CASE STUDY: Bridging the Field-to-Office Gap

Optimizing Mobile Workflows to Drive 27% Faster Field Documentation

The Challenge: Field users were bypassing formal documentation because our mobile forms were generic and disconnected from the broader project lifecycle. This led to "data leakage"—critical project changes were being captured in unofficial notes or lost entirely.

The Solution: I led a field-centered redesign of the SmartUse/STACK Build & Operate mobile experience, introducing custom form builders, intelligent auto-fill, and a direct integration path from "Field Observation" to "Office Change Order."

The Impact: We achieved a 27% reduction in time spent on forms, while simultaneously increasing the volume of official RFI and safety documentation captured on-site.

Team

Design Manager

2 Designers

2 Product Managers

11 Engineers

My Role

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Design

Usability Testing

Dev Handoff

Timeline

5 Months

Boots on the Ground Audit

To understand why users were "hacking" their workflow with unofficial notes, I conducted on-site research with several large contractors in Quebec.

The Insight: Users weren't being "lazy"—they were being efficient. In a high-speed construction environment, a generic form that requires 10 minutes of manual entry is a failure.
The "Workaround" Culture: I observed users taking photos of hand-written notes or using messaging apps to communicate critical changes, creating a massive liability and data silo for the enterprise.

The Strategy: Contextual Data & Customization

I pivoted the roadmap to focus on Contextual Intelligence. We didn't just need better forms; we needed smarter forms.

1. The Custom Form Builder Every job site is different. I oversaw the UX for a flexible form builder that allowed companies to digitize their specific RFI and safety sheet templates. This ensured that the app spoke the user's language, not ours.

2. Reducing Friction via Auto-Fill & Navigation By leveraging existing project metadata (Project ID, Location, User Role, Weather Data), we were able to auto-populate 40% of form fields.

The UX Win: A user starting a Safety Sheet in the rain shouldn't have to type "Rain" or the date. We surfaced that data automatically, leaving them to focus only on the critical "Observation" fields.

3. Closing the Loop: Field-to-STACK Integration This was the strategic "North Star." I designed the workflow that allowed a field user to flag a form entry as a Potential Change Order.

The Value: This "flag" pushed the data directly into the STACK estimating environment, allowing the office team to immediately begin calculating costs for an alternate or change order.

Managing the Implementation

User Advocacy: I acted as the bridge between the Quebec-based field teams and our central development squads, ensuring that "Mobile-First" meant "Gloves-on-Site-First."
System Interoperability: Coordinated with the STACK product teams to define the data schema, ensuring that a "Note" in the field could seamlessly become a "Line Item" in an estimate.

The Results (By the Numbers)

27% Faster Documentation: Significant reduction in the "Time-to-Completion" for site forms.
Increased Compliance: With less friction, we saw a 62% increase in the total number of safety sheets and RFIs filed through official channels.
Reduced Financial Leakage: By tying field notes directly to Change Orders in STACK, we helped contractors capture revenue that was previously lost to "informal" communication.

Reflection: UX as a Connectivity Layer

This project demonstrated that the best mobile UX isn't just about shorter menus or more options —it’s about interoperability. By spending time on-site, I realized that the true "user" wasn't just the person holding the iPad; it was the entire project ecosystem, and that the single source of truth was as important as every for construction workflows.