Software Service for Construction Decision Makers
ConstructPro is a SaaS platform under development by Project Cost Solutions, a construction management firm based in Atlanta, GA.
The platform streamlines the estimation process for construction decision-makers responsible for projects of all sizes and complexities. The software autogenerates estimates that are validated through certified estimators who review all details and check for errors before being finalized.
Timeline & Tools
4 Week Sprints
Figma, InVision
Team & Role
Collaborated with a team of 5 UX Designers and the Senior Engineer from Project Cost Solutions. My role focused on conducting evaluative research, user interviews, and creating low to mid-fidelity wireframes to validate potential solutions via user testing.
User & Audience
Primary: Estimators - Estimation building.
Secondary: Clients - PDF template of the estimate.
Deliverables
Competitive Analysis, Research Reports, Journey Map, Wireframes, Interactive Prototype, Task Flow, Information Architecture, and Usability Testing Report.
Objectives
Create a user interface for estimators that support their day-to-day process for estimation building.
Create a PDF template for the estimate summary that clients receive.
Due to the early stage of product development, we had little to work off. Our team wanted to implement a thoughtful design and a seamless experience for our users while meeting our stakeholders’ goals.
Save time and improve efficiency.
Increase transparency for clients.
Comprehensive estimates with less potential for error.
Current Prototype
Primary User - Estimators:
Single prototype provided by the head engineer to serve as a basic blueprint of how the software might look like.
Secondary User - Clients:
PDF estimate template from Success Estimating and Cost Management System, an estimation software used by ConstructPro that clients typically receive.
DISCOVERY
Understanding Construction Estimating
Our lack of domain knowledge in the construction landscape meant we needed to familiarize ourselves with the industry and construction estimating process.
Chart outlining the construction estimating process. -Pratt D.J., The Fundamentals of Construction Estimating
Competitors
Our stakeholder claimed that no existing software exists but we found many competitors that were very similar. We narrowed our analysis to 3 direct competitors most relevant to our client such as RS Means, Esticom and BuildingConnected.
Pain Points in Construction Software
Research revealed that although construction software offerings eases the process of managing projects and paperwork there is still a significant need for human (estimator) assessment because projects frequently change or are delayed and involve various parties.
All 3 competitors struggled to provide accurate estimates because they use software to validate costs and do not have a professional human estimator reviewing requests. This gave us a real sense of our stakeholders’ business goals and the advantage of designating a professional estimator to successfully manage a project from end to end.
EMPATHIZE
User Insights
To access our prospective users we conducted interviews to learn:
The end-to-end estimation process to identify user pains.
Gain a thorough understanding of the content provided from each prototype.
Our key findings were synthesized through affinity diagramming and proved to be beneficial in discovering recurring needs and pain points to define a clear strategy for addressing them.
“The flexibility to edit costs and line items within an estimate would be beneficial because it’s subject to change.”
— Estimator
“The estimate is only as good as the information that is entered in.”
— Estimator
“Every estimator needs to be present to review an estimate because we have no way of preventing errors.”
— Estimator
“I look at the total costs first and dig into the details if I notice that a cost is too high or too low.”
— Client
BRAINSTORM + DEFINE
Making Decisions
Insights from our research indicated a few possible solutions that could help improve their day-to-day process. It was clear that all users unanimously needed specific features to help them work more efficiently. We asked ourselves…
How might we optimize their experience by including just enough of the relevant information for estimators and clients?
What is the best way of preventing input errors for estimators?
How might we implement a system for estimators that allows them to edit details and collaborate?
Design Principles
To help align our project goals, we concluded three Design Principles. Our principles were formulated through users expressing a need to customize or edit details within an estimate. With this in mind, it was imperative to strategize a clear hierarchy because users will need to quickly scan through text-heavy documents to identify details and discrepancies.
Simplicity:
Content must be clear to ensure ease of use. Minimizing designs will direct the users’ attention to the information they need.
Flexibility:
System designs must support users to customize their work. If all areas are fixed, it will limit the users’ ability to edit details.
Unity:
Design and information should be cohesive and consistent for both target users such as terminology, detail, and format.
DESIGN + TEST
Divergent Concepts:
Our team developed two concepts for both our estimators and clients. When designing our concepts, we had to keep in mind that our users had minimal experience with technology and had been in the industry for over 20 years. They were already accustomed to certain software and weary of change. We wanted to recreate something familiar to support their mental models but simultaneously acknowledge their needs in a refreshingly new way.
Example of Success Estimator, a software used by ConstructPro to build estimates.
A/B Testing: Estimator View
Designing for our estimators centered around the ability to edit but underneath the surface, we wanted to provide our users with ownership of their work.
Estimator - Concept A. (Click to enlarge)
Estimators can choose when to access project details through a collapsible drawer.
Filter each department to collaborate with other estimators and view their work.
Estimator - Concept B. (Click to enlarge)
Departments are separated through tabs.
Estimators can view project details at all times.
Use predictive search to look up categories.
A/B Testing: Client View
Our approach for the client user base focused on content strategy. We wanted to eliminate anything without a purpose to ensure that clients could easily scan and locate specific information.
Client - Concept A.
Total costs and some information in the header should be more prominent, some are not needed.
Text is too light and might be overlooked.
Client - Concept B.
Grids were favorable because it provides better legibility.
Grey background is too dark and uneasy on the eyes.
Task Flow for Estimators
Before converging our design for our estimator view, we created an estimator task flow to layout how they might review approaching an estimate through the software.
Estimator Task Flow
Usability Test Results: Estimator View
“Familiar but not intuitive.”
User feedback indicated that the navigation was not intuitive. Certain features needed more clarification. This was an opportunity to update a new design.
Some estimators struggled to find and expand the drawer with the project description.
Distinguishing each macro category and each subcategory in the nested rows within the tree structure was confusing to follow.
Estimators questioned if multiple line items could be deleted simultaneously.
Usability Test Results: Client View
Clients had no particular struggles with identifying each component. However, users provided some suggestions that would help improve their process. Overall, users appreciated the level of control, increasing their trust.
Final Iteration:
There were many existing patterns to reuse or slightly adapt to meet requirements. Below are some key screens that address the feedback from our user testing.
Final: Estimator View
Item List: The original format used from the itemized estimate list was replaced with all current projects.
Project Description: To clarify the drawer indicator with the project description, we added: “Show More / Show Less”.
Information Architecture: Improved the hierarchy by adjusting the proportions of each of the nested rows within the tree structure. For each macro category, we bolded and enlarged the font and added a light fill for some definition. This helped distinguish each item line. All subcategories were bolded to make them more digestible.
Editing: Reformatted the edit page by adding checkboxes to indicate that multiple items can be deleted simultaneously.
Error Prevention: Confirmation prompts were added to any changes made during the estimation building process to prevent possible errors.
Final: Client View
Header Right: Project phase is bolded and placed above client information.
Header Left: Charge # was replaced with a space for a reference #.
Estimate Report: Instead of having one template to reflect the estimate, we developed a summary report and a complete breakdown of each cost in case they need to reference additional information.
Footer: Project phase was added on each page as estimates tend to be over 10 pages long and clients usually have to go back to reference the project phase.
Final Deliverable
REFLECTION
Designing for each audience appeared to be direct at a glance, but it involved many subtle details and nuances. Coming in as new users allowed us to capture valuable insights. In our case, the users we interviewed didn’t see an inherent problem with their process but we were able to question details that may have been glossed over because they were already very intimate with their process.
Next Steps:
Work closely with engineers to learn how the back-end of the software intends to function in order to better understand possible limitations and capabilities.
Receive full access to the 5 software estimators used to gain a more in-depth knowledge of their process and users’ mental model.
Integrate a portal and chat for clients so they can collaborate with estimators in real-time.