I engaged customers thanks to an IoT app
and data visualisation
Client: SPXflow
Industry: Industrial equipement
My Role: Product Designer
SPXflow manufactures equipment for heavy industries. Unplanned equipment downtime can cost clients up to $30,000 per hour, and parts procurement can take up to several weeks.
The customers were looking to third party IoT to manage their machines
the brief
Development brief
I was tasked to develop a solution to keep customers within SPXflow ecosystem. The solution was to monitor the vitals of machines and forecast potential failures in advance.
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As the design function was non-existent within the company, I took the lead and defined the entire strategy for the newly established department.
the challenge
The challenge
The main challenge in this project was to introduce a design process to a company that had never had one in-house. The developers involved saw little value in the design and assumed engineers wouldn’t need an intuitive approach. They were concerned that the design process would slow down operations, introduce unrealistic requirements and they doubt about the value of design.
the process
The process
I created a strategy and processes that can be reused for future projects and ongoing maintenance. I focused on a user-centred design (UCD) approach. I placed the user at the heart of design decisions. As there were no analytics initially, I prioritised research to gather essential data. I also established a collaborative process to minimise friction and roadblocks in later stages. Part of this process included educating the product team, as it was their first digital product.
the research
I began with ux research, following my strategy
As part of the strategy that I established, I conducted user research as a key component of the process. It revealed 3 major challenges.
1. Select carefully participants to avoid leaks.
2. Determine the focus of the research and prioritise the needs.
3. Evidence the design's business value.
Tackling these challenges provide me with insights. These have been the foundation of the product. The outcomes tackled initial assumptions and brought enough data to make the product successful.
workshop
to prioritise
I used insights to facilitate prioritisation workshops. I analysed the data to identify the most important features that needed to be included in the application.
Additionally, I gained an understanding of how data visualisation could be utilised efficiently.
design and validation
After mapping the features on the flow, I designed iteratively. I refined the interface and validate the solution with user testing. During the sessions, I assigned tasks, and I assessed the interaction. The feedback have shown user satisfaction and identified areas for adjustments.
Success and learning
The MVP received positive feedback from selected clients. 30% increase in requests for internal services (previously directed to third parties). This strengthened client relationships.
I learned the importance of user research while defining the right MVP. A lack of crucial features could deter user adoption, while an excess could waste resources on low-priority functionalities.
