Mike Oustamanolakis, PhD

The app we didn’t ship

After the wayfinding project, the same client asked for a smartwatch app for engineers who spend their day moving between buildings. We designed it and trialled it, and recommended against rolling it out widely.

~50%

of engineers did not carry one

About half the engineers did not use, or did not want, a smartwatch or the phone it depends on.

BeforeAfter
Engineers hearing about a problem only after it had cost time
The state of every task at a glance: four views, one question each
Task references nobody could read at a glance
A task code that says where, which section, which task and who
A watch app that had to be installed by hand on every watch, on an American platform
Recommendation: do not roll it out. Use the phone everyone already has

Designed and trialled for the same electronics manufacturer, after the wayfinding project.

Three watch screens, re-created from the original designs with their sample data.

Who

Client
NDA · Electronics manufacturer (the factory client)
Region
Mainland China
My role
Design Lead. Designed it, trialled it, and recommended against rolling it out.
Outcome
Trialled; not rolled out widely

What

A senior engineer might be responsible for machinery and teams across several buildings, and hear about a problem only after it had cost time. A junior engineer in one building needed clear instructions and feedback, and was juggling too many tools to track their own work. Both needed the state of the work at a glance, without stopping to open a laptop.

How

The task code: four facts in fifteen characters. On the task screen it expands into words.
  1. Gave each view one question. Tasks: what is running? Locations: where is the activity? People: who is busy? Skills: who can do this? Every view leads to the same task screen.
  2. Made the task code readable. Location, section, task number and the initials of the person assigned, in fifteen characters.
  3. Tested the device, not just the design. The app would have had to be installed by hand, as a developer build, on every watch, on an American platform the factories were wary of.
  4. Recommended the phone instead. About half the engineers did not use or want a smartwatch. A tool only half the team carries cannot be where work is coordinated.

Impact