I led the product design for a multi-functional Project Planner application, addressing the fragmented project and labor tracking system across Engineering Departments at EMCOR Services Mesa Energy.
It radically improved project management with standardized logging, cross-team communication, timeline organization, and role-based controls!
This case study encompasses my general workflow as a designer at this company.
Problem Statement
"How can we standardize project and labor tracking across EMCOR Engineering departments to eliminate data fragmentation and improve workflow efficiency?"
Disparate project tracking methods led to mismanaged data, as each department struggled with logging 100+ projects.
Irvine Engineering brought it to attention and became our test group.
They had a system with many limitations.
Research & Users
I did a material review of their provided artifacts to understand the problem.
87/158 (55%) projects had wrong documents, lost project details, or unlogged labor hours.
Familiar, I kicked off a contextual, semi-structured group interview.
They demonstrated their current project tracking system as I probed into their roles, needs, pains, and future ideals.
Our users included 1 manager and 2 engineers of varying experience.
Their average satisfaction with current project management methods was 2.6/5 (52%)!
"There's too much human input & error"
- Engineering Manager
"It's not automated & takes too much time to communicate what's left to do!" - Engineers
Synthesis
I found 2 primary user groups impacted by project tracking: Managers and Engineers.
Secondary users would be interacting roles, like sales, who only communicate project updates.
I derived app features from found research goals.
GOALS
Eliminate Data Fragmentation
Improve Workflow Efficiency
Increase User Satisfaction
Ensure Accurate Tracking
Provide Role-Based Controls
FEATURES
Search & Filtering
Secure Role-Based Access
Log & Track Labor Hours
Task Interactions/Reminders
Communication Tools
Project Creation & Editing
Subtask Creation & Management
Gantt Chart
Note: Gantt chart creation was delegated to our data specialist.
Ideation & Clarification - IA
I drafted a sitemap for the app's information architecture, but found it challenging to visualize the hour logging system's functionality and its impact on the project budget.
How can I effectively represent complex data systems, account for hidden financial calculations, and clearly separate the distinct goals for each user group? I was working with concepts!
NOTE: My confusion!
I conducted a more structured user interview with targeted topics on data logging, which helped me finalize decision flows for a more detailed site map.
My team helped me visualize the flow on whiteboard <3
Instead of observing a demo, I questioned their existing data, how different pieces of information affect each other, discovered the "why" of edge cases (like projects over budget), and more.
Sketches & Design System
At this company, I primarily used sketches for content blocking.
Having previously pitched and created the company's design system, I already knew the exact appearance and behavior of many Project Planner components.
My foundational work to standardize all past, present, and future applications included comprehensive documentation, color guides, interaction states, modals, buttons, headers, menus, data display, typography, and more!
Hurray for less decisions and faster output!
Low-Fidelity Prototype & Testing Transition
I designed an interactive low-fidelity prototype in Figma. But why does it look so hi-fi?
My department previously built applications from sketches, so users expected a fully functional product post-ideation. I introduced fidelity testing phases between ideation and development to gather early feedback — testing with a refined lo-fi prototype yielded more constructive feedback as I met users halfway in terms of expectations.
Instead of, "Why can't I press this? This looks different!", it's "I don't like this navigation!"
In other projects, this also helped less tech-savvy user groups by reducing their cognitive load, enabling them to focus solely on core functionality and workflows.
Lo-Fi Testing & Findings
I conducted a structured group usability test to evaluate learnability, identify friction, and gather direct feedback.
Time constraints allowed for only one group testing session, not multiple 1:1s. Network limitations also prevented individual Figma prototype access, so I simulated app responses using a "Wizard of Oz" method.
To gather role-specific feedback in a group setting, I divided tasks by user type: all users, managers, or engineers.
For each screen, I presented tasks to relevant user groups, having them guide my actions. Then, after each task, I discussed their experience and reviewed notable features.
Testing refined existing features, noted fixes, and introduced new processes.
I settled on information display, specific views, filter criteria, color-coding; added new data-form fields, a flagging system, and more!
High-Fidelity Prototype
The phases above directly informed the playable, "high-fidelity" application.
I built the front-end UI in Power Apps.
How did I design for entirely new processes that emerged during testing?
Managers now wanted to flag project issues! Leveraging previous feedback, my familiarity with the user, and my existing UI, I mapped a flow and directly instituted it for testing!
Hi-Fi Testing & Findings
I led another structured testing session with the Engineering team for final feedback.
I administered 1:1 playtests in a group setting. Tasks were divided by user type and participants navigated the app on their own computer with a UX member observing.
Results addressed UI (e.g. display issues) or back-end bugs (e.g. data inconsistencies).
Launch & Life Cycle
After iteration, the Project Planner deployed with Irvine Engineering's live data.
A dedicated feedback form and consistent follow-ups with the Irvine Engineering team allowed for continuous iteration in the Project Planner's developmental life cycle.
I understood that no product would be perfect post-launch, and these ongoing refinements were essential to prepare the application for its eventual rollout to other branches!
Post-launch, we focused on maintenance before moving onto new feature development.
Impact & Future
Post-launch surveys revealed user satisfaction rose from 52% to 85%!
72/158 (46%) previous projects had missing labor hours — now 100% of new, active projects have labor breakdowns!
Users are ~5x faster with data logging due to automated processes.
Irvine's project tracking systems were reduced from 8 methods to just 1.
The Project Planner will eventually roll out to all EMCOR Engineering departments!
The Project Planner fundamentally transformed project management at EMCOR's Engineering departments — standardizing tracking, eliminating data fragmentation, and evolving workflow efficiency with new features. It provided a centralized solution, empowering users with unique role-based controls for optimal project completion!