Alema Fitisemanu | UX Designer
Multi-industry designer & startup founder
BuildOps Case Study
B2B field service startup for commercial contractors
Project Summary
Problem Domain: Construction and HVAC services
Timeline: 5 months, Jun. 2020 - Oct. 2020
Role & Team: Product Design and Product Management Intern, Team of 5
Tools: Figma
Methodologies: digital prototypes, user interviews, design iteration
Final Product: hi-fi digital mock-ups
Problem
Most construction or HVAC management offices are still logging all their information manually with pen and paper. Always having to go through piles of sheets of paper to schedule your technicians or routine maintenance jobs is inefficient and hard to keep track of.
From this larger issue, the two main user problems I addressed were:
Technician scheduling, or “dispatch”
Filling out labor rate sheets
Early Design Process
"Before BuildOps, we would input our information into Vista (outdated software), then jot things down again with pen and paper, and then put that information into an Excel spreadsheet"
Holmes Electric
BuildOps enterprise customer, electrical contractor
Dispatch technician scheduling
Design tasks:
- How can we give dispatchers the scheduling and work status information they need at all times?
- How can we make visit and technician status information available to dispatchers in a simple, efficient way?
New information provided to dispatchers:
- Visit status
- Technician status
- Status duration
- Multi-technician visit
Labor rate sheets
Design tasks:
- How can we make it easy for dispatchers to log technicians' time easily and accurately?
- How can we allow for custom corporate rates as well?
New information provided to dispatchers:
- Regular, overtime and double-time rates
- Role-specific rates (Foreman, journeyman, apprentice, general labor)
- Custom corporate rates functionality
Final Designs
Technician scheduling
"The information on the cards is great!
Now I just need to see everything is 2-week and month views."
Natasha M.
Holmes Electric dispatcher
Labor rate sheets
Reflections & Impact
It was great to be in an industry I have never worked in before. Working with BuildOps allowed me to observe the process of leading a pen and paper industry through a technological transition. Seeing people’s eyes light up about a pain point that is now being seen and addressed through a novel, digital user experience was a definite highlight.
I also got to experience what early stage startup life was about, and feel what truly supportive mentors and teammates were like.
Through this experience, I got to develop my skills in product management and design, as well get recognition for my work from C-suite executives and design leaders.