F to F: Translating feedback to features

We conducted concept testing with facility engineers at CMU.

Now that we know more about what our clients want, what about our users? With that question in mind, we wanted to conduct the same concept testing with our primary users — facility managers and technicians. We modified the task scenario a bit to tailor it to them, asking them to pretend to be the person who will purchase the software for the facility team on campus. If they had $100, what features would they invest in and why? We scheduled calls with government officials in Allegany County, visited technicians in person, and set up some unmoderated sessions on usertesting.com to gather more data that we normally couldn’t reach in person.

Design can always be developed later, but it is more crucial to truly comprehend who our users are and why we are designing for them.

One major takeaway from these testing sessions was a strong reminder for us. A key concept that emerged was alert grouping, and our participants mentioned that while they want to complete tasks more efficiently, they also want to maintain a sense of curiosity and not be explicitly informed about the exact problem they need to troubleshoot. Facility personnel possess an inherent curiosity to troubleshoot any issues within a space, as these problems can often be caused by multiple factors. If we instruct them to focus solely on one problem, they are likely to limit their search to that specific area, which is not ideal for campus maintenance or proactive troubleshooting. It was at this point that we realized we had become somewhat attached to our own solutions and neglected to take a step back and understand our users on a deeper level.

Here is an example slide we used to present our findings to our clients.

We thoroughly analyzed all the testing data and presented our findings to our clients. We discussed the most promising ideas with them while also addressing any concerns that our users might have. Working for a startup truly embodies the spirit of hustling in a fast-paced environment, where we are constantly creating, learning from hands-on experiences, embracing failures as opportunities for growth, and taking full ownership of our actions.

Shadowing: Seeing what’s missing

We conducted an in-person visit to Carlow University to understand their workflow.

In the meantime, we wanted to identify any gaps in our prototypes by taking a step back and shadowing a typical day of a facility manager. We visited Carlow University to observe how their technicians handle alerts and maintenance requests within the department. During this visit, we not only gained insights into the tools they are accustomed to using, but we also reaffirmed that they are individuals driven by curiosity and deeply invested in the well-being of the community and students. We realized that efficiency might not be their top priority compared to the sense of fulfillment derived from satisfying their curiosity. Understanding their emotional and social needs has become an important focus for us as we delve deeper into our research.

Where transformation starts

Some snapshots of us exploring different solutions in Figma.

Gaining this in-depth understanding of our users has greatly helped us identify the most significant challenges they face in their workflow and how design can alleviate these challenges. After careful consideration, we have chosen to prioritize two main challenges: alert fatigue and the difficulty in locating sensors within a spatial context. To address these challenges, we dedicated time to parallel prototyping, exploring various design approaches to effectively solve these issues. This process led us to create a comprehensive testing plan that will enable us to assess how well our design solutions support users in accomplishing their tasks.

Some snapshots of our early prototype aimed at helping facility managers locate sensors.

As we make progress each week and move towards tangible outcomes, we are also considering the two-liners for our Minimum Viable Product (MVP). While these ideas are still in their early stages, we would like to share some rough concepts with you. We look forward to updating you with more refined ideas and progress next week.

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The work and knowledge gained from this project are only intended to be applicable to the company and context involved and there is no suggestion or indication that it may be useful or applicable to others. This project was conducted for educational purposes and is not intended to contribute to generalizable knowledge.