Mudflap Route Optimizer

Truck drivers face tough decisions: where to stop, how to balance cost vs time, and which stops align with their needs. Mudflap already helps with fuel discounts, but manual calculations added stress.

How might we help drivers plan smarter routes while driving more traffic to partner stops?

Role
Senior Product Designer

Skills
UX Research, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, Testing, Project Management

Timeline
Feb 2025 - Mar 2025

Overview

Mudflap is a diesel discount app for truck drivers. Through its marketplace, Mudflap connects owner-operators and small fleets with truck stops offering fuel discounts. Learn more about what Mudflap does.

Business & User Goals

  • For drivers: minimize fuel and operating costs, make smarter routing decisions, reduce manual effort in planning.

  • For Mudflap: increase usage of its fuel discount network (drive more business to partner truck stops), strengthen loyalty, increase user engagement.

Key Challenges

  • How might we help drivers make decisions that maximize profit (net of fuel cost) rather than just shortest distance or time?

  • How might we nudge more fuel purchases via Mudflap’s partner network, without compromising user trust?

  • How to design for diverse driver constraints (hours of service, tank capacity, brand restrictions, amenities) in a usable flow?

Research & Ideation

Early Concepts for Load Chooser

Before arriving at the final design, a few early ideas were explored:

  • Profit-Lock: Allow drivers to “lock in” a fuel price for up to 24h in advance & reduce uncertainty.

    • Challenge: If the market price dropped after locking, ambiguity and friction would arise (needing price match logic). The complexity risk was high.

  • Load Chooser (proof of concept pictured left): Let drivers compare multiple potential load / route options, factoring in fuel costs along each.

    • Feedback: While helpful, many drivers (especially under contract) had limited choice of loads. The route planning component was more high-value.

The Process

Customer Journey Mapping & Brainstorming

In collaboration with my Product Manager and Engineering Manager partners, we talked to users about their route planning workflow. From there, I mapped the customer journey and listed out key requirements.

MVP

After we had a good understanding of the flow and requirements, I began shaping the corresponding user flow for the app. We decided to release an MVP version to a small set of users in order to gather rapid feedback on the core feature. We would also test this with users in-person at the Mid-America Trucking Show, an annual convention for professionals & businesses in the trucking industry.

Note: There were many iterations before what is shown on the left. See below for an overview of the developments.

Iterations of Key Screens

Trip Details Screen

This screen collects key parameters that feed into personalized route recommendations making it the most important screen for accuracy. Those parameters included:

  • Current fuel level

  • MPG

  • Hours of service remaining (legal max drive hours)

  • Truck stop brand restrictions / preferences

  • Required amenities (e.g. restroom, repair, WiFi)

The challenge: fitting many inputs in a digestible flow without overwhelming the driver. The design prioritized clarity, progressive disclosure, and default values when possible.

Route Plan Screen

The heart of the experience. Key features and design decisions included:

  • Toggle between Fuel Cost Savings vs Time Savings

  • Map view + list view of recommended truck stops, with pricing and distance info

  • Expandable details for each stop (amenities, fuel price, detour cost)

  • Button to purchase a fuel code (so the user can lock in price / transact)

  • Ability to edit / refine trip parameters mid-flow (e.g. change tank level, base point)

This dual view (map + list) helps users visualize tradeoffs (time vs cost) while giving contextual detail.

Final Solution

Prototype & Flow

A high-fidelity prototype that matches the mobile app flow that launched:

  1. Driver sets Truck Details

  2. Fills Trip Details

  3. Sees Route Plan

  4. Receives Price Forecasting hints (e.g. “fuel is likely to drop soon”)

  5. Navigates to final route and can purchase fuel codes or start route directly

The Impact

  • High engagement 2 out of 3 drivers buy fuel from at least one recommended stop on the same day they start using the feature.

  • User Trust Drivers expressed trust in the accuracy of recommendations and alignment with their habits.

  • Loyalty Users successfully developed repeat purchasing habits with Mudflap truck stops after first week of use.

  • Retention 58% of users who engaged with the feature continued to use it beyond their first 30 days.

Key Takeaways

  1. Focus matters: Prioritizing one core scenario (route planning) delivered impact fast

  2. Trust drives adoption: Recommendations worked because they reflected real driver behavior

  3. Design can shift habits: A simple, confident experience encouraged drivers to try new stops