From piles of paper to a usable, cloud-based web app
GOALS, CHALLENGES & OBJECTIVES
The client was relying on a purely paper-based system to manage their business: the internal admin as well as the job onsite. This included management of the machines and the staff onsite, daily invoicing, repairs and parts inventory. We created two user solutions: an internal web app for administration and an iOS app for use on in the field. This case study is about the web app, to learn about the iOS app read here.
The main challenge was to create a product that did not only digitise existing paper-based processes, but reduced complexity and improved user flows.
DISCOVERY
User interviews: We conducted interviews with admin staff to learn about existing problems, preferences and priorities of use.
Workshops: We ran mapping workshops with ProCrush’s business analysts to understand existing user flows.
Usability testing: We created a basic prototype and introduced it to users. After a testing period, we used video calls to conduct usability testing.
PROBLEMS SOLVED
In the paper-based process, admin staff had no centralised overview of machine and on-site staff availabilities when scheduling new projects. We created a calendar that showed staff leave, staff workload and machine status using colour coding.
The user interviews showed that admin staff found managing machine maintenance confusing, because they could not easily find information on machine components and applicable repair parts. This led to unnecessary or duplicate purchases. We employed best-practice design and information architecture standards to alleviate this. We specifically focused on typography, spacing and progressive disclosure of information.
The user flow mapping workshops revealed complicated and confusing processes. We identified most commonly used features and employed chunking to reduce complexity and improve user experience. Usability testing allowed us to further reduce unused functionality and confirm our layout.
OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- Significant reduction of work time for daily tasks.
- Significant reduction of human error due to improved information architecture.
- Reduced user frustration.
- Improved reporting and controlling for business KPIs, which could be used to identify opportunities for efficiency increases.
RESPONSIBILITIES
I worked on this project as the Lead Researcher, Designer and Developer.
My main areas of responsibility:
- UX (interviews, mapping workshops, usability testing, analysis, prototyping)
- Design (lo-fi and hi-fi, component library)
- Front-end development (web app)
