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PROJECT SUMMARY

After working with Con Edison on their flagship App for bill pay, the company wanted to expand its digital presence and create a mobile tool for electric and gas contractors that worked in New York City. Together, we mapped out a plan to rebuild the current experience they had from the ground up, starting with mobile. In my experience, building a mobile-first product was new and exciting - it's not something a client asks for everyday. It was valuable experience building something from scratch for such a specific set of users.

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PROCESS

My team worked with Con Edison to develop personas from the contractors they had standing relationships with. We were able to bring them in and get a sense of what was valuable to them with Project Center, what problems they were trying to solve through working with Con Edison and how to improve their work flow and interactions with the company.

We were then able to develop a set of first release features and began mapping out the App flow, wireframes and UI. Near the end of development, we were able to bring in contractors to help test the App before release, which gave us a chance to validate our work as well as polish a few of the features before release. Although I am unable to discuss much of the testing, it was one of the biggest learning experiences I had as a user experience designer. Not only is this product for a very small target audience, but an audience that uses specific processes, terminology, and has specific needs. It was one of those experiences that reiterates the idea that you should never speak for your users, but rather be the voice for them.

Project Center: Text

PERSONAS

Project Center: Team Members

ROBERT HENDRICKSON

Project Manager / Electric / Construction

Robert has worked as a contractor in New York city for 8 years. 25% of projects he is involved in require permits and approvals by Con Edison. Most of the communication with CE occurs on the phone and usually concerns issues common issues. For example, if Robert doesn't understand a new form required for a job, or if an inspection failed, he contacts his representative. He spends a significant amount of his workday jumping through hoops to get his projects approved.

BEVERLY MCDOWELL

Project Assistant

Beverly works offsite to assist project managers, electricians, plumbers and other contractors with their schedule and paperwork involved with their project. She spends most of her time talking with third parties scheduling appointments and inspections. She has a primary contact at Con Edison that takes care of the majority of her projects she helps with and has a direct line to the representative. Beverly likes that she can go to one person, but wishes there was a quicker way to get approvals and inspections scheduled.