Case Study: Smart Notifications

Smart notification is a feature that connects work orders to specific subsystems within a building. The feature aggregates data from various subsystems, analyzes it and generates alerts based on predefined criteria. This integration allows for real-time insights and visibility into the status of building systems and assets.

These alerts prioritize based on severity, enabling Facility Managers and other building occupants to address critical issues efficiently. In addition, Smart Notifications provides users with the tools to create maintenance requests directly from the notification, reducing the need for manual logging and streamlining the process.

With this feature, building occupants can stay on top of potential issues before they become significant problems. Smart Notifications empower building managers to manage and maintain their assets proactively, improving operational efficiency and reducing the risk of costly downtime.

The team

The team comprised a Director of Product, a Product Manager, myself, a Senior Product Designer, and a Senior Data Analyst. We collaborated closely with the CTO and a team of engineers.

The Challenge

The first implementation of notifications gave Facility Managers real-time insight into their building subsystems in a single view. For the first time, they could see a list of alerts displaying details such as the date, reason for failure, and the floor and clicking accept would clear the notification from the list.

The smart notifications feature can benefit portfolio and property managers in several ways based:

Operations Manager

An operations manager can use the smart notifications feature to gain visibility into the maintenance needs of the building's subsystems. Helping them prioritize work orders, assign tasks to maintenance staff, and ensure maintenance is completed efficiently and effectively.

Asset Manager

An asset manager can use the smart notifications feature to track the maintenance history of the building's subsystems. Helping them to identify areas where equipment may need to be replaced or upgraded and to make informed decisions about capital expenditures.

Property Manager

To help to improve tenant retention rates and attract new tenants, a property manager can use the smart notifications feature to ensure that tenants are satisfied with the building's maintenance and promptly address their needs.

Facility Manager: A facility manager can use the smart notifications feature to monitor the performance of the building's subsystems and identify potential issues before they become major problems, preventing equipment downtime, reducing repair costs, and improving the overall efficiency of the building's systems.

Maintenance Manager

A maintenance manager can use the smart notifications feature to assign work orders to maintenance staff and track the progress of maintenance tasks, ensuring that maintenance is completed on time and that staff is efficient.

Overall, a smart notifications feature that connects work orders to specific subsystems within a building can benefit portfolio and property managers by improving their ability to manage maintenance tasks, track equipment performance, and ensure tenant satisfaction. By providing timely and accurate information about the building's subsystems, the feature can help property managers to make informed decisions about asset management, capital expenditures, and tenant retention.

Business Requierments

The building management company needed to reduce reactive maintenance costs and improve the health and safety of their facilities. They wanted a system that could provide actionable insights based on severity, prioritize alerts, and improve visibility into the building's health.

How the Features Addressed Objectives

The system provided real-time monitoring, creation, and management of work orders, enabling building managers to respond quickly to urgent issues and proactively address potential problems.

Managers can quickly locate subsystems on the floor map and access valuable information, making informed preventative maintenance and repair decisions. The system also notified building managers and tenants of upcoming maintenance, reducing the risk of disruptions and ensuring the safety and well-being of building occupants.

Overall, the features addressed the business requirements and pain points, enabling the building management company to improve the health and safety of their facilities, reduce reactive maintenance costs, and provide a higher level of service to their clients.

Wireframes & User flows

Prototype

A prototype was built using HTML, CSS & JavaScript.