Simplifying Field Service Workflows From Both Sides
Designed for service teams — streamline job tracking, time entry, and task management between engineers and requesters.
Quick Snapshot
Here’s the project in a nutshell: what we aimed for, how we got there, and what came out of it — all at a glance
Client :
Goal :
Design a seamless, user-friendly Progressive Web App (PWA) to replace the outdated legacy system—streamlining workflows and cutting duplicated effort for engineers on the field.
Project Type :
A legacy system redesign focused on creating a streamlined Progressive Web App (PWA) to enhance field engineers’ workflows and usability.
Legacy system stretched over 8 years, split across web and mobile apps
Two separate dev teams, outdated UX, and broken workflows causing confusion
What Users Were Dealing With
Engineers juggling double work—manual paper reports plus Excel time tracking
Frustration and inefficiency slowing down daily tasks on the field
How I Tackled It
Applied lean UX to prioritize key pain points from backlog grooming
Gained field access to engineers for hands-on research and feedback sessions
Ran paper prototypes and A/B tests that won strong positive feedback: "I can see myself using this every day."
Where It Ended Up
Despite solid validation and enthusiasm, project got shelved by higher management
A stark reminder that great design sometimes faces bigger organizational hurdles
Curious how it all came together? Let’s break it down step by step.
1. Under the Hood - A Look at the Mission
Before the redesign, service engineers were still filling paperwork for their service as the legacy tools is clunky and do not fit their workflow. This project set out to change that.
Where It All Started
Engineers were stuck juggling paper forms, Excel sheets, and a legacy system that hadn’t evolved in 8 years. This project set out to replace it with a unified Progressive Web App — simplifying job tracking, time entry, and reporting for field teams.
Working in 1-week Agile sprints, I led the end-to-end UX process — from identifying pain points to designing new workflows that matched how engineers actually work on the ground.
Duration :
1+ year
Platform :
Desktop web application | Mobile Application
Process :
Agile (1-week sprint)
Team :
UX/Product Designer (me) | Developers | PM
2. Behind the Backlog
After 8 years of patchwork updates and growing technical debt, the legacy platform had become a daily frustration for engineers in the field. Outdated interfaces, redundant data entry, and disconnected systems slowed everything down — from job tracking to report approvals.
To keep up with the demands of modern field service, a complete overhaul wasn’t just overdue — it was essential.
Project Objectives
Modernize the platform
Replace the outdated legacy system with a sleek, unified Progressive Web App.
Streamline field workflows
Simplify key actions like task tracking, time entry, and service reporting.
Reduce duplicate effort
Eliminate the need to re-enter data across hardcopy forms, Excel sheets, and digital tools.
Enhance usability
Deliver a clean, intuitive UI tailored to real-life field conditions.
Enable mobile-first access
Build for flexibility and future scalability by removing dependency on a separate mobile app.
3. The Pitch That Sparked It
Before sprint planning began, I crafted a quick-fire proposal to kickstart alignment and get buy-in for the redesign — all while juggling backlog grooming and workflow fixes of the existing app. With limited user access, I worked lean, drafting ideas from legacy pain point (through personal experience), and known feature gaps.
These low-fidelity concepts weren't just wireframes — they sparked conversations and helped the team envision what a better, modern experience could be.
Legacy Product
What looked fine in wireframe didn't translate well in the browser. On smaller screens, poor space optimization meant users could only see one ticket at a time — making it difficult to view important job details quickly. This issue was especially frustrating for field engineers using the app on compact devices.
The time tracker, tucked inside each ticket, behaved differently on mobile and desktop, timer can only be used within the mobile app. Also, it expected users to "start and forget" while on the job — and that's exactly what happened. The longest forgotten timer? A whooping 72 hours, highlighting how impractical the feature was in real-world use.
Early Low Fidelity
Drawing from my own hands-on experience during backlog grooming, I identified key pain points in the legacy app and used them as the foundations for wireframes that I pitched to management.
Reiterations
Following an initial design review, management prioritized the ticket list as the first key feature to tackle. With that direction, I shifted gears to explore different layout approaches that could better organize and surface ticket information — aiming to improve clarity and usability beyond the limitations of the legacy platform.
The Final Proposed Idea - A Smarter, Smoother Upgrade
The final proposal focused on modernizing the existing application by addressing long-standing usability issues while aligning with the company's plan to transition to a Progressive Web App (PWA).
Core Focus Areas:
UX Overhaul, Not Reinvention
Redesigned key workflows within the current structure to make navigation and interaction more intuitive without disrupting existing user habits.
Simplified Task & Time Management
Proposed a cleaner task tracker and time entry system to reduce manual input and eliminate redundancy.
Smarter Reporting
Reworked the service summary report to make editing, reviewing, and submitting less tedious and more transparent.
Clearer Visual Hierarchy
Improved layout clarity using modular components and more meaningful groupings of information.
Foundation of PWA
Ensured the design was scalable and responsive, setting the stage for a smoother transition to a PWA in the future.
The client responded positively to the proposed design and approved it quickly. With their support, we moved on to user interviews to validate our ideas and refine the design further.
4. Cracking Open the Legacy - Discovery & Research
With an 8-year old legacy system in place, my first challenge was understanding the maze that users had been navigating for years. Early access to engineers was limited — most were out in the field — so I had to get creative with how I gathered insights.
Despite the barriers, I leaned into lean UX methods to map out early assumptions, conducting backlog reviews, and spot pain points through my own usage. Once I finally got face time with users, the real stories came to light.
What I Discovered
Double Work, Every Day
Engineers were handwriting service reports, then re-entering the same info into the system — creating frustration and waste time.
Disconnected Workflows
Time entry was done in separate Excel sheets, creating friction and a lack of visibility across the system.
Mobile Pain Points
The existing mobile experience felt clunky and inconsistent with the web version, slowing engineers down in the field.
"It's Just the Way It Is
Users had been stuck in the same workflows for so long that frustrations became normalized — until new ideas sparked visible excitement.
Methods Used
Personal walkthroughs of the system during backlog grooming
lean UX exploration based on assumptions and legacy audit
Feedback sessions and A/B testing with engineers once access was granted
Paper testing to simulate interactions and gather reactions on the spot
Redesigned user flows within the application.
5. Key Features - Tailored for Two, Built as One
Designing for both Service Engineers and Requesters, we crafted a unified experience with shared components and purpose-built flows. Engineers were the initial priority, with requester flows refined afterwards using reusable patterns to maintain consistency and speed up design delivery.
Service Engineer Experience
Ticket List
A clean filterable dashboard to view, manage, and track all assigned service requests in one glace.
Task Tracker
Engineers can log job activities in real time — inputting task details and running a timer to capture active work durations.
Time Entry
Daily hours tracked by task and client, replacing scattered Excel logs and improving reporting accuracy.
Summary Report
Post-job reporting made simple — add remarks, review time, and submit for requester approval directly within the app.
Service Requester Experience
Request Overview
A streamlined view of submitted requests, job updates, and engineer reports for easy follow-ups and accountability.
Approval Made Easy
Requesters can quickly review engineer-submitted reports and approve them in just a few taps, cutting back-and-forth delays.
This dual-flow approach gave both user groups what they needed — without reinventing the wheel twice.
7. Challenges & Constraints - Designing in the Real World
Even great ideas need to survive real-world limitations. These were the biggest hurdles that shaped the design process:
Legacy Complexity
The platform had over 8 years of baked-in UX issues, with outdated flows and inconsistent patterns. Improving the experience meant carefully reworking entrenched system without disrupting existing processes.
Dual Platforms, Disconnected Devs
Separate teams were managing the web and mobile apps, each with their own development priorities — making it hard to implement a unified, future-ready design direction.
Limited Access to Field Engineers
Our core users — service engineers — were usually out on fieldwork, making user interviews and validation session difficult to schedule, especially in the early stages.
Tight 1-Week Sprints
Working within fast-paced agile cycles meant UX decisions had to be made quickly and often with incomplete context. This left little time for iterations or deep testing before handoff.
Evolving Scope & Priorities
The business environment was in flux. Mid-sprint changes, unexpected scope additions, and shifting focus from the dashboard to other modules meant design priorities kept moving.
The Design System Dilemma
When alignment came too late — and nearly derailed everything
Midway through the project — just as the service engineer interface was nearing completion — we hit an unexpected roadblock: I was informed by the PM that the application must confirm to Siemens' centralized design system. This requirement hadn't been communicated earlier, not even to the PM.
This introduced several key challenges:
Late-stage pivot
The entire UI had been built around a custom design system I created, tailored for usability in the field. Suddenly, that work had to be restructured to meet corporate standards.
Component limitations
The official Siemens design system lacked key components and flexibility needed for our use case. Proposing new components required global approval from the central design team in Germany — often a process that could take weeks (time we didn't have).
Hybrid workaround
To move forward, we adopted a hybrid approach — retaining Siemens' color and typography but modifying components locally to match functional needs. While this allowed us to push ahead, it meant rework for both design and development teams, slowing down overall progress.
This chaos was frustrating, but it highlighted a crucial lesson: early alignment on technical and governance constraints is just as important as understanding user needs.
9. Key Takeways
What I walked away with (besides better design instincts)
Clarity needs champions
Even in Agile, misalignment can sneak in. Early clarity on tech constraints, approval flows, and design governance would have saved us from massive rework.
Design systems are powerful — until they aren't
System bring consistency, but when they can't flex to fit user needs, they become a blocker. I learned to balance structure with practicality by building hybrid solutions.
User research is never "done"
Limited access to engineers early on meant leaning on assumptions — but once I got direct feedback, priorities shifted. Continuous validation made the design stronger.
Progress isn't always visible
The app may have been pulled, but in the short window, engineers confirmed it made their work easier — and that's a win in my book.
Adaptability is more valuable than perfection
From workflow pivots to design system overhauls, I learned to move forward through chaos — and still deliver quality UX under pressure.
