Schindler Group
are a global leader in elevator and escalator manufacturing, transporting more than 1.5 billion of us up and down buildings and across transportation hubs every day.
Project:
Smart Elevator App Merge
The Brief
myPORT and ElevateMe are Schindler smart elevator apps that provide touchless, secure, and personalized building access. With these apps, users can call elevators, unlock doors, and navigate multi-use buildings directly from their smartphones.
The problem
Currently, Schindler smart elevators operate through two separate apps. Users must switch between myPORT and ElevateMe depending on the system installed in a particular building. This leads to confusion, delays, and a fragmented user experience. Ultimately this reduces the value of the smart elevator solution.
The aim
Unify myPORT and ElevateMe into a single mobile app that combines their key features and delivers a seamless, intuitive, and efficient user experience.
My role
To analyze the structural differences between the two apps, we conducted a comparative information architecture exercise and developed detailed user flows for core functionalities. This process allowed us to identify overlapping features suitable for integration. We also reviewed user any data and research provided by the client.
Immersion
User Personas
We defined user groups based on role-specific feature access, as each group interacts with a tailored version of the app. Our challenge was to map these variations while maintaining a consistent experience across dynamic user contexts. For example, a person might use the app as a guest in one building and as a tenant in another.
For Guests
Elevator Calls to floors available to the public. No account, no login.
For Tenants
Seamless Experience with full featured functionality dedicated access rights to restricted areas.
For Visitors
Digital, app-less Visitors Pass with temporary access rights to access the building and enjoying a Seamless Journey
User Journey
To adopt a user-centric perspective, we created a user journey map that outlined different user types across various building contexts. It highlighted their needs, key benefits, and interaction touchpoints. The journey provided a clear view of a tenant’s typical day, showing how they interact with elevators from leaving home, arriving at the office, and later entering a public space as a guest.
Intent: Go from floor 8 to 0
User Type: Tenant, Guest, Visitor
System Touch Point: Mobile App, Port Terminal, Access Card
User Need: No waiting time, secure access
Benefit: Elevator knows users routine, effortless journey
Ideation
We began with multiple card sorting exercises, followed by brainstorming and ideating various layout options for the app. After detailed evaluation and discussion, we selected three concepts to move forward into the wireframing stage.
Version 1: App with no home screen
Version 2: App with a dynamic smart home screen
Version 3: App with a static home screen
We're competing with the simplicity of pressing a physical elevator button
That’s tough competition !
Deliverables
The brief called for addressing the problem of users switching between two separate elevator apps. We presented three variations of a merged app that provided seamless journeys for users across key contexts, along with well-supported recommendations on which prototype best met the goal of enhancing the user experience.
Managing shifting scopes due to varying stakeholder priorities proved challenging. These changes made it harder to track progress. Staying focused on the big picture and supporting design decisions with data was key to keeping the project aligned.
Another area for improvement was our team’s immersion into the project context. Even several weeks in, we sometimes felt like we were still familiarizing ourselves with the domain and user needs. Deeper early-stage immersion could have accelerated our understanding, improving the flow of work and decision-making throughout the project.