Diad survey on UPSer.com

[IWorkAsDirected]

Originally Posted by DiadDude

A quick look at some preliminary feedback seems to indicate that everyone LOVES the DIAD 4

You're kidding obviously, or the numbers are screwed up. No One I've talked to LOVES diad4, or even remotely likes it for that matter.

[over9five]

Originally Posted by over9five
"You guys are nuts. No matter WHAT the actual results of that survey are, UPS will SAY everyone loves it, it's the best thing since sliced bread etc etc.

Think ERI and PAS/EDD...."

A quick look at some preliminary feedback seems to indicate that everyone LOVES the DIAD 4


Thank you for making my point!

[DiadDude]

Apparently I forgot something important in my post. Let me try again

<Tongue planted firmly in cheek>
A quick look at some preliminary feedback seems to indicate that everyone LOVES the DIAD 4
</Tongue in cheek>

[DS]

I`m glad here in Canada we never got diad 4.Diad 3 is good for c.o.d's and we have plenty here, with the brokerage charges.We accept cash,check,or credit card and once you master it,it works good.
I do have one thing that bugs me though thats unique to both diad 3 + 4 is that its upside down.Everyone that signs it for the first time assumes they should use it just like you do as a driver and turns it over only to be corrected that its now upside down.Can it be made so it does not matter?Can it be made more user friendly for the customer?A signature reverse key so they could sign either way? And I agree that all incoming ods or text messages should not come up until a stop is complete.I also think that you should be able to edit completed stops with a reason.Like when you complete it to the wrong address or want to add a pkg.I`/ curious if diad dude has any real influence in the design of the new diad.
Did ups ask him to come in the browncafe to get some real answers?

[brownracer]

An interesting fact about the DIAD4. It was originally designed with the signature to be taken the same direction as the driver, but based on feedback from drivers during testing it was reversed. The same as the DIAD 3. This in turn resulted in some drivers having problems with the current signature key location.

I guess this goes into make sure what you wish for, because you may actually get it :-)

[brownracer]

Originally Posted by DS

I`m glad here in Canada we never got diad 4.Diad 3 is good for c.o.d's and we have plenty here, with the brokerage charges.We accept cash,check,or credit card and once you master it,it works good.
I do have one thing that bugs me though thats unique to both diad 3 + 4 is that its upside down.Everyone that signs it for the first time assumes they should use it just like you do as a driver and turns it over only to be corrected that its now upside down.Can it be made so it does not matter?Can it be made more user friendly for the customer?A signature reverse key so they could sign either way? And I agree that all incoming ods or text messages should not come up until a stop is complete.I also think that you should be able to edit completed stops with a reason.Like when you complete it to the wrong address or want to add a pkg.I`/ curious if diad dude has any real influence in the design of the new diad.
Did ups ask him to come in the browncafe to get some real answers?

DS: How do you enter credit card information in the DIAD???

[upsdude]

Originally Posted by brownracer

An interesting fact about the DIAD4. It was originally designed with the signature to be taken the same direction as the driver, but based on feedback from drivers during testing it was reversed. The same as the DIAD 3. This in turn resulted in some drivers having problems with the current signature key location.

I guess this goes into make sure what you wish for, because you may actually get it :-)

The signature deal is awkward any way you look at it. Natural reaction is to turn the diad right side up. On the other hand folks think touching the keys will “mess it up”.

[DiadDude]

Originally Posted by upsdude

The signature deal is awkward any way you look at it. Natural reaction is to turn the diad right side up. On the other hand folks think touching the keys will “mess it up”.

Hopefully this doesn't turn into a thread hijack.
There was another thread on here about washing the DIAD, and we got into a discussion of methods. The delivery methods do not include handing the DIAD to the customer, but rather holding the DIAD for them to sign. It doesn't really make a differnece to me how you do it, but I can tell you that the DIAD is designed to be used within the bounds of the methods.

[DiadDude]

Originally Posted by DS

I`m curious if diad dude has any real influence in the design of the new diad.
Did ups ask him to come in the browncafe to get some real answers?

I hope to have at least a little influence in the design process. My group was asked for input on the DIAD IV, but that input was largely ignored by the hardware design team.

The DIAD 5 effort seems to be shaping up a little different than DIAD 4, so maybe I can get a few of your suggestions in the 5. I don't directly have anything to do with the survey that you're taking, but I do see the results and can at least re-iterate your concerns in meetings where they will be heard.

I know it's an oxymoron, but you could call my position that of "concerned management"

[upsdude]

Originally Posted by DiadDude

Hopefully this doesn't turn into a thread hijack.
There was another thread on here about washing the DIAD, and we got into a discussion of methods. The delivery methods do not include handing the DIAD to the customer, but rather holding the DIAD for them to sign. It doesn't really make a differnece to me how you do it, but I can tell you that the DIAD is designed to be used within the bounds of the methods.

I understand what you're saying, it just doesn't always work out. A person seated behind a counter, a large desk. Or, the person that has signed all the Diads, 1,2,3, and now #4.

[BigBrownSanta]

Originally Posted by DiadDude

I hope to have at least a little influence in the design process. My group was asked for input on the DIAD IV, but that input was largely ignored by the hardware design team.

I, for one, am happy to see the survey on upsers.com. It's good to see that maybe someone will take the user's opinions and try to make improvements that will take a little of the frustration out of our day.

The DIAD 5 effort seems to be shaping up a little different than DIAD 4, so maybe I can get a few of your suggestions in the 5. I don't directly have anything to do with the survey that you're taking, but I do see the results and can at least re-iterate your concerns in meetings where they will be heard.

For that I say thank you.

I know it's an oxymoron, but you could call my position that of "concerned management"

To me, that's how the "constructive dissatisfaction" process should work.

[DiadDude]

Originally Posted by upsdude

I understand what you're saying, it just doesn't always work out. A person seated behind a counter, a large desk. Or, the person that has signed all the Diads, 1,2,3, and now #4.

I'm not sure how the 5 will be signed, but it would make sense that if it is done "right side up", the DIAD 4 could be changed to match and the methods updated appropriately.

[bad company]

I was able to attend a meeting this morning in my building regarding DIAD V. It was a focus group style meeting, with about 15 drivers and various management from both operations and corporate. Many of the suggestions that were mentioned here on the forum were also mentioned in this focus group.

We also got to see and hold two other "off the shelf" scanners that are currently available in the market. One looked very similar to the powerpad that FedEx uses and was made by Symbol. The other one was a little smaller and just a tad bit bigger than a pocket pc. According to the representatives from corporate, both of these off the shelf scanners have the same capabilities has DIAD IV.

The smaller one seemed to be unanimously disliked by all drivers because of the scanning angle (scanner was at the very top, compared to an angled scanner on the bottom of our DIADS now), and because of the extremely small buttons. It is nearly impossible to accurately use the buttons while wearing gloves.

The powerpad style scanner made by symbol seemed to be the favorite. I thought it felt rugged and liked the layout of the keys. The buttons weren't too big, but smaller than the ones on DIAD IV. There is no toggle/shift key, separate numerical and letter keys. They asked us if we preferred a keypad layout that was in alphabetical (ABCDFG) order or QWERTY (like the keyboard on your computer....QWERTY) Some of the older drives seemed baffled by that term, made me chuckle...

While the main focus was on hardware changes, there were also several discussions and comments made on potential software upgrades and enhancements. In my opinion, based on the comments and reactions observed in this focus group, I would not be surprised if we switched to an "off the shelf" scanner for DIAD V. No need to re-invent the wheel... if nothing else, it will probably be a slightly customized version of a scanner already out in the market. We'd have give it a brown shell, add a UPS shield, and make a few other minor adjustments.

All in all, it was pretty neat to be able to attend this meeting. While free Chickfila and orange juice is always a nice plus, it was refreshing to see management taking a sincere interest in the opinions and ideas of the drivers in the field (WHAT A CONCEPT!) Again, for those who have not yet done so, I strongly suggest you take the survey on UPSers.com and opine. They really do want your input.

*NOTE* Pictures below are similar to models mentioned in my post. I have no way to verify whether or not these were the exact models shown to us in the focus group. Just FYI...

[DiadDude]

Originally Posted by bad company

I was able to attend a meeting this morning in my building regarding DIAD V. It was a focus group style meeting, with about 15 drivers and various management from both operations and corporate. Many of the suggestions that were mentioned here on the forum were also mentioned in this focus group.

We also got to see and hold two other "off the shelf" scanners that are currently available in the market. One looked very similar to the powerpad that FedEx uses and was made by Symbol. The other one was a little smaller and just a tad bit bigger than a pocket pc. According to the representatives from corporate, both of these off the shelf scanners have the same capabilities has DIAD IV.

The smaller one seemed to be unanimously disliked by all drivers because of the scanning angle (scanner was at the very top, compared to an angled scanner on the bottom of our DIADS now), and because of the extremely small buttons. It is nearly impossible to accurately use the buttons while wearing gloves.

The powerpad style scanner made by symbol seemed to be the favorite. I thought it felt rugged and liked the layout of the keys. The buttons weren't too big, but smaller than the ones on DIAD IV. There is no toggle/shift key, separate numerical and letter keys. They asked us if we preferred a keypad layout that was in alphabetical (ABCDFG) order or QWERTY (like the keyboard on your computer....QWERTY) Some of the older drives seemed baffled by that term, made me chuckle...

While the main focus was on hardware changes, there were also several discussions and comments made on potential software upgrades and enhancements. In my opinion, based on the comments and reactions observed in this focus group, I would not be surprised if we switched to an "off the shelf" scanner for DIAD V. No need to re-invent the wheel... if nothing else, it will probably be a slightly customized version of a scanner already out in the market. We'd have give it a brown shell, add a UPS shield, and make a few other minor adjustments.

All in all, it was pretty neat to be able to attend this meeting. While free Chickfila and orange juice is always a nice plus, it was refreshing to see management taking a sincere interest in the opinions and ideas of the drivers in the field (WHAT A CONCEPT!) Again, for those who have not yet done so, I strongly suggest you take the survey on UPSers.com and opine. They really do want your input.

*NOTE* Pictures below are similar to models mentioned in my post. I have no way to verify whether or not these were the exact models shown to us in the focus group. Just FYI...

The smaller pic is representative of the style devices I've seen to this point. I have heard some talk about trying to find devices like the larger one because of the "better" keypad.

Several people have asked for a "QWERTY" keyboard on the survey, although I personally question their usefulness for this type of device. Others have specifically asked for "Blackberry" sized DIADs and again I question the wisdom of that choice.

If you like those ideas, go give them support on the survey. If you don't like them, let us know that too.

[trplnkl]

I kinda like the idea of UPS using a delivery information acquisition device designed FOR US. This not only sets us apart and above the companies that buy "off the shelf" devices, but gives us the flexibility to adapt to needed changes and doesn't saddle us with useless features.

[trplnkl]

I'm not sure how the 5 will be signed, but it would make sense that if it is done "right side up", the DIAD 4 could be changed to match and the methods updated appropriately.

I figured out that the direction of the sig pad was determined by the software and not the hardware during peak. I used an old DIAD III, this sig pad was just like on the IV.

[brownracer]

This week is your last chance to enter your opinions for the next version of the DIAD. YOUR INPUT COUNTS- THEY ARE LISTENING- NOW IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY. To take the ANONYMOUS survey go to:
https://www.upsers.com/p2rary0web/su...XKYDDSCNTEFBTK

Should take about 5-10 minutes. Survey closes on February 1st. Over 3,000 already have, make sure your voice is heard. If you don't vote, don't blame others for the results.

Open to all UPS employees with DIAD experience: drivers/management, domestic/international.

[brownracer]

Remember, that you have to first log in to UPSers.com for the link to work. Otherwise you can find the announcement and link under the previous week's "Headlines."

[brownracer]

last day