Improved user-friendliness and stronger sales for Epoke
poke, a leading producer of winter road maintenance equipment, faced the challenge that their existing HMI panel had become outdated. Design-People were asked to help them develop a new HMI based on new technology – a new platform there should secure Epoke as the preferred partner among customers and users. We conducted thorough research to understand the needs of Epoke’s customers, followed the users on their nightly work, observed and interviewed them to understand how to improve the UI for a better user experience. Different display technologies were considered and graphic styles, animations and UX flows were created and tested to enhance the overall user experience for the end users. The result became the highly successful HMI controller EpoMaster – an intuitive and graphic clear soft-key solution, that has received positive feedback from users for its user-friendly design and informative content. The HMI helped Epoke increase customer engagement, enhancing its brand recognition and making it a valuable tool for its business.
A need for re-thinking and redesigning the user interface of the control panels in Epoke’s truck equipment was at stake, when the company addressed design-people. Right from the beginning it was decided that user involvement would be key in order to fully understand the needs and requirements of those operating the panels: the drivers of de-icing trucks. A series of situational observations were therefore organized, where design-people’s team of designers and psychologists spent an entire night behind the wheel with the drivers, observing and listening to what is really at stake when working your way through snow- and ice-packed roads.
“We’ve set a new standard for user-friendliness in snow-removal vehicles. The combination of shorter training times, more efficient salt utilization and greater driver satisfaction makes good business sense to our customers. Our investment in design-people’s work with user-friendly design has given us a handsome return – and opened new doors in the export market for all our products.”
De-icing slippery roads in wintertime is a tough job done under extreme circumstances. A redesigned control panel led to better workflow for the truck-drivers and better business for the manufacturer of salt-spreading equipment, Epoke.
Simplification was the way forward: Fewer prioritised features and an improved interaction design, taking advantage of the touch screen technology already available. As an example, the spreading angle behind the truck now has a graphical representation at the touch panel; and likewise, audible and tactile feedback allow the driver to always keep an eye on the road, which is crucial in the often adverse working-conditions. The collaboration with design-people has clearly paid off.
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