Case Study

A Platform Solution for Manufacturing

Re-engineering connectivity for manufacturing employees.

A flatlay with a laptop and a smartphone. On the laptop screen is a display of the Viu platform, and on the phone screen is a display of the Viu platform.
A flatlay with a laptop and a smartphone. On the laptop screen is a display of the Viu platform, and on the phone screen is a display of the Viu platform.

Viu Insights, an industrial data company focused on maintenance in factory settings, asked Orium to research and define a digital platform that could drive greater employee efficiency and improve the competitiveness of their offerings to customers.

 

  • Design research & persona development
  • User testing & analysis
  • Interface & user experience design.
  • Native and hybrid mobile applications
  • Early product validation
  • AI and automation opportunity assesment
  • Prototyping and new product launch strategy
Screenshot of the Viu app. The display shows the full schedule and jobs assigned to the user.
Screenshot of the Viu app. The display shows the full schedule and jobs assigned to the user.
The Challenge
Viu Insights provides digital solutions for technical cleaning and maintenance services to some of the world’s most iconic brands and largest manufacturers. Viu engaged Orium to understand how experience design and technology could support an enhanced digital employee experience that would drive safety improvements, efficiency upgrades, and lowered costs.
A series of images including two workers in an automobile factory, two workers in a distribution warehouse, and two workers at a computer in a warehouse facility.
A series of images including two workers in an automobile factory, two workers in a distribution warehouse, and two workers at a computer in a warehouse facility.

To really revolutionize the service delivery framework in place we needed to combine an innovative architecture with clean experience design. Orium was a great fit in both of these areas.

Ivan Maldonado, Viu Insights

With a wide array of enterprise customers, Viu needed to feel confident that any digital solution they created could integrate with a variety of software systems quickly and easily. Understanding the unique circumstances and where true value could be found would be critical to recommending digital changes that could improve processes and optimize their offerings.

People in meetings and looking at boards.
People in meetings and looking at boards.
The Strategy

To grapple with the inherent complexities of a manufacturing setting, the Orium team conducted comprehensive research, including 4 separate onsite observational sessions at automotive plants to understand how manufacturing employees interact with and incorporate digital tools in their day-to-day operations and workflows. We also conducted interviews with Viu staff, allowing us to create a full picture of the circumstances that could and would be impacted by any platform-level digital changes.

Alongside our research, we conducted a technical analysis that included the understanding of non-functional requirements as well as system and environmental constraints, all of which informed our recommendations. Based on a holistic understanding of the ecosystem itself, we recommended a reference architecture for the eventual build of web and mobile products to support the platform solution, factoring in considerations around where it would be easier or more difficult to integrate with Viu’s specific circumstances.

Map of Viu's application.
Map of Viu's application.

Improving workflow visualizations so managers have better insight into staffing and job processes.

The Solution
Orium defined a platform solution and accompanying strategy that would help Viu modernize their offering and create real business impact for their clients. The total platform solution would connect employees to an app, enabling them to receive work orders and instructions, mark completions, and much more. System managers would be able to track inventory or perform tasks associated with workforce management while the whole platform would integrate with Viu’s various manufacturing clients’ workforce software.
Screenshots of the Viu mobile application with a display showing the daily jobs and audits for the user.
Screenshots of the Viu mobile application with a display showing the daily jobs and audits for the user.

The on-the-ground insights gained from observation—noisy manufacturing lines, no free-hands, limited to no cellular range on factory floors, and other situational challenges—changed the parameters of what could be possible in a platform-ready recommendation, so we also developed a mixed reality proof-of-concept as part of the solution.

An end-to-end employee journey with multiple touchpoints, the recommendation was for a suite of tools used by people on the floor, in the offices, and beyond: fully integrated with broader systems for improved business operations that would allow for optimization of everything from inventory management to staff scheduling.

We equipped Viu with insights on what a whole platform solution would be and how they could execute effective, successful rollout plans.

Erik von Stackelberg, Chief Design Officer, Orium
Screenshot of the Viu app on an iPad. The display shows the full schedule and jobs assigned to the user.
Screenshot of the Viu app on an iPad. The display shows the full schedule and jobs assigned to the user.
Outcome & Next Steps
A true digital transformation is an ambitious undertaking and the complexity Viu faced, with multiple client system integrations and implementation concerns around noise and safety hazards, meant they were facing a particularly challenging effort. Through extensive research and technical discovery, Orium was able to de-risk a proposed solution for Viu. Focusing on the areas where their investment would have the greatest impact, Viu was able to determine where and how they could successfully implement digital change for a platform-level impact.
Person using the app on their phone.
Person using the app on their phone.

It was amazing to see how Orium was able to understand the business and, more importantly, the people needs in regard to the solution. Their deep understanding of our needs, and assessment of the magnitude of the project, prepared us to evaluate the business case of our project.

Ivan Maldonado, Viu Insights