In the final stage, we expanded the concept toward a HACCP-based decision engine to help teams assess risks and identify possible responses. This direction requires separate evaluation; the earlier usability results apply to the monitoring prototype.

The project taught me to look beyond presenting operational data and consider what people need to understand, investigate, and act on it. It also reinforced the value of explaining exactly what a prototype evaluation can and cannot tell us.