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UPM/Metsä - Factory Shutdown Planner

I designed one of the most significant exploratory and UX design done for digitalization of factory shutdown and turnaround planning tool . The client group's core businesses are pulp wood trade and forestry services. I tried to explain the process in the post 

About

  • Project: UPM/Metsä UX Design

  • Client: Houston Consulting Oy

  • Role: Senior UX Designer

  • Tools Used: Figma, Miro, Trello, Google Analytics

  • Skills Applied: User-Centered Design, Usability Testing, Data Visualization, UX Strategy, Mobile and Web Design, Design System Implementation

Problem

The Company currently utilizes paper, and external tools to manage their factory shutdown and turnaround plans, causing integration issue with external resources and vendors. ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) safety are to be integrated into the design.

Empathize

Rationale for the chosen methodology

I chose this methodology for designing the Factory Shutdown Planner, as it is grounded in principles of user-centered design (UCD) and systematic service design, ensuring a balance between efficiency, usability, and stakeholder alignment.

 

  • User-Centered approach

    • The planner has to be intuitive and align with real-world processes.

    • Methods - User interviews, Observational studies

  • Service mapping

    • It simplifies the complex shutdown process, allowing for better resource allocation and clearer responsibilities across roles

    • Method - Service Mapping, blueprint workshop

  • Data-driven design

    • Refine their shutdown processes, increasing efficiency over time.

    • Past Post-shutdown reporting and analytics

  • Cross-functional co-creation

    • Cross-functional alignment reduces silos, ensuring efficient handoffs and accountability

    • Collaboration tools, workshops

  • Real-time feedback and Iteration

    • reduce the risk of errors or delays, crucial for minimizing operational downtime

  • Provide actionable insights to stakeholders.​

Agreed research direction

  • How the client manages the flow now.

  • Who are the stake holders, What are the systems they use now?

  • What are their expectation from the new design? Wants and needs.

  • Essential features to be integrated to the system. Use cases.

  • Current flow and future flow validation with users. Technical feasibility

  • Competitor review, industry standard/best practices and design considerationss

Agreed Project goals

  • 1.Define the scope

  • 2. Map the current flow

  • 3. Create a serive mapping and user roles interaction

  • 4. Ideateion for solution

  • 5. Initial UI and client design briefing

Competitor Analysis 

I did competitor study for this project to understand market trends and standards, assess strengths and weaknesses, enhance user experience, monitor market competition, improve customer retention and make  strategic decisions for the management.

rc24-p6-cpm-schedule.avif
Displaying-Task-Path-In-Microsoft-Project-Fig-1.jpg

Competitor review - primavera-p6, Microsoft projects 

Agreed research direction

  • Comprehensive Project Management Features

  • Resource Management

  • Multi-User Collaboration

  • Integration Capabilities

  • Powerful Visualization Tools

  • Global Standards Compliance

Agreed Project goals

  • Complex system

  • High Cost per user

  • Performance issues

  • Limited flexibility with other agile projects

  • Usability chalenges

  • Dependency on IT support

Define

User Interview

Interviewed core users and visited the factory floor to uncover key pain points, motivations, and goals. Map the current flow. 

 

User interviews highlighted a strong need for a centralized, user-friendly platform that simplifies coordination, enhances communication, compliance issues, safety, and sustainability, and provides real-time visibility across all phases of the shutdown process. Incorporating these insights will ensure the Factory Shutdown Planner addresses user pain points effectively and becomes an indispensable tool for stakeholders.

Mindmap.png

Define phase - Brainstorming method

Through sevice mapping, I visualize the relationship between different service components—people, processes, and technology—and identify how they interact across the user journey.

Futureflow.png

Defining phase - Service Map

Ideate

Based on the user interview outcomes and the key challenges identified, the ideation process focuses on brainstorming solutions to address the pain points of various stakeholders while enhancing the overall efficiency and usability of the tool.

Wireframe_usecases.png

Ideation - Brainstorming method

Here is an initial prototype design for the Factory Shutdown Planner application. It highlights a clean, user-friendly interface with essential features like a dynamic Gantt chart, resource allocation, and task tracking tools. And reviewed with the client

prototypes.png

Ideation - Paper prototype

Prototype

Low-fidelity prototype

Prototyped preliminary version of a product, allowing designers, developers, and stakeholders to explore and validate design concepts before full-scale development. Prototyping is a critical step in the UX design process because it bridges the gap between a concept and its final execution, ensuring that the end product meets user needs and expectations.

 

  • Presented mid-fidelity wireframes and a refined interactive prototype.

  • Iterative Refinements where made.

  • Stakeholders approved after initial adjustments.

test1 1.png
wireframe_test 1.png
img543 1.png

Prototyping - Low-fed prototype

Iteration

Design

Prototyped preliminary version of a product, allowing designers, developers, and stakeholders to explore and validate design concepts before full-scale development. Prototyping is a critical step in the UX design process because it bridges the gap between a concept and its final execution, ensuring that the end product meets user needs and expectations.

​

I created wireframes based on use case definitions and supported the double-diamond design process. I collaborated with the dev team through UI reviews, refining user flows and aligning requirements. After generating and narrowing down ideas, I reviewed the designs with client teams, incorporating country-specific features and additional needs. The screenshot shows three iterations of the wireframes.

Home Page

Shows all plans, completion %, Progress status of particular plan.

Project Timeline

UI shows task order and status

Task Details

Create a task with levels of detail and details of the task

Details_tasks

Tries to show if the previous task is done and next job.

details_procurement

Detail of individual procurement item needed for approval.

Process

Outcome and Impact

The POC for the Shutdown and Turnaround Planner proved successful in validating the concept's core functionality and its ability to meet the needs of users involved in shutdown planning. While several enhancements were identified (particularly in resource management and mobile usability), the POC showed that the tool could significantly improve the efficiency, communication, and execution of shutdowns. Moving forward, the feedback will be integrated into the final version to ensure broader adoption and greater impact during full-scale implementations.

Improved
Visibility

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Streamlined Workflow

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Reduced Errors and Delays

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