Task Management System for Battery Manufacturing
During my internship at a leading sustainable battery manufacturing company in Stockholm, I was tasked with designing a task management platform to be used company-wide at the production lines. The primary users of the platform are operators of the production line machines, shift managers, production managers, but also agile engineers and upper management. Consequently, it was crucial to explore the requirements of each of these users, how a task management platform would fit in their workflows, and what their most frequent use cases would be. I uncovered these through contextual inquiries and in-depth interviews with over 20 users. Additionally, I enhanced my research findings through a competitor analysis of the best practices from task management systems used in different industries.
The design workflow
At the time, the go-to tool for managing tasks was Excel, which was a source of several issues such as lack of clarity, loss of data, an absence of standardization, and overall slower production due to administrative processes. After outlining the product backlog of user requirements, my iterative design process began. The fast-paced culture of the company required that the development of the platform would run parallel to the designing and testing, which meant that my design process began with creating a testable workflow structure with foundational components. I then tested my prototype at the production line, observing exactly where, how and when the users interacted with the task management system. After this, the foundational design could be updated, and handed over to the developers, while I delved deeper into the structure, features and details of the platform.
At the time, the go-to tool for managing tasks was Excel, which was a source of several issues such as lack of clarity, loss of data, an absence of standardization, and overall slower production due to administrative processes. After outlining the product backlog of user requirements, my iterative design process began. The fast-paced culture of the company required that the development of the platform would run parallel to the designing and testing, which meant that my design process began with creating a testable workflow structure with foundational components. I then tested my prototype at the production line, observing exactly where, how and when the users interacted with the task management system. After this, the foundational design could be updated, and handed over to the developers, while I delved deeper into the structure, features and details of the platform.
The final task management experience
The final product has clarity, usefulness and usability at its core, with users expressing high satisfaction over the potential improvements to their workflow. The core features enable the operators to easily access and complete tasks assigned to them and their machines through different channels (phone app, desktop), view standardized checklists and work instructions, request supplies, and comment on each step of a task. Shift managers can easily create new tasks through templates with pre-defined checklists and descriptions, and assign them to shifts and machines. One of the most crucial improvements is the standardization of processes and clarity attained through a centralized platform that offers an overview of tasks, their status, and ownership.
The final product has clarity, usefulness and usability at its core, with users expressing high satisfaction over the potential improvements to their workflow. The core features enable the operators to easily access and complete tasks assigned to them and their machines through different channels (phone app, desktop), view standardized checklists and work instructions, request supplies, and comment on each step of a task. Shift managers can easily create new tasks through templates with pre-defined checklists and descriptions, and assign them to shifts and machines. One of the most crucial improvements is the standardization of processes and clarity attained through a centralized platform that offers an overview of tasks, their status, and ownership.
User testing and research documentation
Throughout the process, I revisited the manufacturing line several times for testing with users. As these users work in personal protective equipment, the interaction with touch screens and laptops increases in complexity. It was vital to ensure that interaction is quick, mindless, intuitive, and does not hinder production tasks and overall work progress. During the time of my internship, the scope of the project grew progressively into an ambitious management platform, and thus further areas will need to be researched and designed for, to ensure that the overall experience of the platform remains user-friendly. I, therefore, thoroughly documented my entire research and design process in Confluence, including future recommendations and directions to delve into, which was ultimately handed over to the digitalization team at the company.
