01

Project Overview

This Client Project, in collaboration with Evolve & Connect, provided an opportunity to apply Design Thinking methodologies and hone usability analysis skills. It presented a significant challenge to leverage human-centered design practices to address users' unmet needs effectively.

App Description

"BuilderBox" was developed to meet the requirements of Shreyas(CEO), who sought a solution to manage civil work/projects remotely and enhance productivity. This application streamlines project management tasks, facilitating hassle-free project management and offering opportunities for upskilling and job discovery for workers.

02

User Reserach

Conducting comprehensive research for this project involved multiple steps and processes. This included on-site visits to client offices and project locations, engaging with site engineers, workers, and laborers, as well as documenting their activities and behaviors through statements, photos, and videos.

Interviews & Observation

I had the opportunity to conduct interviews and observations with three site engineers responsible for managing various project locations and overseeing different types of laborers, including masons, plumbers, and electricians.

Challenges

Through these interactions, several challenges were identified, including delays in project completion or compromised quality due to communication gaps, ineffective monitoring and management of unskilled laborers, insufficient resources for continuous skills upgrading, and a lack of recognition and incentives leading to decreased motivation and interest in the job.

Solution

The "BuilderBox" application was conceptualized as a solution to empower civil engineers and contractors in remotely managing projects, thereby enhancing productivity and efficiency. Additionally, it offers features to facilitate upskilling opportunities and job placements for workers and laborers.

User Personas

Shreyas

Civil Engineer 28 Years Old Bengaluru, Karnataka

Bio

Shreyas is experienced as Civil Engineer for 4 years and runs a construction company called "Evolve & Connect" along with 2 professional engineers. He is passionate about building sustainable and affordable housing for his clients meeting their needs along with his unique approach towards construction ideas which influences people to work, relax, learn and live. Since Shreyas is working on multiple projects simultaneously, he is finding it hard to stay organized which eventually ends up pushing the deadlines.

Challenges

  • Unable to remotely monitor and communicate or track work progress at multiple project locations
  • Long working hours to meet the deadline
  • Unable to remotely monitor and communicate or track work progress
  • Maintenance of daily records

Frustrations

  • Standing and supervising for a long time
  • Work under extreme weather conditions
  • Has to work overtime to meet deadlines
  • Angry with managing unskilled/semi-skilled laborers
  • Unable to practice multitasking and stay organized

Goals

  • Develop effective strategies to manage labor remotely and proficiently.
  • Train the unskilled or semi-skilled laborers remotely in case of his absence on site.
  • Improvement in following best practices for better productivity.
  • Encompassing technical inputs for coordinating site and managing activities remotely.

Needs

  • Manage time efficiently to meet deadlines
  • Reduce travel time to increase productivity
  • Create a project plan for an upcoming day along with visual references
  • Having a track of errors and rectifications

Using apps

Language

  • English, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada

Veeresh

Lead Mason 35 Years Old Salem, Tamilnadu

Bio

Veeresh experienced as Mason for more than 10 years and comes from poor family background. He has dependents of elderly parents, a sister who is studying and he has to support his family with bread and butter. He is a hard-working mason, who can execute the expected results with minimal guidance from his engineers or other peers. Veera being a Lead Mason works hard but he is unable to update his skills and grow to the next level in terms of his skills also to get better pay raise.

Challenges

  • Low income, unable to support family despite hard work
  • Learning and updating new skills
  • Deal with injuries that causes physical, mental, and fiscal problems
  • Track or update his daily records or work progress to get better incentives or to receive timely payment

Frustrations

  • Work overloaded
  • No work-life balance also no day off or holidays, will not have paid leaves
  • Angry with himself despite working hard he is unable to grow financially or learn new things at work
  • Lack of interest and enthusiasm
  • Fear of job loss

Goals

  • Become highly skilled labor, so that he can have pay raise and support his family and grow financially as well.
  • Find various and flexible Jobs

Needs

  • Needs guidance or support to learn and update new skills to increase productivity or quality of work, wants to be unique with learning rare skills
  • Needs pay raise or increase in his earnings and incentives
  • Gain confidence at work through improving his skills constantly

Using apps

Language

  • English, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada

Empathy Map

3

Define & Ideate

Shreyas Storyboard

Before using the app

Travelling to multiple project locations

Assign daily tasks, arranging everything for the project such as design, drawings, and measurements.

The major part of his job is quality surveying and job progress on a day to day basis with multiple projects

This time killing process gets on looped leading to jumble up the project deadlines

After using the app

Travel on Need basis

Remotely Assign daily tasks, arranging everything for the project such as design, drawings, and measurements.

Remotely manage quality surveying and progress on a day to day basis with multiple projects

Manage multiple projects, workers remotely & proficiently

Veeresh Storyboard

Before using the app

Brushing their tools and materials to get started the day

Overtime working to meet deadlines & Financial needs

Hard working mason who is paid on daily wages, but not being able to update his skills to get better pay raise

unable to trrack daily records/ work progress to receive timely payments

After using the app

Brushing their tools and materials to get started the day

Find flexible and various jobs at his own convenient times and gain financial stability and growth

Learn and share new skills and grow confidence at work and get better pay raise

Track daily records/ work progress to receive timely payments

User Flow

Shreyas Flow Veeresh Flow

High Fidelity Wireframes

04

TYPOGRAPHY and Color

01. Typography

Aa

Abcdefghijklmnoprstuvwxyz

Abcdefghijklmnoprstuvwxyz

1234567890

Montserat Font

02. Color

#FFDD00

#1A2E45

#C7CAD9

#1F1F1F

#B7B7B7

#EEEEEE

Usability Testing

05

Design