Emerge Palette Design System
2021
Emerge is a digital freight marketplace that connects shippers, carriers, and brokers to optimize supply chain operations through real-time freight rate comparisons, capacity sourcing, and shipment tracking. The platform uses data analytics and AI tools to streamline procurement, reduce costs, and enhance logistics efficiency for businesses.
Impact
–
Role
Product Designer
Duration
June 2021 – September 2021
Team
Aaron Forney, Benjamin Sanders
Tools
Figma, Jira
Scope
Design System
Design Problem
Inefficient Existing Processes
The freight industry relies on outdated, manual processes like phone calls and emails, leading to inefficiencies in sourcing capacity, pricing, and shipment tracking. The design challenge was to create a user-friendly platform that streamlines these tasks for shippers, carriers, and brokers.
Complex User Needs
Catering to diverse users—shippers, carriers, and brokers—required a flexible interface that balances simplicity with robust functionality. Each group has unique workflows, making it critical to design a system that’s intuitive yet comprehensive.
Information Overload
Freight logistics involves complex data, such as pricing, capacity, and shipment details. The design needed to present this data clearly to avoid overwhelming users while ensuring quick access to actionable insights.
Consistency Across Platforms
Ensuring a cohesive user experience across web and mobile interfaces was essential, requiring a scalable design system that maintains consistency while adapting to different devices.

User Research
The design system for Emerge, doesn’t explicitly detail a formal user research process but implies user-centric considerations through the design approach. The user research can be inferred as focusing on understanding the needs of diverse freight industry stakeholders—shippers, carriers, and brokers—by addressing their pain points with outdated, manual logistics processes. The design team likely conducted contextual analysis to identify inefficiencies in workflows like sourcing capacity and pricing, leading to a platform with intuitive navigation, clear data visualization, and responsive layouts tailored to varied user roles and devices.


