Check In Check Out Mobile Application Case Study
CICO
OVERVIEW
Helping employees check-in to a site without having to call security
Role: User Experience Designer
Team Build: 2 Developers, 1 QA, 1 UX, 1 PM, 1 PO
Timeline: April 2021 — December 2021
About CICO
CICO is a mobile application that is used for workers who are going to substations, solar sites, and communication sites to check-in and check-out, so security can arm and disarm these sites.
Project Scope
Our client had a previous version of this application that was not being utilized by their workforce. So, we redesigned this application.
Employee check-in’s
+25%
Calls to security
-20%
Location data completed
+35%
OUTCOMES
Created a seamless check-in experience for site workers
The old version of the check-in experience was very clunky and did not make a lot of sense to users. We started with customer journeys to capture the current experience of a user entering a site.
Enabled employee feedback with a crowdsourcing functionality to improve site information
One of the most important functionalities for the application to be successful was a location-information functionality that allows for users to get site information from other users who may have more up-to-date knowledge on that site.
Designed the end-to-end experience for not only the CICO users, but the security teams dashboard
The most significant aspect before designing and building this application was to understand how the back-end could support this front-end application from a security standpoint and being able to help better that experience as well.
PROCESS
Discovery
Business Challenge
Employees are not using the CICO mobile application to check-in and check-out of sites, they are calling security, which is clogging up the phones and not allowing security to focus on 250 other security dashboards.
User Challenge
Employees did not trust the current application to successfully check them in a site because the application was confusing to navigate and did not give them feedback or work when they pressed “check-in”.
Hybrid contextual inquiry
We sat down and watched 3 site visiting employees check-in to a substation, solar site, or communication site, as well as security manage their dashboards to disarm these sites.
Gets call being yelled at by securityUses CICO appDisarms siteCalls employee to ask why they didnt check inNo check in came throughGPS brings them to wrong side of siteLocate WorksiteSite WorkerDrive to SiteCheck InEnter SiteDo WorkCall to Check OutMonitors dashboardsSecurityNo dashboard alertCalls alarming siteCall from control house
“I try to check-in on the CICO application, but as soon as I get into the site the alarms start going off, and the lights start flashing blue. Then I get a call from security in the control room yelling at me because they think I didn’t check-in.” — CICO User
“I am monitoring 250 dashboards and getting calls about bigger physical security issues like a fire or medical issue, so I have to call 911. The calls we get from check-ins are really not a good use of our time.”
“The application never takes me to the right place. I work at night in a dangerous area with gang violence, the last thing I need is an application that is bringing me right into the center of it. Which has happened before because it thinks that’s where the substation is.”
Opportunities
- Create a better application architecture for easier site check-ins
- Create a better dashboard which allows for security notifications and keeps the check-ins on the screen until
- Improve the location data and information for all the site’s GIS data as well as important site information.
Define
MVP
In order to support a better check-in process, we wanted to start with optimizing that process before moving on to the next. We had also considered improving the current feature for ‘contacts’ but as we started speaking to users we took contacts out as it served no purpose, and therefore we optimized the visitor procedure.
Technical Constraints
Unfortunately, for this project, we believed it would be imperative for the client to connect the back end for check-in’s and check-out’s to the security application to arm and disarm the sites automatically. That was not a part of the scope, nor something the client had interest in overhauling before beginning this project. So that led us to designing a more intuitive interface for the security side.
Design
Design Principles
- To follow and test the Mobile Center of Excellence Playbook and use the design system
- To be heuristically sound
- To abide by a level of ADA compliance
- Create a path of least resistance
Choosing Location
Creating a better way for users to find locations they were going to work at. This consisted of locations that are nearby as well as recent. Users are also able to add favorite locations if they are consistent in the sites they visit.
Adding Visitors
In the old application they had a contacts feature that was rarely used, and it was very difficult to navigate. Instead of building out the contacts feature, we created a better search functionality to add visitors, and favorite as well.
Choosing Duration & Check-In
An important aspect of this application for the security was an accurate duration by the workers at their selected sites.
Location Information
Location information was a massive feature that was decided upon later after usability testing. This was for the user to get ‘crowdsourced’ information for the site they are visiting.
Security Dashboard
During the discovery work, we had found that the security team needed to have an overhaul to their data, but since that was a client constraint, we decided to redesign their dashboard.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Quotes post-production release
“We have had way less calls into security just about directions; let alone actual check-in processes.”
“It is so much easier to check-in, and I haven’t gotten any angry calls from security yet!”
Lessons Learned
- Set a weekly cadence for the product owner and I to walk through any changes and design updates
- Business constraints are a huge deciding factor for how successful an application can be