We helped engineers manage sensor hubs from the web — making setup and on-site install 3x faster.
How we took IoT sensor configuration and monitoring into the cloud
services.
- Strategic planning
- Co-design workshops
- UX research & design
- User interface design
- Product engineering
- Web development
- Mobile development
- Google Cloud Architecture
The brief.
Delta Controls is a leading control manufacturer that helps multiple industries manage their operations, including surveillance, lighting, cameras, and occupancy sensing.
Ahead of launching their innovative O3 Sensor Hub 2.0, Delta asked POWER SHIFTER to create an easy-to-use planning and configuration experience to reduce time spent on-site by installers and streamline training.
“...They have a thorough process and they mesh well with the internal team. They’re a flexible, proactive team that’s committed to taking charge without compromising the client’s vision.”
—Kevin Batdorf, Unitary Controls Line Manager/Senior Developer, Delta Controls
The solution.
We took a user-centric design-thinking approach to build a robust Google Cloud IoT platform.
The platform delivers an efficient, easy-to-learn planning and configuration experience that gives Delta Controls the flexibility to update and scale in the future.
A powerful web application
The web application gives users the ability to plan and configure O3 sensor hubs online, making it easy for engineers to setup and manage devices remotely.
Using the cloud
Everything created in the web application is stored in the cloud. Once the sensor hubs are connected, the online applications provide remote and real-time access to data insights and reporting.
Configuring devices using mobile
To accommodate on-site dead zones, the mobile app downloads all necessary files on login and allows the user to continue working offline. Once the installer reconnects to data or WiFi, their work is synced with the cloud.
Troubleshooting sensor hubs
With the mobile app, installers can remotely see which settings did not sync correctly and identify any malfunctioning sensors through live readings coming from the device in real-time.
Shifting to the future
Expanding from hardware into cloud-based software marked a deliberate shift into a new space. To ensure room for growth, the Cloud platform was built to scale with other products. By partnering with Power Shifter, Delta Controls has laid the foundation for a new business model that will allow the company to shift and grow as technology changes.
The outcome.
With the web app, engineers can manage sensor hubs online, reducing configuration time threefold. What once took 5 minutes now only takes 90 seconds with the new software component.
Minimizing engineers' involvement in the on-site install results in significant cost savings for Delta Controls and customers. Since launch, Delta Controls was awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2020 Global Company of the Year Award because of its innovative hub, proclaiming that "the 03 Sensor Hub 2.0 will set a new industry benchmark."
It also won Best UX for Product at the Vancouver User Experience Awards in 2020.
“The launch of the projects and the design phase has been impressive. Power Shifter is very strong at that, which a lot of others aren’t.”
Kevin Batdorf
Unitary Controls Line Manager/Senior Developer
Delta Controls
