to streamline collaboration
Managing communication with external installation partners was inefficient, fragmented, and difficult to scale. Project managers lacked a centralized tool to assign tasks, track progress, and ensure quality across multiple partners and locations.
The goal was to develop a dedicated Installer Portal that streamlines communication, task management, and quality control - improving project efficiency, collaboration, and overall customer satisfaction.
User research (contextual Inquiry technique)
Market research
Personas
Map of the app structure
User Testing
High-Fidelity clickable Prototype
Handover for Developer and Validation
The Installer Portal delivered measurable improvements across key areas of project execution and partner collaboration:
25% time saved through streamlined quality control
40% boost in project efficiency and profitability
50% better communication and collaboration between project managers and installation partners
These outcomes contributed to faster project delivery, better partner accountability, and increased customer satisfaction.
Process
We conducted user research using the Contextual Inquiry technique. This means visiting our installer partners on a working day and observing them through a complex work process.
User research findings:
Missing of information in one place about the client, roof photos from client, and available in-stock materials for installation
It was not possible to make an appointment with the customer, only through the manager.
There was no way to understand how far away customers were from each other in order to optimise driving time.
It was not possible to see all installations and understand the status of them
We also studied competitor apps and ready solutions to gather insights
Main finding after Competition analysis:
There are some ready web solutions for installer portal but they have a lot of unuseful features and very complex integration with HubSpot.
UI of the ready solutions was bad and not intuitiv to use
We have two different target groups for the Installer Portal: external installation partners and Hallo Sonne project managers.
After identifying the personas using our Installer Portal, I created a sitemap that structurally organized the content and features of the portal. Two separate sitemaps were needed, as some features differed between installer partners and project managers.
For the final UI, we leveraged Google’s Material UI library. This allowed for faster design and development and ensured visual consistency across components.
Once the prototype was in place, we conducted user testing sessions with our target group to validate core user flows and uncover usability issues.
🧠 Key Findings:
Unfamiliar Terminology: Some technical terms caused confusion among users unfamiliar with industry jargon. We addressed this by simplifying language and adding tooltips where needed.
Information Overload: The interface initially presented too much information at once, which overwhelmed some users. We introduced clearer hierarchy and progressive disclosure to improve focus and reduce cognitive load.
Task Friction: Users struggled with uploading documents. We refined the upload flow to be more intuitive and added visual guidance to support task completion.
📊 Overview table of all installations, with options to filter and sort items.
⚙️ Automatic assignment of installations to available installers.
📅 Installer scheduling. Installers can schedule customer appointments, assign teams, and adjust schedules directly in the platform.
📷 Documentation & reporting. Installers can view customer images, download required documents, and upload photo reports after installation.