Product designer, 2021- 2023. Designed tooling and services for the operating center, which integrates sensors, hardware, computer vision, automation and robotics to control every aspect of the process. Standardize design into part of the product development process.
In this case study, I will begin by outlining the problem space, then detail the challenges and research involved, and use select projects to illustrate my approach in solving them, from strategy to surface.
Context
Manufacturing was new for me. The problem space, particularly in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) space, presents a distinct problem space for product design. Most products I’ve encountered have some trace of familiarity and reference from our everyday surrounding, considering the following （highly simplified) scenarios with use cases and assumption,
💻 Writing slack messages in front of a computer
Focus on connectivity, external disruption, effectively facilitate collaboration, and handling notification logic
🚕 Waiting for a ride at EWR
Tackle the highly dynamic pairing process for moving riders and drivers, cater to impatient and tired users, and prioritize safety
🎧 Streaming content on Spotify
streamline content discovery, anticipates and tailor to user tastes, engage and retain users, facilitate content flows from creator to listener, and expand the market
👩🏻⚕️ Making a doctor appointment online
Address insurance coverage, provider availability, touchpoints between providers and patients portals
These shared experiences allow us ( designers) to empathize and make informed assumptions, with a certain degree of predictability based on observation, heuristics, and a small dose of intuition coming from experiences, which help us navigate through the problem solving process.
But this is not quite the case for manufacturing. There is an extra dimension of complexity lies in the interconnected physical surroundings. As we are building digital solutions that have an close bearing in the physical world, tension and complexity arise, which manifest itself in the following,
The product is not the product
The product being designed and developed differs from the end product that is ultimately consumed or used by individuals. For example, a wide range of digital products such as consumer-facing platforms like social media, e-commerce, fin-tech, ERP solutions. However, the end product in this case takes the form of packaged greens. The path to which a seeded plug makes its way from a seeding machine to the shelf in local Whole Foods is what we are trying to solve. In which, it could be enforcing seeding compliance, controlling grow conditions, providing flexible pricing structure, and streamline logistics operation. In this sense, what we design and develop encompass the system of processes, infrastructures, and components.
The tech circus
Interface widely with a variety of technologies such as hardware, computer vision, robotics, sensors, and automation, incorporated by each facility. The challenge is to identify a shared software strategy and solution that provides a consistent and intuitive approach while effectively integrating and addressing the diverse range of technologies involved. For example, the physical and digital workings of irrigation system, the mechanism and logic in moving objects around, packaging and shipping processes.
The case for ambiguity
The physical processes and environment is immensely complex, dynamic and ever-changing. Hence to solve a problem, we need to first look beyond the problem itself and into the problem space. To put it plainly, the problems often are not directly visible. The synthesis encompasses ongoing analysis between solving for particular use cases (concrete observation), and abstract paradigm (future imagination)
As part of the product team, my work entails designing tools to support the core initiatives to grow better crops, build more farms, increase market and profitability. One would ask, what does it mean by designing tools to grow better crops? What are better crops? What makes better crops? Are the experiences of growing better crops easily translatable? It is through asking these questions, we start to explore and define the boundaries, shape the problems through ambiguity.
Research
Bringing all the questions, I made regular trips to the facility, along with other product team members. During these visits, I spoke to, observed, and learned from people on site, including team leads, farmers, operations, and maintenance tech. I learned the intricate process of growing crops indoor and vertically, surrounding aspects of the business, and how individuals and teams work through their day in the facility.
During one trip, we (a few members from product and logistics) took turns auditing the entire cold storage using the tool we developed. The process was challenging, involving odd hours between meetings in freezing temperature (we had heavy coats on). There were many similar instances, and through these experiences, I was able to immerse, unpack the activities, and truly empathize with people’s experiences.
Meanwhile, I partnered up with one product manager and conducted a series of interviews with individuals from different teams, in order to understand their day to day responsibilities and how it fits within their team, tools they interact with, and how they interacted with them.
Together, they serve as the foundational context and render me greater sensitivity and understanding in approaching the problems and solutions later.
Projects
My work touches different aspects, some involve strong grasp on facility nomenclature, some require deep understanding of SOP, and some call for various facilitation techniques. Below I will highlight a few projects across two main domains
🛠
Streamlining and optimizing operational workflows for both facilities and headquarters to improve efficiency of individual processes and overall throughput
These projects normally have some degree of problem definition, e.g., we need to design and develop a way to transplant crops utilizing new automation technology, or monitor and control grow condition to make sure crops are getting what they needed
Focused heavily on end to end design, from user flow to roll out, considering facility layout, automation, hardware, devices, and external providers
Interfacing closely with various functional teams, farm operations, team leads, farmers, commercial
🔭
Exploring big questions and ideas through research, synthesis, design strategy, and conceptualization.
Normally ambiguous in scope
More conceptual work revolves around understanding and advancing key company priorities
In addition to functional teams, also interfacing closely within product and engineering
🔭SERVICE BLUEPRINT
Problem
The high learning curve of the industry, along with changing and growing teams, makes it difficult to make sense of why certain things worked or were built in a certain way. As we move into evaluating the impact and tradeoffs in getting to a future state, it becomes crucial to examine how things work now, both in terms of limitations and space.
Goal
Uncovers potential improvements and ways to reduce redundancy, develop a knowledge base, and establish the baseline for future continuous improvement
Process
Led by the product team, we had a multi-day offsite with SME from various teams. We examined, and post it- ed all the events supporting growing crops in a facility, both in the physical and tech space.
I then translated it into a service blueprint, visualizing how the front stage (physical space) works in accordance with the backstage ( various HMIs and data services), providing us with a comprehensive understanding of its service and the underlying resources and processes, seen and unseen to the people interacting with it.
🔭 R&D
Problem
Research and development (R&D) involves varying levels of uncertainty, necessitating flexibility and thorough data collection. We start with a hypothesis, then design experiments to validate them. The existing R&D operations were manual, fragmented, and time consuming. It significantly differs from a production environment, which demands standardization and streamlined operation.
Goal
Understand and deconstruct the R&D processes, aligning it with production context to improve efficiency and facilitate the sharing and translation of research insights
Process
I worked with a team including a product manager, 2 engineers alongside with agricultural scientists and R&D operations personnel
I led multiple user research sessions (brainstorming and journey mapping), synthesized findings into core functional proposal, workflow, Information Architecture (IA), worked with the head of product to build a 6 months roadmap
🔭 REIMAGINE EXERCISE
Problem
The existing solution was built to surface entities and information directly as it is, without prescribing potential problems and actions, leaving teams to navigate it independently, deciding what’s important and relevant and what’s not. In effect it becomes tribal knowledge
As new technologies are being introduced to upcoming facilities, there’s a growing need to explore a scalable, and future-proof software solution that seamlessly integrates and supports these variations
Goal
Identify critical functionality, and translate them into tangible workflow and interface paradigms through the lens of core user groups and use cases
Align on strategy and priorities with stakeholders by utilizing conceptual prototypes
Process
I began working on the reimagine exercise around a year after I joined. By then I had done substantial research and created key foundations (Jobs To Be Done, IA, sitemap, and use cases ). I then started designing a series of concepts, meanwhile working with stakeholder teams (operation, R&D, expansion, commercial) in further aligning, iterating and elaborating nuanced use cases trough those concepts
Key takeaways
Involving stakeholders, especially subject matter experts (SMEs), at the early stages of a project is valuable and productive. This allows us to collectively define the problem space and prioritize the most urgent and important issues
Visualizing big ideas is a valuable exercise in itself. It surfaced questions otherwise could remain un-asked, also serves an effective tool in gathering diverse perspectives
Understanding the impact of a certain event helps us effectively situate a problem, further enable us to plan and respond dynamically and strategically, beyond immediate reactions
🛠Task management
Overview
To improve efficacy, efficiency and overall throughput, we continuously iterate and introduce new features for our on site staff via mobile devices. I have audited all, made updates when needed, and created several new features throughout my tenure.
🛠Cleaner water
Overview
Irrigation is critical. (which is hardly an agricultural insight) As part of the endeavor to improve yield and diversify product portfolio, I worked closely with farm design and external vendors, to design workflow and interfaces enabling operations to regularly clean the pipes. Digitally it involved enabling operators initiate, control and monitor the cleaning process
