Zentra
Designing a Predictive Property Management Tool for
Zentra, Allegion to Increase Maintenance Efficiency by 75%
Shield+ is a predictive property management tool designed to enhance efficiency and reduce costs for property managers by leveraging advanced data analytics and machine learning. It aims to streamline maintenance processes, predict potential issues, and optimize resource allocation, ensuring proactive and effective property management.
Worked with three other HCI graduate students as a part of a group project.
My contributions included desk research, conceptualization, brainstorming ideas, creating visual designs, contributing in user testing, and presentation of the final product.
Before we begin, lets imagine a scenario —
On Monday morning, you wake up, rush to get ready for work, and find out there's no water because a pipe in your building froze and burst!
This unexpected problem throws a wrench in your well-planned day, leaving you puzzled and stressed. You find out from your building manager that a pipe has burst because of the cold, and it'll take hours to fix. Suddenly, your simple morning tasks like showering and cooking become huge hurdles, making it hard to carry on with your day.
This isn't just a small hassle; it's a sign of a bigger problem that many people deal with because their homes and buildings aren't kept up well. It shows how much we rely on these everyday services and how quickly our normal lives can get turned upside down if things aren't looked after properly. This kind of trouble doesn't just affect one person; it can throw off the whole community in the building.
And it's not a rare thing!
Every day, lots of people run into unexpected problems like leaky pipes or broken wires, often because there's no system in place to catch these issues before they blow up, leading to both stress and high costs.
When we looked into how buildings are taken care of, we found a huge market that's growing fast and ready for new ideas. There is an increase in the home security and sensor market, because people around the world want their homes to be safe and easy to manage with smart tech. Also, there is a critical shift towards proactive solutions in property maintenance, which can save money, keep buildings running smoothly, and make them last longer.
This growing market shows that there's a big need for new ideas, especially for people who own or manage apartment buildings. There's a lot of interest in using smart tech to take care of buildings better and more easily. This is a great chance to change the way we keep buildings in good shape.
Through our discussions with residents and property managers, we uncovered common frustrations that echoed the need for a solution like SHIELD+. Residents shared stories of simple maintenance issues turning into prolonged inconveniences —
Property managers, on the other hand, expressed concerns about the overwhelming number of work orders, lack of efficiency in addressing issues, and many more —
This feedback underscores the disorganized systems in place, leading to delayed responses and unresolved issues, further emphasizing a gap that needs to be filled by providing a more organized, efficient, and proactive maintenance solution.
This brings us to our problem statement-
“How might we enhance the ease and seamlessness of property management for a property manager overseeing multiple units and buildings?”
Our Solution —
We developed SHIELD+, a comprehensive solution that leverages sensor technology and predictive analytics to anticipate and address maintenance issues before they escalate into major inconveniences or damages.
Remember the scenario?
Now with SHIELD+, the system smartly picks up on the early signs that a pipe might freeze. Before any trouble starts, it automatically warms up the water to keep everything flowing smoothly. So, you wake up to a normal day where you can shower, cook, and head out to work without any hiccups. It's a win-win: residents are content with no disruptions, and property managers are relieved, knowing everything's running as it should.
Now, let's jump into the design and the features of the app —
SCENARIO 1: Outdoor Issue
Outdoor issues can be monitored via a camera accessible through the app, allowing property managers to immediately assign maintenance staff to address the problem directly through the app.
SCENARIO 2: In-Unit Issue
For in-unit issues, cameras won't be used. Instead, the 'Request Resident Permission' feature will directly contact the resident to seek approval for entering the unit to fix the problem.
The app empowers residents to report any issues they spot, whether inside their home or outdoors. It offers guidance on how to perform a self-diagnostic check, providing residents with the tools to understand and possibly remedy the problem on their own.
However, if the issue proves too complex or persists despite their efforts, the app facilitates an easy process for residents to escalate the matter. They can swiftly report the problem, ensuring that the maintenance team is alerted and can step in to address it effectively.
To make SHIELD+ better, we tested it carefully with a mix of methods -Wizard of OZ and Think Aloud - that helped us understand how it works in real life. The feedback we got was really helpful. Property managers liked the idea of being able to watch over many buildings with our sensors, but they were a bit worried about how complicated and costly it might get. Some found the main control screen too crowded with information, making it hard to quickly figure out what to do in a hurry.
On the bright side, everyone loved how easy and fast it was to send alerts to staff through the app, showing that it's pretty user-friendly when it comes to important messages. They also asked if SHIELD+ can grow with their business, showing they're really thinking about using it for a long time.
Shield+ made personal safety more efficient and accessible by offering real-time alerts and user-friendly incident reporting.
