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Real Time Asset Monitoring Platform

Overview

A global energy company required a web-based B2B IoT application that ensures digital intelligence for energy assets. By securely collecting and transmitting sensor data, it enables operators and engineers to monitor, manage, and optimize transformers and other assets in real time. The platform empowers users with dashboards, diagnostics, alarms, analytics, and reporting tools to ensure reliability, reduce downtime, and optimize energy operations. The platform serves 4 distinct user types with very different needs and expertise levels:

 

User Types:

  • Grid Operators: Need instant alerts and real-time situational awareness

  • Maintenance Technicians: Need fault detection, diagnostics, and historical data

  • Operations Managers: Need strategic insights and fleet health overview

  • Grid Engineers: Need advanced analytics and detailed technical specification

Problem Statement

Energy operators and engineers lacked a centralized, intuitive system to monitor and manage assets deployed globally. Existing processes were siloed, with raw data difficult to interpret, leading to:

  • Delays in detecting performance issues or failures

  • Reactive (instead of proactive) maintenance

  • Time-consuming compliance reporting

  • Limited ability to simulate “what-if” scenarios for risk planning

Goals

  1. Provide operators a real-time overview of all assets across geographies.

  2. Create a single asset view for configuration, monitoring, diagnostics, and simulations.

  3. Enable alarm management workflows (acknowledge, act, resolve) to reduce downtime.

  4. Deliver analytics & reporting for smarter decision-making and compliance.

  5. Build an interface that simplifies complex IoT data into actionable insights.

Project Duration

130

Weeks

150+

App screens

Tools Used

Figma

XD

Miro

Google Form

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MS Teams

Discover

Define

Ideate

Design

Test

Test & Iterate

Test & Iterate

User Research

Empathy Map

User Flow

Wireframes

Feedbacks

User Interviews

User Personas

User Journey Maps

Information Architecture

Hi-Fi Designs

Prototype

Conclusion

Discover

The Challenge

To design an intuitive, role-based monitoring dashboard that

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  • Enables operators to respond to critical alerts in <10 seconds

  • Provides maintenance teams with predictive insights

  • Gives managers fleet-wide visibility at a glance

  • Offers engineers detailed technical data on demand

  • Scales to thousands of assets without performance issues

  • Improves user satisfaction and adoption rates

Quantitative Analysis

During the initial stages of the project, I collaborated with Product/Project Managers (PRMs) to gather insights into general user behavior and their thought process around the application and its core concepts. Since this is a B2B platform and I did not have direct access to end-users, I worked through PRMs who engaged with customers. Questionnaires were also shared with selected customers to capture their feedback on the product’s functionalities and overall expectations

Qualitative Analysis

For the qualitative analysis, I conducted discussions with Product/Project Managers (PRMs)/Domain expertto better understand recurring user pain points, usability challenges, and feature adoption issues. Since direct access to end-users was not possible due to the B2B nature of the product, I relied on PRMs and Domain experts who regularly interacted with customers and gathered their feedback. This helped me capture valuable insights about real-world challenges, unmet needs, and expectations from the platform.”​

Define

User Journey Mapping

I created a customer journey map based on user research to better understand the key pain points, challenges, behaviors, and overall journey users may have when making appointments. also, make a list of the opportunities

Power Sbbstation monitoring (1).png

User Flow

A user flow is a path taken by a typical user on an app or website so they can complete a task from start to finish, The goal is to map how users achieve a specific goal as they move through a product

Power substation monitoring application.png

Information Architecture

Information architecture organizes and defines the overall structure of the app or the site & it provides a high-level view of a product. The goal of IA is to arrange content so that users can quickly become familiar with the product's functionality and find whatever they need.

Information Architecture (imli) (2).png

Decision 1: Role-Based Dashboard

Problem

Different users need fundamentally different information.

One-size-fits-all approach doesn't work.

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Solution

Created 4 dashboard variants:

• Operator View: Alerts + status (minimal, focused)

• Maintenance View: Diagnostics + history (detailed, analytical)

• Manager View: KPIs + trends (overview, strategic)

• Engineer View: All data + analytics (comprehensive, technical

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Result

Each user sees only relevant information. Reduced cognitive load.

Higher adoption and satisfaction

Decision 2: Geospatial Visualization

Problem

Operators need to understand grid geography and identify

regional issues.

 

Solution

Integrated interactive map showing:

• All assets and their locations

• Color-coded by status (healthy, warning, critical)

• Clustering for large deployments

• Heat maps showing problem areas

 

Result

Faster situational awareness. Better geographic pattern

understanding. Intuitive for operators.

Decision 3: Alert Prioritization & Filtering

Problem

Operators overwhelmed by alerts (100+ per day).

 

Solution

Intelligent alert system with:

• Severity levels (critical, high, medium, low)

• Smart filtering (show only critical by default)

• Alert grouping (related alerts grouped)

• Acknowledgment workflow

 

Result

Critical alerts stand out. Operators focus on what matters.

Faster response times.

Decision 4: Customizable Dashboard

Problem

Different teams have different priorities.

 

Solution

Customizable widgets and views:

• Users can add/remove widgets

• Save custom dashboard layouts

• Share dashboards with team

• Role-based defaults (customizable)

 

Result

Each team optimizes for their workflow. Higher adoption.

Flexibility for changing needs.

Decision 5: Real-Time Data Updates

Problem

Data must be live, but updates can be jarring.

 

Solution

Smooth real-time updates:

• Data updates every 5-10 seconds

• Smooth animations (not jarring)

• Visual indicators of updates

• Historical data for context

 

Result

Users see latest information. Updates don't distract.

Confidence in data accuracy.

Design

Test

Usability Test

I evaluated how effectively Engineers, Owners, and Admins can navigate the platform, complete asset management tasks, and respond to alarms/alerts.

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Method:

  • Remote moderated usability testing (due to B2B enterprise context).

  • Conducted with proxy users (Product Managers, internal SMEs, PRMs) since direct end-users weren’t available.

  • Test sessions focused on critical workflows.

Assigned Tasks & Scenarios

1. Check Equipment Health

  • Task: Log in and view the health status of transformers in the dashboard.

  • Goal: Determine if users can quickly understand the overall system state.

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2. Respond to an Alarm

  • Task: A critical fault alert appears. Acknowledge it and check details.

  • Goal: Assess if users can effectively view alarm details and next steps.

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3. View Historical Analytics

  • Task: Explore the analytics section to check device uptime and fault trends.

  • Goal: Confirm that long-term insights are discoverable and useful for planning.

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4. Generate Compliance Report

  • Task: Export a monthly performance and maintenance report.

  • Goal: Test ease of finding reporting features and generating usable reports.

Findings

1. Strengths

  • Users appreciated the central dashboard and real-time view of multiple devices.

  • The alarm acknowledgment flow was straightforward and reduced response time.

  • Reporting and export functionality was highly valued for audits.

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2. Pain Points

  • Some users struggled to locate specific device data (navigation needed clearer IA).

  • Analytics graphs were too data-heavy; needed simplified visualisations.

  • Report customisation was limited — users wanted filtering by date/asset.

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3. Improvements Identified

  • Simplify Information Architecture (group alarms, devices, reports more clearly).

  • Add role-based views (Owner vs Engineer vs Admin).

  • Improve visual hierarchy in analytics (highlight KPIs, trends).

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