GIADA EXPERT
UI / UX, Branding, Animation
client
Internal Euroautomations project
time
Published on December 2022
team
UX and dev team
As part of the GIADA Expert project, my role as UX designer and my skills helped make the project a success. Here are my contributions:
Usability check
I carried out an extensive analysis of the usability of the current system, starting from the web portal dedicated to users to the use in the field during irrigation. To complete these activities mo did a heuristic analysis of the interface, also involving other team members and a shadowing activity by observing users at work during irrigation. The data collected showed pain points in both phases of system use. Portal side many components and patters predefined by the framework were used inappropriately and irrigation side the technology used reduces operator efficiency. In addition, the operator often lacks confidence in the system and prefers to use the manual mode instead of the smart mode with water savings. All this can be summarized in one macro problem of tech driven design.
SYstem update
Based on the reports and requests that have come to the company in past years, I updated the system interface. The business goal was to go in and correct the major problems related to the components that slowed down users the most to achieve better simplicity and ease of use. Where possible, the most complex functionality was simplified and making the user’s path simple. On the irrigation side, on the other hand, a change in hardware components was agreed with the technical department so that the user can now identify himself through an RFID reader and not through a touch screen, an interaction that was inconvenient given the use of work gloves and the presence of water drops .
Algorithm update
With the support of an external consultant who is an expert in agronomy is we modified the algorithm to estimate the amount of water to be delivered on each individual plot. Together with the technical department, more comprehensive sensors were identified to be added to the control unit in order to optimize irrigation timing and minimize water waste.
User Feedback
I managed some meetings with end users after the system had been in operation for a while and they were able to test it under real conditions. This was useful in allowing users to express their concerns about the amount of water that was being allocated to them based on the algorithm and allowed us to gather important feedback on future implementations. The first change was to report the volume of water in m3 instead of mm to reassure users about the effectiveness of the system.
Conclusions
The adjustments and improvements made by the GIADA Expert project resulted in a significant decrease in water use. A comparison between the first irrigation season with the new system and the last with the previous system showed a reduction in water delivered by an average of 23 percent. This change is due to both the improved algorithm and the increased confidence users place in the new system, trusting its choices, leading to almost zero manual mode activations made by users.