Cloud platform mockup - login to mission generation @ Agreenculture
In 2019, when I arrive at Agreenculture, the company is three years old. Robots are in development. In order to create a mission, the process is very cumbersome. Missions are handcrafted and files are exchanged via emails, what is totally normal at this stage in a Research & Development context.
As the aim is to promote Mission Generation tool to a public whose activity is centered on agriculture, it goes without saying that the application will have to evolve.
🌐 website
User Experience and Interface Design
At that time, Mission definition at a Data Model level is a work in progress.
To create a mission, Engineers use in-house algorithms under development, then edit manually the JSON file to fine tune last details
This what a mission looks like back in 2019
The scope of Design intervention is very broad on this project
- Contribute in understanding user profiles gathering and synthesising their needs
- As business opportunities evolve, the Cloud scope is redefined
- AGC Cloud has since moved from a vision based on the point of view of an autonomous user wishing to generate his own missions, to the support of leading manufacturers wishing to acquire a turnkey solution to automate and manage their machines from a centralized interface.
Meet the persona
At the time of the interviews, the scope of the AGC Cloud is the Mission Generation tool.
More than 1,000 km of missions had been generated.
Users are divided into two categories, Consumers and Creators.
Among them, five key users stand out:
- Two large consumers who suffer delays and failures
- Three main creators who know the system by heart and talk about how they get around problems and feel unnoticed
- Two large consumers who suffer delays and failures
- Three main creators who know the system by heart and talk about how they get around problems and feel unnoticed
Each complaining about the other, yet they are one and the same in the paradigm I have to setup.
The Creator
The Consumer
Persona Synthesis
The tool is useful if it solves real problems, so the persona is a combination of the two profiles, as there is no strict boundary between them, insofar as the Creator and the Consumer can be physically the same person over time.
Paradigm & Analogies
I validate with the engineering team the analogies we will use in order to follow best practices of pre-existing user ecosystem.
Everyone uses Google Maps or similar tool to manage geolocated data, and is used to overlaying layers to add knowledge.
I convince the team that we should concentrate our efforts on centralizing functionalities on the map as the users surveys revealed the urge need of reactivity of the tool offering a direct view of the field. The users who know how to solve failing missions, have the “Tractor mindset".
Expectation for automating Mission Generation — background visual © Cruise
Space management
Early stage visual of Mission Generation space management
Time management
Early stage animation to demonstrate how each section of the application can interact
Development & Design Validation
Each feature becomes is implemented following the classic iterative process
🔁 Features > Mockups > Deliverables > Implementation > Test and validation
The complexity lies in keeping all views up to date, so as to maintain a coherent user experience as the system evolves.
🤝 For each feature, during the test phase, we gather as much feedbacks as possible, and trace the history of exchanges in a design validation document.
Once again, the attention paid to setting up a coherent, sustainable paradigm enables us to better support and integrate future developments.
AGC Cloud Artboards in Adobe XD file in Design (left) and Prototype mode (right)
AGC Cloud platform centralize data, fields and machines. It's the entry point of all the possible applications based on a map.
Cloud is already scaling to take new challenges, Telemonitoring and Teleoperation
"It's great, does it work already ?"
Design is the entry point on this project to promote new uses and convince partners that Agreenculture products will fit into their ecosystem and above all, meet their expectations.
🏆 My satisfaction at this stage is to listen to feedbacks saying "It's great, does it work already ?" "When will we have it in our hands ?"
Demonstration of collaborative work done thanks to the AGC Cloud — extract from Agreenculture solutions video © Agreenculture
Contact
Thank you!