Hackathon
The goal of this 3 day project was to design and develop a user-friendly application for mobile, that allows a construction team to easily track and record daily productivity, as well as provide updates on the progress of the project. The aim was to create a seamless experience for the user, that would help streamline the process of capturing productivity and progress data. Additionally, the app was designed to be non-intrusive, so as not to disrupt the construction team's workflow.
Project Overview
My role in this team project involved researching and identifying the pain points related to onsite construction operations. This included conducting user research and analysis to understand the current challenges faced by construction teams. I then used this information to create the information architecture for the proposed solution, including the organization of content and functionality. Additionally, I created low-fidelity wireframes to outline the layout and design of the solution.
My Role
Research
Our findings revealed that effective team communication is crucial in the construction industry, as poor communication can lead to delays and cost overruns. Another challenge identified in managing construction projects is the need to effectively connect and collaborate with cross-functional teams. To address these challenges, it was discovered that many construction teams use project management apps that provide built-in calendar scheduling systems to reduce human error and ensure consistency and date accuracy for all activities and reminders.
User Interview Insights
Daily Productivity
Log worker hours should be captured
Material use is recorded
Track site progress/ deficiencies with photos
Project Progress
Live document featuring outstanding items to prioritize tasks
Verbal updates all day
Visit site to see overall progress once a week (or more depending on construction issues)
Frustrations
Delays as a result of miscommunication
Photo logs not organized to demonstrate assigned task
Verbal follow- up with team members is tedious
How Might We effectively manage progress reporting and performance to avoid project delays and budget overruns?
Persona: Meet Bob, a Project Manager in the Construction Management industry. John is responsible for overseeing multiple teams and ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of the client. However, he often finds that keeping everyone on the same page can be a challenge, as issues tend to stack up and projects get delayed. He sees this as a major problem, not just for the team but also for the client.
Information Architecture
In this project, we focused on creating an information architecture diagram to depict user flows for viewing and creating projects, as well as previewing tasks and documents pertaining to them. The goal was to create a clear and intuitive navigation for users, making it easy for them to find and access the information they need.
To accomplish this, we began by conducting user research and analyzing the data to identify the key tasks and information that users needed to access. I then used this information to create a clear and logical structure for the information architecture. This included organizing content and functionality into categories, creating a hierarchy of information and designing a navigation system that was easy to use and understand.
Journey Map
A journey map was created to better understand the process of construction management. The map was designed to identify key touchpoints in the user's experience. The research findings were illustrated in a visual format, allowing the team to see the user's journey from beginning to end. This journey map helped to identify areas that needed improvement, such as communication and documentation, and provided insights on how to streamline the process and improve the overall user experience.
Wireframes
You will find a collection of wireframes that we created to support the user's tasks of viewing project milestones and field reports, interacting with design and construction plans, and marking a task as complete. The wireframes were created with a focus on providing a clear and intuitive interface for users, making it easy for them to find and access the information they need. I considered several key factors when creating these wireframes, such as layout, navigation, and user flow, to ensure that the design was efficient and user-friendly. The wireframes were created using a low-fidelity approach and were used as a guide for the development team to create a functional and effective application that met the user's needs.
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Task 1
Intention was to have users navigate and have access to progress reports, resources and other criteria pertaining to specific projects.
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Task 2
Allow important documents to be easily accessible and organized according to project type.
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Task 3
Having a tool to display the status of a project was very important to communicate at all levels.
Project Resources
The capability to access projects and resources that are related to each construction build. Project managers have the ability to create and assign projects to individuals and teams.
If given more time, I would have liked to further develop the experience and thought process behind adding projects, as well as the details surrounding assigning tasks and determining who can view certain elements.
Access to Resources
Each project contains documents, plans, and reports that is accessible to the team within a user friendly navigation. Project managers may create items into groups and organize accordingly.
The overall layout of the documents could be improved from a visual and ux perspective. Item viewing layouts like list, icons, columns or gallery style are alternatives and may help find documents easier.
Task Management
Obtain a preview of upcoming tasks and tasks at hand. The items can be organized by priority, and status updates are displayed at a glance for project managers to easily sort through.
As timelines are crucial in construction projects, it's important to incorporate due dates and importance categories in a clear and organized manner. Currently, this can cause confusion as to when these items are expected to be completed.
