SUMMARY
Marx|Okubo, a national architecture, engineering, and construction consulting firm, gained more efficiency and reliability with a new custom software app for on-site building inspections. Off-the-shelf solutions did not meet their needs, so they partnered with Beezwax, which saved them both time and money.
With Marx|Okubo’s direction, we took the best of their old system and used it as the foundation to create a brand-new seamless inspection and reporting application.
THEIR CHALLENGES
- Valuable data loss in areas of intermittent Wi-Fi
- User experience was not seamless across mobile and desktop
- Manual reporting consumed time and energy
- Difficulty integrating photos taken from iPad into reports
Beezwax's Solution
Seamless Experience Across Mobile and Desktop
To minimize the costs of development and maintenance, we designed one code base for the web and then applied a mobile wrapper to ensure consistency and functionality.
POWER, EASE OF USE, AND COMPATIBILITY WITH IPAD
Because of our integration design with the iPad’s high-resolution camera, inspectors are now able to enhance their reports and seamlessly document their findings. The touch interface design allows the user to quickly navigate the application.
MULTIPLE SIMULTANEOUS USERS AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Because of our thoughtful front and backend design, they were able to scale the application to multiple simultaneous users at multiple locations.
Offline Functionality in Areas of Intermittent Wi-Fi
Dead spots can cause loss of valuable data. We put in safeguards to ensure functionality for inspections even if the application was offline.
Built-in Reporting Functions
Prior to our design, their inspection application did not include automated reporting. Reports had to be produced manually in a separate application, by reviewing the data collected through the inspection tool. The new system merged those two functions so that the reporting function includes a templated report layout that is populated by an inspection’s data and corresponding scores.
Our new two-way synchronization enables inspectors to collaborate, and see up to date information on their iPads. We sped up report creation through recommended carryover text, and providing faster ways to set up inspections.
Minimized Manual Effort
- Pre-populates current reports with static information from previous reports. The new reporting feature automatically carries over the previous year’s report, with visual reminders to approve or modify carried-over text as needed.
- Photos taken during the inspection are automatically tagged with inspection metadata (like building, floor, and issue category) so they can easily filter photos to find relevant ones to insert into the report.
[Beezwax!] are handier than a shirt pocket.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
Marx|Okubo works with real estate owners, investors, and lenders to evaluate their building projects, solve complex challenges, and implement tailored solutions.
Marx|Okubo provides annual operations and custodial evaluations of numerous student housing facilities. Due to the scale of the facilities and the need for minimum interruption to students, the on-site inspections need to be conducted efficiently within a limited timeframe.
These inspections aid in the school's preventative maintenance, identify areas that need attention, and help ensure the comfort and safety of students and staff. The universities reinforce their commitment to a positive education experience by ensuring that their facilities are maintained to the highest industry standards such as those provided by APPA.
By maintaining these standards, schools can concentrate on elevating the academic excellence and reputation needed to attract new students and grow as an institution. Marx|Okubo’s inspections help these schools stay on track to meet their goals.