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Problem
Problem
Linemen experience long download times for their mapping app
Linemen experience long download times for their mapping app
The linemen at NiSource use an iPad map app called Lemur to safely complete their jobs on a daily basis. This app shows 90+ layers, containing important information such as customer meters or line voltage.
Approach
Approach
What could we simplify for shorter download times?
What could we simplify for shorter download times?
I led a focus group with linemen to improve app and delivered the findings to the product owner
Results
Results
Reduced map from 93 to 78 layers
Reduced map from 93 to 78 layers
Cutting out 14 layers helped the app load faster for linemen
Utility employees need maps to do their job safely, but struggled with long download times
Utility employees need maps to do their job safely, but struggled with long download times
The linemen use Lemur on a daily basis to locate assets such as customer meters, determine where to shut off/power electricity, and view information about the high-voltage infrastructure around them. However, they frequently complained about long download times when opening the app, especially because they are often in remote areas with poor connection.
The current map was too complex
The current map was too complex
During other user research sessions, the linemen expressed frustration with the map—among some usability issues, one that stood out was that the map had many layers that users never looked at.
”There's a lot of stuff in Lemur that we never use”
“I bet half of this stuff could go away without us noticing" (in reference to layers)
"There's 2 million items, nobody want to see them all"
What could we simplify?
What could we simplify?
The product owner recognized the problem that the map was too complex, but wanted more information. I pitched the idea of having workshop with users to gather data, specifically about layers. The product owner was on board, and I set about planning a workshop and recruiting users for it.
Workshop time!
Workshop time!
I was able to get 6 linemen in a room for 2 hours to go over the electric layers. For our workshop activity, I shared my screen, turned off all the map layers, and went through them one by one, turning on the ones they said they needed.
23 out of 93 layers were not needed
23 out of 93 layers were not needed
That almost 25%! I discovered the following reasons why users don't need them:
6
6
Users don’t need to look at for their job
11
11
Users didn’t know what the layer was
3
3
Weren’t helpful to users because they don’t get updated frequently
3
3
Weren't useful but needed further validation with specialized electric roles
Additional findings:
Additional findings:
3 layers could be renamed to be more meaningful to users
Users suggested having different modes of Lemur, ie having layers that only linemen can see vs having layers that only engineering can see
The map update process is not easy for users, and as a result a lot of information does not get updated.
Final result: 14 layers eliminated
Final result: 14 layers eliminated
I presented my findings to the product owner, as it was ultimately his decision. The final number of layers to be eliminated was 14 layers and the development team deployed the changes a couple months later. This resulted in shorter download times for a more efficient experience for linemen, especially when they are in remote locations.
While I don't have a concrete number of how much time this has saved, and there are many other factors that also contribute to long download times, this was a step in the right direction to creating a better employee experience. The product owner also stated that he appreciated have the data to support product decisions.
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