Create a new app for Panasonic for restaurant franchise owners, managers, and technicians. We needed to design an app that accommodated different workflows for each unique user type. To achieve this goal and provide an optimal user experience, we streamlined and simplified the user interactions, provided highly intuitive data visualization, and made the app accessible on all devices.
We had to create a solution that worked for a diverse range of users, varying from franchise managers to equipment technicians. Following a period of intensive research and analysis of each user persona and their goals, we created a set of optimized workflows to manage the most common tasks. These workflows are streamlined, and the removal of distracting and irrelevant UI components enables each user to operate at full efficiency.
User personas were divided into several categories:
We strive to design applications that are complex and powerful yet exceptionally easy to use. This UI provides users with the tools to monitor important metrics such as energy use, incident details, and real-time equipment statistics. Additionally, it guides users toward the best course of action for fulfilling a task. To ensure workflows are streamlined for maximum efficiency, the application uses progressive disclosure to remove distracting and irrelevant UI components and keep the user focused on the task at hand, and simplify complexity.
Our goal was to design a UI that was simple enough that any end-user would be able to understand the data displayed within mere seconds of looking at the screen. We created highly intuitive dashboards that collected all the vital system information and presented it to the user with a status update and indicated urgency. As a result, users could make decisions to reduce operational costs or improve operational efficiency. The highest ROI found in data and metrics analysis is highlighted within the system and brought to operators’ attention. Any data that requires further investigation or action is rerouted to alert mechanisms with clear instructions for users.
The UI is accessible on a variety of devices. However, it was initially designed for mobile devices since most users will primarily access the application on their phones or tablets. The UI is highly adaptive and supports both horizontal and vertical orientations, making the user experience enjoyable on any device.