The Problem/Pain Points
🏗️ As a construction site's infrastructure grows, internet connectivity becomes problematic.
👣 Customers are historically forced to travel to and from the Jobsite trailer to access and transfer documents like blueprints. This affects productivity and has financial implications
👣 Customers are historically forced to travel to and from the Jobsite trailer to access and transfer documents like blueprints. This affects productivity and has financial implications
🦺 Safety and time are paramount—concerns about the thin profit margins in doing business in construction matter all of the time.
🤓 Setting up the internet in ever-changing environments is complex, relying on IT teams
The Solution
Our team partnered with a firmware company to develop a bespoke, ruggedized wifi product that could stand the rigors of a modern construction project. I worked with IT, ID, dev, and marketing to create a product that scaled as a building project changed. We created an app and website to easily onboard products into an existing internet architecture which anyone could deploy via the app. This onboarding flow was user-tested numerous times with myself and the product leads. The wifi system is now deployed in thousands of companies across North America.
The system is a pairing of hardware and software efforts from the UX point of view.
The system is a pairing of hardware and software efforts from the UX point of view.
The Process
I worked closely with product owners and managers to define jobs to be done, observing gaps in our customers' effectiveness and safety on job sites. We would then work with an Agile Scrum methodology to build epics, stories, and tasks which we'd review with our developers. Artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and feature documentation in Confluence were also created
Meanwhile, I would flesh out the user journey and constraints using pen and paper, Figma JIRA, staying ahead of the development cycle so we could "fail fast" and maintain wild ideas before code even happens.
Meanwhile, I would flesh out the user journey and constraints using pen and paper, Figma JIRA, staying ahead of the development cycle so we could "fail fast" and maintain wild ideas before code even happens.
Outcomes
🟣 Converted large-scale job sites to the DeWalt WiFi system. Clients included Google, Shapiro & Duncan, and Bechtel
🟣 Removed reliance on IT staff. The system is easy enough to deploy internally for workers
🟣 Developed the product with a diversified SCRUM team
🟣 Led weekly design sessions with developers in React Native
My Role
🟣 Lead user experience and interface designer
🟣 Customer interviews and usability
🟣 Wireframing and interface flow diagrams
🟣 Design system creation
🟣 Responsible for all high-fidelity designs
🟣 Principle role between product and development teams
The DeWalt Jobsite WiFi system uses multiple access points to extend WiFi coverage across the entire site. One Jobsite WiFi Access Point connects to a landline typically located in the trailer. That WiFi signal is then transmitted to all other access points. No matter the scale or layout of the Jobsite, every access point maintains a clear connection.
I was the primary UX designer on this project, conceiving the web and app interfaces that talked to the access points from the ground up. I took part in on-site pilot testing, ran usability sessions on our flows, and created all of the UI and artwork for digital, print, and marketing materials. I was also certificate-trained in mesh networking technology so I could learn about and simplify the complexities of the inner-working for our less than tech-savvy customers.
This project was the first of its kind for the commercial construction space. I strove to create a compelling design system, and create rock-solid visibility to the system's health, and onboard units as quickly as possible in a seamless and pleasing way that aligned with the trustworthiness of the DeWalt brand.
Access point details, signal diagnostics, and list view
User flow depicting the course of action setting up units and adding them to a parent mesh network
Usability Testing
Usability Testing
WiFi on Liberty Island
