Digitrak Datalog Management (DDM)
DigitTrak Datalog Management (DDM) is a multi-platform service that allows Drilling Contractors to record and visualize their drill jobs. I managed the UX direction of the desktop, mobile and web platforms, all of which need to work seamlessly together.
Drilling Contractors in the Horizontal Drilling Industry want to be able to show their clients they finished a job to specifications and on schedule. For years, Drilling Contractors in the Horizontal Drilling Industry have been using manual logbooks (DataLogs) to record their jobs. The problem with the manual process is that it is hard to read, maintain, and store. Translating and visualizing the data for their clients is generally a difficult and time-consuming step in the process. My goal was to design user-centered product that would solve this problem.
My Role & Responsibilities
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Managed the UX direction for the user experience across all systems supported by the product.
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Design and developed the shopping experience for purchasing and managing subscriptions.
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Oversaw user experience of the free and paid features of a mobile application.
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Added features to existing desktop application to improve the user experience without alienating existing users.
Research & Results
First, it was important to see what the full data logging experience was for the industry. I interview and observed Drilling Contractors in the field to see how they currently operate. I watched jobs sites from small to large in scale, each of them using a variety of equipment and techniques. A lot was learned about the persona and how they work. Here is some important finding that helped guide the design moving forward:
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The amount of knowledge needed to operate a drill site is high. We don’t want to add too much to the information load of the contractor than there already is.
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Visualizing data is so much trouble that most drillers will not do it unless they are mandated to do so.
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Contactors have zero patience for things that don’t work. If it won’t get the job done, they will find something else.
Creating a Service
I designed DigiTrak Datalog Management, an eco-system that allows contractors to share and provide value to their client and themselves. A subscription of the service provides access to mobile, web, and desktop apps that integrated in to cloud storage. The contractors can get their data from anywhere from any form factor after the data has been captured.
It is important to have an easy point of entry into this service. I designed myDigiTrak.com to be a site that allows you to sign-up and purchase your subscription. When the contractor finishes, they can manage subscriptions and equipment in an intuitive way. One of the important lessons leaned here was that contactors should be able to purchase directly on the site or inside an equipment dealership, like they are used to with most drilling products.
Managing the Mobile App
LWD (Log While Drilling) Mobile, a mobile app available for Android and iOS, was a vital potion of the eco-system since was the primary way most drillers wanted to get their data from their locator, visualize data, and share it with clients. I managed the DigiTrak team that developed this solution. It was important to get the data from the locator quickly and easily. Using prototyping and iteration, a solution was created.
Data could be viewed at any point during a drill job’s progress. The data could be visualized in a graph or table format. If GPS data is available, the job can also be placed on a map. Most importantly the entire suite of information can be condensed to an easily readable view by the client.
Design and Iteration
Feedback was collected from customers early and often. Usability testing was done starting from lo-fidelity to hi-fidelity protypes. Metrics were also gathered using Google Analytics and custom data collection of DataLog data. The data collected helped to solve usability issues before being released to the public. For example, too many steps in the shopping experience or buying a subscription at a dealership caused customers to drop out of the process. Focusing on minimalistic design greatly improved this experience.
Gathering metrics on the user of the product helped guide the company’s plan for future products to support the most common types of drilling. Also, it helped to know what features may need more enhancements.
Outcome
DigiTrak DataLog Management was the first product to market of its kind and received incredibly good positive feedback from the industry. The metrics we collected were highly valuable after release and allowed the team to make continuous improvements to the service. Getting feedback from the users early and often helped to build a roadmap moving forward for future improvements.