Plant Parameters
Teck Q3,2021 to Now • Web App • Critical Improvements
Role
- Sole designer; lead research, designed prototypes, and specs for development.
- Product shaping with Sayanti G. (product owner).
- Data collaboration with Philippe S. (data scientist).
Problems to solve
- Our metrics showed that control room operator’s trust and acceptance of parameter recommendations were not improving over time.
- Operators can be very busy and forget to use our app.
Solutions
- New research with lab technicians highlighted a critical data discrepancy that was causing hours of missing data. I collaborated with the data science team to correct this by aligning model triggers and runtimes with technician workflows.
- A new multi-channel notification system in the app, teams and email, that nudges operators towards using the app and removes ambiguities on system status.
Impact
- Yield uplift of 0.21% (or ~$600k per month revenue)
A diagram combining the lab technician’s sampling process with our data model and subsequent control room operator actions — used to highlight the problem to the team and improve our product
Future Directions
I am currently trying to expand the approach taken on this project to the whole domain with research we have conducted. It is beginning to highlight gaps in our knowledge and product/service models. In the near future, I hope this will help increase collaboration between designers, product owners, and domain leads when executing on high level product strategy.