Our task was to create a new app for Panasonic, catering to restaurant franchise owners, managers, and technicians. We aimed to design an app that accommodated different workflows for each unique user type, providing an optimal user experience. By streamlining and simplifying user interactions, offering intuitive data visualization, and ensuring accessibility across all devices, we met our goal.
The app had to cater to a wide range of users, from franchise managers to equipment technicians. To accomplish this, we delved into extensive research and analysis of each user persona, their goals, and their requirements. This allowed us to develop a set of optimized workflows to manage their most common tasks. These workflows were carefully streamlined, and distracting or irrelevant UI components were removed, enabling each user to operate at full efficiency.
For this project, we identified the following personas to ensure the app is useful and usable for each specific user type:
Our approach to UI design involved combining powerful features with exceptional ease of use. The app provides users with essential tools to monitor key metrics such as energy consumption, incident details, and real-time equipment statistics. Additionally, it guides users in determining the most efficient course of action for completing their tasks. To ensure workflows are streamlined for maximum efficiency, the application uses progressive disclosure techniques to eliminate distracting UI components and simplify complex processes.
A critical aspect of our design was to create a UI that even end-users with little technical expertise could understand within seconds of looking at the screen. We developed highly intuitive dashboards that collate all essential system information and present it to the user with clear status updates and indications of urgency. This feature empowers users to make informed decisions that reduce operational costs or improve operational efficiency.
The system is designed to highlight the highest ROI data and metrics analysis, immediately drawing operators’ attention to crucial information. Data requiring further investigation or action is routed to alert mechanisms with clear instructions for users. This approach ensures that users can quickly identify and address potential issues, further enhancing the app’s overall efficiency and value to restaurant franchise owners and appliance technicians.