Building review, inspection & control system.
BRICS is an innovative solution for housing societies that streamlines the process of building construction while ensuring compliance with society bylaws with the help of realtime monitoring. Designed for both residents and concerned officers, these apps provide a seamless platform for monitoring and managing construction activities.
With this system, concerned officers can ensure that every construction project is done in accordance with society bylaws, while residents can rest easy knowing they are complying with regulations. This system promotes transparency, efficiency, and accountability, ultimately leading to the betterment of housing societies.
Overview
My Role
UX / UI Design
Tools
Figma
Timeline
4 - 6 Months
The Problem
Lack of efficient system for ensuring Building Bylaw Compliance.
Current building construction processes lack a digital system to enforce bylaws provided by the government or housing society. Bylaws are only available in hard copy and are often difficult for building owners to follow. Inspectors randomly inspect construction sites and take photos of any bylaw violations, which are then sent by
the concerned officers as hard copy notices to the building owner to resolve in person. This inefficient process often leads to confusion and conflict
The Design Solution
Web Application
With the comprehensive web application for building management, concerned officers to easily access building data and bylaws, manage their team of inspectors, track construction progress, and view any violations and fines that need resolution. In addition, they can manage registered contractors and assign inspectors to specific areas for efficient inspections. With this app, officers can view inspection history and track open and resolved violations. Thus building management is simplified with a user-friendly and effective web application.
Tablet Application
Building inspectors are empowered with the tablet application designed to streamline their workflow. The app allows them to easily access inspection history and daily tasks, view building details including owner information, power of attorney, and registered contractors. Inspectors can perform stage-specific inspections and document their findings with photos. In case of any bylaw violations, they can issue warnings and track the building's violation history.
Mobile Application
The user-friendly interface of the mobile app allows building owners to view a comprehensive list of their buildings, assign power of attorney and contractors, and track each construction step with a provided roadmap. To ensure a smooth construction process, owners can fulfill requirements such as submitting necessary documents and filling out forms, all from within the app. Additionally, our app allows owners to keep a record of any issued violations and inspection details, complete with supporting documentation
Design Process
Double Diamond
By utilizing the double diamond framework, I effectively navigated the problem space, pinpointing the critical "How Might We" question, I realized that:
“The stakeholders involved in the construction process would be more inclined to a hassle free solution where they could manage, monitor and keep record of their specific tasks.”
With a clear understanding of the problem space, I employed divergent thinking to explore a range of potential solutions, leveraging participatory design methodologies to arrive at an optimal solution.
Start
Research
Interviews
Persona
Empathy Mapping
User Flows
Wireframes
Hi-Fidelity Design
Testing
Define
Discover
Develop
Deliver
Solution Delivered
Problem Identification
Primary Research
User Interviews
I conducted insightful interviews with a diverse range of individuals, including officers and homeowners spanning a variety of age groups. While many of the individuals were between the ages of 30 and 50, I also had the opportunity to engage with individuals with varying levels of education.
Findings
The stakeholders struggled with managing their respective responsibilities, particularly in relation to following, inspecting, and monitoring bylaws. The task was leading to confusion and frustration.
99% of the participants were more comfortable with an automated system to manage their responsibilities.
Secondary Research
Documentation
I gathered comprehensive data through secondary research, including a variety of valuable resources such as the book of bylaws, physical copies of building details, and inspection reports. Through this process, I was able to gain a deep understanding of the subject matter and inform my approach to the project with an informed and strategic perspective.
Findings
While building details were readily available, the inspection reports were not as organized. In fact, the only evidence of inspections and violations were photos stored on the inspectors' personal mobile phones, which they would present upon request to concerned officers and building owners.
Personas
Concerned Officer
Building Inspector
Building Owners
User Flows (Lo-fi)
Concerned Officer
Building Inspector
Building Owners
Final Designs
Web Application (Concerned Officer)
Onboarding & Buildings List
The in app experience offers simple onboarding.
The user can then view a list of all the buildings added to the system.
Building Details
The user can view various info of a building including overall progress and violation stats.
Inspections
There is a list of inspections along with inspection details.
Staff Management
All the staff below a concerned officer can be easily managed.
Land Management
A concerned officer can also manage areas of the society.
Building Inspector
Building Details
The inspector can view his daily inspections in the form of building cards along with the building details
Inspections
Inspection history of a building is visible as a list and the user can perform the inspection on the go as well.
Building Owners
Building Details
Building owners can view their buildings and details.
Violations
The user can view each violation in detail.¬
Power Of Attorney
The user can view history and transfer or revoke power of attorney.
Contractors
Registered Contractors of the housing authority can be viewed and assigned to the building.
Progress
There is a complete roadmap of completion progress that helps the user to complete each step according to the rules and regulations along with inspections at certain steps.
Documents
Users are offered an easy way to upload required documents and fill out forms.
Reflections & Learning
Prioritizing user experience and usability over aesthetics can lead to a more successful and satisfying outcome for both the user and the team.
I enjoyed working on this project a lot. I realized that humans scan more than read and a design being user centered is the key to success of the project. A design must revolve around the ones who have to use it and the functionality has a lot of significance over aesthetics.