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B2B Complex system

FLIR Systems is the world's largest commercial company specializing in the design and production of thermal imaging cameras, components, and imaging sensors.

Flir debuted Saros, a new line of security cameras with multiple features such as capturing video in complete darkness, bright sunlight, and through smoke, dust, or light fog, visible light camera and thermal camera, and more.

The clients of these cameras were big companies with widespread facilities.

The product I designed for Flir is a complex cameras management system that includes different profiles, different platforms, a long list of technical features. 

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The project

Goal

Designing a security cameras management system that includes several interfeces, users, and devices. 

My role​

  • Product research

  • Product concept

  • UX design 

  • Working directly with the client

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B2B2B product

 

Flir provides a holistic cloud based security camera system (CMS) that includs visible and thermal infrared cameras, radars, and more.

 

How it works

  • Flir sells its devices and services to big security companies.

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  • The security companies provide their services to different clients, such as private prisons, shopping malls networks, and other sensitive facilities. That includes managing and monitoring the cameras through Flir's cloud web, and respond to any event.

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  • The security companies are responsible to install and maintain Flir’s equipment in their client’s facilities. 

 
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Users needs

All the stakeholders in this B2B2B flow need different services from the Flirs cloud.​

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Flir's salesperson needs an interface to opens and manages his clients' accounts.

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Security company needs an interface to:

  • Managing different clients.

  • Manages cameras and other devices in different sites

  • Installing cameras in different sites

  • Monitoring live cameras

 
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The end-client needs to be alerted in case of emergency.

 

Project scope

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CMS Cloud web

Desktop web app

Managing accounts, users, sites, and cameras. 

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Camera web

Desktop web app

Managing camera with a direct connection

(mostly relevant for the installer).

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Installer app​

Mobile app

 Onboarding a new camera to the cloud (relevant for the installer) 

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Alert app​

Mobile app

Alerting the managers of the end-client if an alarm went off

Challenges

There were many challenges in this complex project, from technical issues that were aroused by the Dev team to unexpected changes of the scope.

I decided to present two challenges that dealt with fundamental processes of the product.   

Challenge: camera management system (CMS)

 

The CMS is a complex system:

  • Devices - the system supports many devices: different types of thermal and/or visible cameras, radars, PTZ and more. Each device has different features and settings.

  • Users - there are many different personas, each with different permissions.

  • Every device connected to the cloud is allocated to a specific account and site, and managed by specific users. 

 

The challenge is designing a modular system with a flexible interface that can be adjusted to different permissions and devices, with the least development effort as possible.

Features groups

Each device has its own features. For example, one camera has a thermal sensor whereas the other has both thermal and visible sensors, and the radar has a completely different set of sensors. 

 

In order to design an interface that will serve all devices' requirements, and simplify permission management, I divided the features into groups.

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  • Flir admin - manage Flir's clients' account (e.g. creates new accounts, edits accounts)

  • Site admin - manage sites and devices (e.g adding devices to sites, give permissions to other users). 

  • System setting - edit device system settings (e.g. IP address, date and time, alarm).

  • View settings - edit device view settings (e.g. switch the view between visible and thermal, brightness, zoom in/out).

  • Installer - onboarding a new device - initial settings and connecting to the cloud.

 

Personas 

I defined the system personas and their permissions.

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Solution: Modular design​

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Solution: simple and clear hierarchy

The accounts, end-clients, sites and devices are presented in a simple hierarchy.

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Challenges: Installer app

The user is the installer that comes to physically install the cameras in the site.

This is the installtion happy flow:

 

Connecting to the camera

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The installer connects the app to the camera via bluetooth. He needs to find the relevant camera from the list of camras avaiable in the site. 

Connecting the camera to the internet​

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The installer inserts the network settings and connects the camera to the internet.

Register the camera to Flir's cloud

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Login to the cloud, register the camera to the

client's account.     

Calibrate the camera

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The installer is required to walk 50 meters in front of the camea to calibrate its depth perception. 

Camera lockdown

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After the user completes the installation process he activate a camera lockdown to prevent access to the canera. There are 2 types of lockdown:​

  • ​Bluetooth - blocks the option to connect to the camera via BT.

  • Complete - the only way to connect to the camera is from the cloud.

Challenge 1: No internet connection in the site

Often enough, the installer arrives in a new site when the internet connected yet, and there is no mobile reception eather. In this case there is no way to connect the camera to the internet and register it to the client account.

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Solution: I worked with the dev team and we found a way arround it.

The installer could insert all the required information and enters a pending mode.

Once the installer leaves the site and reach an area with internte reception, a popup appears. By tapping the popup, the app will login to the cloud and send all the requied information to complete the registration process.  

Challenge 2: Identifing the camera

The installer arrives at the site with many cameras to install. As part of the installation process he needs to connect his phone to the camera via bluetooth.

The problem is that when the user searches for available devices he receives a list of cameras with the same name - how can he know to which camera he is connecting to?

The solution is simple but it required a long negotiation and many meetings to convince the developing team the the manager resposible on the hardware development to add a small camera that blinks when it is connected to a device via bluetooth.

It wasn't easy, but it was worth it to make much better user experience to the installer.    

 
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