Field Squared is a cloud-based Software-as-a-Solution (SaaS) platform that's flexible, scalable, and purpose-built to optimize the efficiency of the field service workforce. Focusing on business process automation; Field Squared enables enterprises to digitally transform, completely automate and streamline field service operations, from the frontline to back-office systems. It automates mobile workforce management for construction, oil and gas, utilities, healthcare, property management, and other industries. 

Industry challenge

The mobile workforce management market size was valued at U.S. $3.89 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach U.S. $10.46 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 13.16% from 2021 to 2028. With their high-performing web application for field technicians, they were perfectly positioned to take advantage of this trend. 

Most current offerings in the space require manual work distribution — people sitting in an actual office to coordinate with each other and field technicians, and inefficient monitoring via text, phone calls, etc. Companies, therefore, end up paying a heavy price (on the customer service front and $ value front) for not being able to move resources quickly enough and for inefficient time management. With the surge in BYOD, Field Squared’s customers had to evolve fast. 

Field Squared chose Zemoso to partner with them to ensure that they could take advantage of this opportunity, even faster. 

Client’s ask

Field Squared wanted us to help reimagine the user experience of their existing solution for mobile devices and bring in Zemoso’s validate — pivot — launch model to get to value quickly. The business goal was to help Field Squared expand use cases and improve usage. The immediate benefit was to enable this launch without taking eyes off other product innovation priorities for the internal product team, while expanding their ability to deliver more value. 

We assessed the existing architecture and provided a road map to ensure better performance, availability, and usage on mobile devices. The functional requirements included: 

Zemoso’s deliverables

We aligned using a customized Google Ventures design sprint process on the minimum feature set to validate the new design with existing users.

Zemoso’s engineering milestones

The minimum feature set needed to deliver on task management, asset management, asset tracking, inventory management, and communication features such as chat, audio, and video calling. 

The app also needed to work offline, and then easily sync with the cloud once the device regained internet connectivity. This involved - 

The app logs key events in the system like authentication, asset management activities, does accessibility audits to understand user experiences, and also crash logs. 

Approach and methodology

Zemoso used our proprietary variation of the Google Ventures Design Sprint to get stakeholder alignment and create the prototype. The prototype tested spectacularly for existing customers/users and adopter interest. We ensured continuous collaboration and ran the project on two-week sprints to ensure early-course-correction for micro pivots throughout the partnership. We evaluated the existing tech stack and design choices to distill the elements that'd be most crucial for the mobile experience. 

Our design solution

From a design standpoint, we focused on creating something intuitive, simple, and easily comprehensible. Various people with various degrees of app-usage expertise and across functions would be operating these applications. The entire experience should be easy to customize and navigate, with the ultimate goal of getting the job done in the field! 

Our engineering approach

In every two-week sprint, we built and delivered new features from scratch, and worked on enhancements as required. We integrated with Google Maps for real-time location monitoring. It assisted with routing and directions, providing 100% visibility into asset movement.  

Mobile version also included document annotation and image tagging to help technicians improve productivity. 

In partnership with ‌Field Squared’s leadership, we made interacting and using the forms easier on a mobile device. We included a configurable and customizable form engine to render forms and documents based on the requirements. We ensured that the forms could be filled offline, and once internet connectivity is restored, they'll automatically sync with the central cloud. 

The robust engine takes in a JSON schema and converts it into an interactive form that's built-in validation functionality, custom fields, etc. The user can edit the fields, add photos, sign, and submit. If the form is filled and submitted while offline, the request is stored in a specific queue that gets passed on to the server once the user regains internet connectivity. At this point, all the information gets passed on to the server and the changes are saved. 

Our entire tech stack included development, deployment, and testing using: React Native, TypeScript, Apollo GraphQL, Storybook, React Navigation, JSON schema form, NPM library, SonarCloud, Karate, Jest, Detox, TestFlight, and Realm Database. 

Outcomes

Field Squared is launching the re-imagined mobile experience for a better user experience and intends to use this solution for new customer wins.