If it’s broke, fix it
Enhancing the streetlight outage and restoration process with a customer-friendly web-based solution
Category
Utilities
Role
UI Designer
Client
Consumers Energy
Year
2022
Introduction
The Streetlight Outage and Restoration (SOAR) project resulted in a truly dramatic shift for the client. It was the first time they practiced user-first design and the change was evident in how rapidly the tool was adopted by the public and municipalities.
The client is a Michigan-based utility service that manages about 200,000 streetlights across the state. I joined the project for phase two, shortly after the initial launch. As the lead designer, I was to work on designing new features based on the backlog and user feedback. I started off by revisiting the competitive analysis and making note of opportunities where we could improve the web-based app for both service workers and consumers.
The Work
The features in the backlog included:
Check outage status – The ability to check the status of a previously reported issue
Add a photo – The ability to attach a photo to a report in order to provide a clearer picture of the issue and/or the location of the light
Drop a pin – The ability to drop a pin on the map to report a missing streetlight
Extended repair status – A new status to be displayed for streetlights that need an extended amount time to repair
Check outage status
The public can check on streetlights that they've reported without having to call the municipality, and the municipality can check without having to call the service provider.
Add a photo
A means to upload a picture of the streetlight coupled with GPS coordinates and nearest cross streets greatly improved the accuracy with which the field workers could identify a light in the real world. Given that each truck roll is approximately $500, reducing them and preventing duplications was a big win.
Drop a pin, extended repair status, and map layers
As the streetlight GIS data is ever-improving, if a streetlight isn’t found on the map, the user can “drop a pin” to report a missing light.
Initially, the map only had two status – Not Reported and Reported/In Progress. The "Extended Repair" status was added for lights that would take a longer time to repair. Visually representing the status of streetlights on the map as well as providing search functionality and email notifications, gave a much better experience and transparency into a streetlights repair status.
Another feature we were able to add in was the different map layers, such as satellite view.
Onboarding instructions
After conducting some guerilla-style usability testing on the existing site and the new prototype, I also decided to add onboarding instructions/an introductory tour for first-time users. This addition was extremely well-received, both by the client and the users.
The Impact
By providing an easy and accurate way to report streetlight outages, communities have a stronger sense of security. Below are some of the metrics we were tracking.
By the numbers (from May 24 (v1.0 release) – December 1):
~200,000 Streetlights
14,155 Outages were reported
91% resolved
9% open
Web Originated: 10,575 or 75% (vs 60% pre-launch)
Call Center Originated: 3,580 or 25% (vs 40% pre-launch)
“I want to commend your company for the development of this reporting tool. It’s easy-to-use, convenient, and the feedback loop is tremendous. Great improvement to customer service. Congratulations to the team who developed it.”
- Holland Charter Township
Service workers, municipalities, customer service representatives and customers all agree the new platform is a great improvement.