Redesigning for Efficiency: Driving Manufacturing Success
Creagh Manufacturing Industries
For
Web App
Project Overview
Client: Creagh Industries
Objective: Develop a user-friendly, scalable platform for real-time data collection, resource management, and production planning.
Role: Product Designer
Summary
I led the redesign of Creagh Industries’ manufacturing platform to address critical pain points in real-time data synchronization, user experience, and resource management. The redesigned platform enhances decision-making, improves efficiency in the production process, and ensures seamless integration with existing data analytics systems. This project focused on optimizing usability across user roles, ensuring scalability, and aligning with Creagh Industries' strategic objectives for growth.
Challenges
Data Synchronization: Real-time data entry and synchronization was difficult for the current platform, especially in settings with poor connectivity. This made it more difficult to make decisions quickly and to provide data accurately at various stages of the production process.
User Experience: The interface had to support a variety of user roles, including planners, operators, and quality control, each of which had unique requirements for data access and input. The previous design was inefficient due to its lack of flexibility and clarity.
Resource Utilization: One of the most important requirements was the effective management of resources, including labor and equipment. The platform required features for tracking important performance indicators, including production time and resource usage, as well as for detailed planning and real-time modifications.
Solution
Working on the Creagh redesign was tricky as it was time conscious and not a lot of user data was presented to inform the design. I was provided with requirements spec by the agency that hired me and I used that to inform the design decisions along best practices in user experience design. As a result, this were the improvements made:
Real-Time Data Integration: I designed a system with strong offline capabilities and near real-time data input. When connectivity is poor, the data that operators enter is cached locally, and when it is restored, it is synchronized with the central analytics portal. This guarantees accurate recordkeeping and constant data flow.
Role-Based User Interfaces: I developed individual views/screens for various roles:
Planners: Advanced planning tools were designed for planners, such as a Gantt chart for resource allocation, production schedule visualization, and KPI tracking.
Operators: Simple data entry displays that concentrate on task-specific inputs help operators by guaranteeing precise and timely updates throughout the manufacturing process.
Quality Control: To ensure adherence to manufacturing standards, quality control staff manage and document quality checks using customized dashboards.
Optimized Production Planning: A thorough plan-generating module was required here, which I designed to enable planners to use intricate configuration options to build and modify production plans. This comprises:
Time and Resource Management: An easy-to-use interface for setting up panel production sequences, working days, and resource availability.
Scenario analysis: The capacity to save and contrast several plan iterations, allowing for data-driven choices based on criteria like resource efficiency and production time.
Integration of Technology
Smooth API Integration: Secure APIs are used to interface the new platform with the current manufacturing data analytics portal. This guarantees data integrity and streamlines operations by allowing real-time data flow between the platform and the analytics system.
Compliance and Security: To ensure the security of important production data, encryption and role-based access control were used for data transmission. The platform protects user data in accordance with industry best practices.
Results
Enhanced Efficiency: By automating data synchronization and streamlining data entry procedures, the new user experience dramatically decreased human error. Due to the ability to make decisions based on current data, production efficiency was estimated to increase by at least 20%.
Increased User Adoption: Planners, operators, and quality control staff used the system more frequently as a result of the role-specific interfaces and user-friendly design. The redesigned interface's clarity and ease of use were emphasized in user comments.
Sleek Design: The sleek redesign brought a significant transformation to the user experience and operational efficiency. I ensured it was a clean, modern design, which helped to minimize cognitive load, allowing users to focus on their specific tasks without the clutter of unnecessary information. As a result, usability was improved at least 4x, combined with responsive design elements, which enabled quicker data entry and retrieval, reducing the time spent on training and onboarding new users.
This redesign was a result of quick iterative design multiple times over a short period. It included multiple review sessions with stakeholders, where I presented mock-ups and prototypes, gathering feedback that informed the final design. This approach ensured that I delivered a refined user experience with a strong buy-in from stakeholders, leading to a smooth development and deployment.