Building Safer Construction Workflows: A Case Study with Raken
Raken is a Construction Technology startup with the goal to transform the way the world builds. Construction is an industry that has traditionally avoided the digital transformation, but small startups like Raken and large IPO's like Procore are proving that technology can massively improve profitability. The construction industry is a dynamic and challenging environment. Ensuring safety, compliance, and efficient communication between office workers and field personnel is crucial. In this case study, we’ll delve into how we transformed Raken’s construction processes by creating a suite of tools that streamlined workflows and enhanced safety.
The Challenge
Raken, a forward-thinking construction technology company, approached our team with a clear goal: to improve safety practices and streamline communication across their construction projects. Our mission was to create a cohesive system that would empower both office workers and field staff.
Raken has 4 established workflows: Daily Reporting, Production Tracking, Time Cards, and Toolbox Talks. Each of these are very popular with small-mid-sized businesses. But enterprise clients have very specific needs, and want our standard workflows to be replaced with custom ones. So the challenge we set ourselves was to create a custom experience that allows enterprise project managers to get the data they want, without complicating the user experience for the workers in the field.
The Solution:
1. Building a Form on Web
We conducted dozens of user interviews, we spoke with our sales and customer success teams, and we consulted our in-house experts. The results were obvious - we needed to overhaul our standard "survey" experience which only allows for a single survey per day. We needed to allow an admin to create an entire library of forms, each with their own set of questions, diverse response types, and custom insights.
We started by developing a web-based form builder tailored to the needs of office workers. This intuitive tool allowed them to create customized forms for various purposes, including:
Safety Inspections: Office workers could design forms specific to safety checks on construction sites. These forms covered everything from fall protection assessments to hazardous material handling.
Field Worker Training: Training sessions became more effective with custom forms. Office workers could create quizzes, evaluations, and feedback forms for field staff.
Site Inspections: Regular site inspections were simplified. Forms included checklists for equipment maintenance, structural integrity, and compliance with regulations.
Submission Alerts: Office workers received instant notifications when field workers submitted completed forms. This allowed for timely follow-ups and corrective actions.
2. Completing a form on Mobile
The completion flow was very straightforward. Every question and response needed to be placed in a single card view, which would also allow users to attach additional content (Notes like injuries, Photos, or documents).
To bridge the gap between the office and the field, we developed the mobile forms feature exclusively for field workers.
Form Completion: Field workers could access the forms created by office staff directly on their mobile devices. They could fill out safety reports, incident logs, and training assessments seamlessly.
Offline Mode: Construction sites often lack stable internet connectivity. Our app allowed field workers to complete forms offline and sync the data once they were back online.
Reminder Notifications: The app pushed notifications at important times during the day to ensure the proper forms were being completed on time.
Reminder Emails: Field workers received reminders for pending forms, ensuring they stayed on top of safety protocols.
Outcome
Forms was released in Fall 2020, and was immediately adopted by our 15 largest clients as a fundamental need in their workflow. Over 200 forms were completed in the first 30 days post launch, most of which were safety-related or one-off needs for individual jobsites.
Our solution transformed Raken’s construction workflows:
Enhanced Safety: By standardizing safety procedures and facilitating communication, incidents decreased significantly.
Efficiency Gains: Field workers spent less time on paperwork and more time on actual construction tasks.
Real-Time Insights: Decision-makers had access to real-time data, enabling informed choices.
In conclusion, Raken exemplifies how thoughtful design can revolutionize an industry. By prioritizing safety, communication, and efficiency, we built a system that not only met Raken’s needs but also elevated the construction experience for everyone involved.
Remember, every form created, every alert triggered, and every safety measure taken contributes to a safer construction site.
Stay safe, build smart! 🏗️🔧