NiSource
Reducing map download times to save employees time
NiSource is a utility company serving 4 million customers across 6 states. The linemen they employ need to use an iPad map app called Lemur to safely complete their jobs on a daily basis. This app shows 90+ layers, containing important information such as customer meters or line voltage.
93 → 78 layers
Example screen of the map (not my design)
Role
UX Researcher/Designer
Timeline
September 2024
Team
Product Owner
Developer
Deliverables
Research Report
Design Recommendations
Utility employees need maps to do their job
The linemen use Lemur on a daily basis to locate assets such as customer meters, determine where to shut off/power electricity, and view information about the high-voltage infrastructure around them. However, they frequently complained about long download times when opening the app, especially because they are often in remote areas with poor connection.
The current map was too complex
During other user research sessions, the linemen expressed frustration with the map—among some usability issues, one that stood out was that the map had many layers that users never looked at.
”There's a lot of stuff in Lemur that we never use”
“I bet half of this stuff could go away without us noticing" (in reference to layers)
"There's 2 million items, nobody want to see them all”
What could we simplify?
The product owner recognized the problem that the map was too complex, but wanted more information. I pitched the idea of having workshop with users to gather data, specifically about layers. The product owner was on board, and I set about planning a workshop and recruiting users for it.
Workshop time!
I was able to get 6 linemen in a room for 2 hours to go over the electric layers. For our workshop activity, I shared my screen, turned off all the map layers, and went through them one by one, turning on the ones they said they needed.
23 out of 93 layers were not needed
That almost 25%! I discovered the following reasons why users don't need them:
6
Users don’t need to look at for their job
11
Users didn’t know what the layer was
3
Weren’t helpful to users because they don’t get updated frequently
3
Weren't useful but needed further validation with specialized electric roles
Additional findings
3 layers could be renamed to be more meaningful to users
Users suggested having different modes of Lemur, ie having layers that only linemen can see vs having layers that only engineering can see
The map update process is not easy for users, and as a result a lot of information does not get updated.
Final result: 14 layers eliminated
I presented my findings to the product owner, as it was ultimately his decision. The final number of layers to be eliminated was 14 layers and the development team deployed the changes a couple months later. This resulted in shorter download times for a more efficient experience for linemen, especially when they are in remote locations.
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