The previous Estimote app was a tool designed for managing the first generation of Proximity Beacons.
Through the app, users could modify device settings and test them using simple demonstrations.
However, since the app's inception, the company's beacon portfolio has expanded significantly, prompting a need to reconsider and redesign the application.
Key goals for the mobile app redesign included:
* To maintain compliance with the confidentiality agreement, I have omitted and obscured sensitive information in this case study.
Client:
Estimote, Inc.
Role:
Lead UX/UI Designer
Responsibilites:
User Research
Architecture Design
User Flow
Wireframes
Final UI Design
Duration:
2017 - 2018
Collaborators:
Piotr Krawiec - Engineering Lead
Marcin Mycek - Indoor Lead
Liliya Corpataux - Project Manager
Arek Biela - Android Developer
Fero Hetes - iOS Developer
Filip Chwastowski - iOS Developer
Przemek Błasiak - iOS Developer
Olga Dąbrowska - Design Manager
Natalia Mroszczyk - UX/UI Designer
Alicja Prussakowska - Designer
Magdalena Chojnacka - Illustrator
I was involved in the project for several months between 2017 and 2018. Due to limited resources in the design team, I collaborated with the product teams as a "free electron."
The timelines were tight, so to expedite the knowledge transfer, I organized a series of workshops and brainstorming sessions. I spent time individually with each team to gather information about the technology's capabilities and user challenges.
Instead of forcing employees to track changes in clunky management tools (which are primarily designed for managers), we decided to do something more intuitive.
Progress and designed screens could be monitored in real-time on physical boards available in the office. After the morning standup, every team member could look at the screens and share their feedback and ideas.
This significantly accelerated the process and ensured everyone was on the same page.
The overall design process was loosely aligned with the Double Diamond, which I discussed in more detail in the Estimote Mirror case study.
Originally, the beacons designed by Estimote identified the presence and activity of individuals. Developers utilized the provided API interface for iOS and Android to integrate proximity technology into their applications.
For example, when a user neared a beacon attached to a conspicuous chair, a context-aware, personalized message about the tagged object would be displayed on their phone.
The prior Estimote App, primarily created for the first Proximity Beacons, facilitated device discovery, settings modifications, and the testing of basic proximity-based demonstrations.
However, in 2018, with the introduction of LTE Beacons and the substantial expansion of the device family – which then included Nearables, Proximity Beacons 2.0, Location Beacons, and Mirror Beacons – it became pivotal to update and redesign the Estimote App.
To intimately understand the application’s users, it is pertinent to revisit the inception of the beacon technology boom.
In 2014, during the Apple WWDC conference, which predominantly targeted technology enthusiasts and mainly developers, a new iOS7 system was introduced, alongside support for iBeacon. This marked the moment when the global technology giant officially adopted beacon technology into its iPhones.
Developers worldwide, enthused by the novel possibilities offered by proximity technology, commenced ordering development kits from a modest company in Krakow, Poland.
When I joined Estimote in 2016, the company already had a substantial customer base who had ordered and experimented with dev kits.
Together with Natalia, the UX Designer, and assisted by the Sales and Success teams, we initiated data collection and analysis.
Identifying the most prevalent industry sectors and delineating the roles of individuals involved from the Proof of Concept through to pilot implementations and large-scale deployments, we developed detailed personas and educated our teams about our new insights.
Conceptual work was undertaken separately with each team, often involving sketching initial concepts followed by numerous iterations of enhancements and feedback collection.
Highlighted below are a few intriguing challenges encountered during the app redesign.
In expanding the existing application, we opted not for radical changes but focused on continuous, gradual evolution.
Collaborating with mobile engineers on the main screen, we devised a simple tool that allowed for adding and removing cells based on a Voronoi diagram, freely controlling the center of gravity of individual cells with our fingers.
This interesting experiment laid the groundwork for further interface developments in the future.
In designing technology demos, we aimed for simplicity and swift presentation.
Our design team crafted simplified isometric rooms featuring common objects, confining the physical world within bounds comprehensible to most users.
We discovered through our research that developers often encountered challenges explaining beacon technology to senior executives.
Consequently, one of our primary objectives became the creation of quick and easily repeatable demos accessible via the mobile application.
Proximity beacons enable the activation of contextual content on the phone within the Bluetooth range.
During setup, users activate devices, naming them and attaching them to selected objects, such as a sofa.
The demo allows users to traverse the room, triggering the relevant contextual message when within the beacon's range.
More about proximity: Youtube
LTE beacons operate similarly to proximity beacons but additionally feature GPS modules.
The user activates the device, names it, and attaches it to an object that will be mobile outside the building.
The demo provides users with access to the object's trajectory and the last available position on the map.
More about LTE beacon: Youtube
Video beacons enable the display of contextual and personalized messages on the TV screen via Bluetooth technology.
Upon connecting Mirror to the TV, users are prompted to launch the mobile application.
During setup, the user can provide personalized information and select from several available demos, experiencing varying information on the screen dependent on their distance from the video beacon.
More about video beacon: Youtube
Location beacons enable the localization of objects within indoor spaces using Ultra-wideband technology.
Users place beacons in room corners, specifying dimensions, and confirming device readiness.
After the automapping process, the application displays a created floor plan along with the user's relative location.
More about video beacon: Youtube
The user flow encompasses several main scenarios:
Displayed below are selected screens, a UI kit, and additional assets.
W każdym z zespołów przeprowadziłem warsztaty i burze mózgów na których zebrałem wiedzę na temat użytkowników, najczęstszych use-case'ów a następnie pracowałem z Product Managerami aby lepiej zrozumieć możliwości każego z urządzeń.
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