Terminix Service Application Improvements

The Challenge

Terminix faced a critical turning point concerning its existing technology and primary service application used by branches for service procedures. The paramount challenge was to enable greater autonomy for Terminix technicians by providing a more natural human interaction when documenting service procedures using technology. A significant obstacle was the requirement for the project team to work in complete isolation, without access to the current digital application due to legal agreements with a third party. This presented an extremely constrained environment, demanding exceptional adaptability and resourcefulness to gather requirements and develop solutions within a tight six-month deadline. The existing process was recognized as non-linear, requiring a flexibility that current systems did not offer.

The Stewardship Model

My approach involved an immersive six-month embedding within a Terminix branch in Marietta, Georgia, complemented by remote work with other branches. This deep exploration fostered direct observations and insights from ride-alongs, aiding in brainstorming activities related to service processes. User interviews and observations were conducted bi-weekly for 2-3 days in the field, with audio, video, and photographs collected and transcribed efficiently using Otter.ai. As the sole UX team member, this demonstrated a profound commitment to empathy and human-centeredness, seeking direct understanding from the source of the problem. The focus was squarely on understanding the technicians' fundamental need for flexibility and autonomy, recognizing that service visits were not always a linear process. This showcased a strong spirit of exploration into user contexts and a highly adaptive strategy in response to severe project constraints. The outcomes included a Collection of UX/UI Mockups and an Adobe XD Design System.

The Impact

Within six months, a profound empathy for our end-users (Terminix technicians) was cultivated, leading to a critical understanding of their need for flexibility and autonomy within the service application. The project provided technicians with the capability to modify and move freely through the application, directly addressing a critical pain point and serving as a vital blaze marker. This work laid a crucial foundation for a more resilient and user-supportive system, significantly enhancing efficiency for field operations and demonstrating a commitment to human-centered design.

Role: Lead UX Designer, responsible for developing relationships with branches and service technicians, building research plans and gathering data, embedded in a Terminix branch for six months, and wore many hats in the UX team.
Digital Tools: Mobile application, Otter.ai for audio transcription, and Adobe XD Design System.

UX Practices & Methods: Improved Design Discovery and Design Thinking processes, conducted field observations, user interviews, ride-alongs, brainstorming activities, collected audio, video, and photographs, created deep empathy for end users, and focused on providing flexibility and autonomy for technicians in non-linear workflows.