In 2015, Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division proposed an ambitious project: create a new, fully integrated system designed to help public safety agencies everywhere become more agile and resilient. Four years later, that vision became a reality when we launched HxGN OnCall, the most comprehensive public safety product portfolio on the market.
With flexible, out-of-the-box capabilities spanning call-taking and dispatch, records, analytics, major event management, and mobility, HxGN OnCall allows public safety agencies to quickly adapt to changing demands. These capabilities are enhanced by a dynamic and intuitive user experience (UX) that delivers clear insight and streamlined workflows. The transformative UX is the backbone of the portfolio, and it’s also the mission of the Studio One team.
What is Studio One?
Studio One is our UX team. With 16 researchers and designers, the team encompasses a wide range of experiences, skills, and specialties. Our primary goal is to create effective and easy-to-use software for Safety & Infrastructure users. We achieve this goal in two ways. First, we serve as advocates for users when working closely with the product teams. Second, we bring users into the software development process, giving them a chance to impact the products they use each day.
UX & HxGN OnCall
When we first started discussing HxGN OnCall, it was clear UX needed to be at the forefront. We wanted to start from scratch, meaning the UX for HxGN OnCall was not designed with traditional systems in mind. Rather, we approached the new public safety portfolio with fresh eyes and new concepts that prioritized the user as opposed to product mechanics.
The design process was robust and exhaustive in scope. To help us fully understand the needs of our users, the Studio One team observed firsthand the intensity of dispatching calls and the pressures police, fire, and EMS responders face as they’re racing to the scene of an incident.
Throughout the design process, the Studio One team frequently met with end users to receive feedback on UI designs and workflows and conducted usability testing on the software. By launch date, the team had met with 372 call-takers, dispatchers, and mobile field responders around the world. These collective experiences provided an abundance of data points that we incorporated into every piece of the design of HxGN OnCall.
User Journey Maps for Deeper Insights
After observing users as they performed their jobs, we plotted data points into user journey maps. These maps helped us better understand the full picture of each person who would use HxGN OnCall and what they needed from us to make their jobs easier.
For example, we developed a user journey map for a hypothetical dispatcher named Marsha. By studying the day-to-day workflows of users like Marsha, we were able to observe the challenges she faced, including event and unit monitoring, special configuration needs, and inconsistent and unclear notifications. In our design, we wanted to take steps to mitigate these issues. What’s more, we also uncovered new workflows HxGN OnCall could support, such as report integration, improved communication, and training.
Next Steps
Ultimately, HxGN OnCall is the result of superior technology mixed with a heavy focus on user experience, making the new public safety portfolio truly designed with you in mind.
To discover what HxGN OnCall can do for your public safety agency, check out our website.
