Eliminating the guesswork for mechanics of large machinery.
Schematic Capture eliminates the clipboard by allowing technicians to attach pictures directly to line items and automatically syncing them to the cloud.
Currently technicians bring a clipboard into a location, often without internet, and one by one take pictures with their phones of each part in a complex system of machines.
At the end of the day, they have to upload all of these pictures and match them with the correct part numbers by looking at descriptions.
How might we empower mechanics to streamline documentation in their daily jobs?
What's missing here?
When I joined this project, the main flow of caputing and annotating pictures of mechanical components was essentially completed, however, the admin and management side was virtually non-existent.
Some opportunities:
- It wasn’t clear how projects were created or assigned to the technicians.
- One could not easily tell what current the status of the projects were.
- What could the dashboard look like for all the various levels of permissions?
Client Needs:
- The client needed super admin ability to manage the entire system.
- Representatives from contracted companies need to be able to add projects and assign technicians.
- Technicians need limited access but all users need to be able to use the full technician flow.
Initial flow ideas for admin.
How do we smooth the office side of the job?
Initial concepts:
The previous designers had landed on large tiles and tabs on the dashboard, but I felt that this didn’t convey the amount of information that was necessary for this to be an effective solution for the admins and technicians alike.
However, when I started attempting to lay out data sheets, I ran into some snags with how to highlight and arrange the massive amount of information.
Getting answers:
To figure out the best solution, we conducted some tests and interviews with workers who would use a system such as this and here is what we found.
We conducted several rounds of simple testing to validate the design solution.
Insights:
- A left-side navigation was strongly preferred over any tabs layout.
- We heard that it was difficult to monitor this amount of information.
- We heard that cards and blocks are, like, totally played out.
Tradeoffs:
- I delivered what the people wanted in a sleek rail that expands on hover.
- I designed an live update system to appear on the dashboard.
- I incorporated data sheets and a modern, sophisticated feel.
Finding the sweet spot:
In combining what the client needed and the users wanted, I started developing a system for how the application would look and function.
This included a side navigation that became a rail that expanded when hovered over, and large amounts of the most relevant data readily available on every page.
Early iterations of the dashboard trying to figure out how to have all the elements coexist.
Whenever in doubt, I reach out.
Through more rounds of testing, feedback from colleagues and mentors, and opinions of the client, I refined the interface and process for Schematic Capture.
Early iterations of the dashboard trying to figure out how to have all the elements coexist.
Illuminations:
- It’s awesome having a creator with a clear idea of their needs, who is open and honest with feedback, as this combined with flexibility will surely equal success.
- Not all information is the same, and conveying it effectively requires creativity.
- Mentors, colleagues, and teammates are necessary in the process so that designers can push through hurdles and get unstuck.
