Boiler Support
We developed Boiler Support, a Google Assistant app for British Gas that guides users through troubleshooting boiler issues with step-by-step tutorials. The app was tested with real users and boilers, resulting in successful issue resolution and high user satisfaction.
We developed Boiler Support, a Google Assistant app for British Gas that guides users through troubleshooting boiler issues with step-by-step tutorials. The app was tested with real users and boilers, resulting in successful issue resolution and high user satisfaction.
Project details
Overview
In 2019, British Gas aimed to create a voice solution to assist people in troubleshooting boiler issues during cold weather.
Over 8 weeks, we collaborated with British Gas to develop "Boiler Support," an Action on Google that provides users with safe, step-by-step tutorials to resolve common boiler problems.
My role
Lead UX Designer. Responsible for ensuring a cohesive user experience throughout the development of the voice application.
Challenge
The primary challenge was to design a Google Assistant app that could help users troubleshoot and fix simple boiler issues.
Utilizing flow diagrams from British Gas customer support, the goal was to create an interactive experience that guided users through a series of steps to address their boiler problems.
Solution
Developed an Action on Google named "Boiler Support" powered by British Gas, which effectively assisted users in resolving boiler issues through a conversational experience.
Process overview
Discovery
Knowledge and data utilization: Leveraged British Gas’s extensive knowledge and data to identify the most common boiler issues, particularly those prevalent during cold weather.
Collaboration with boiler engineers: Worked closely with boiler engineers to pinpoint the steps required to solve common boiler problems, ensuring accuracy and safety.
Design
Conversational modules: Designed and prioritized conversational modules, organizing them into user journeys to address as many boiler issues as possible.
Persona and tone of voice: Defined the persona and tone of voice for the Action, ensuring it was supportive, knowledgeable, sympathetic, relatable, and trustworthy. Adapted British Gas’s existing tone of voice to fit the new context.
Testing
Overcoming user fears: Recognized and addressed users' fears of interacting with their boilers. Iteratively refined the design to make users feel safe and reassured.
Usability testing: Conducted six rounds of usability testing to gather feedback on user journeys and tone of voice. Tested conversational modules at various fidelity levels, evolving from paper boilers and Voiceflow prototypes to a beta version with real boilers.
Real-world testing: In the final testing session, provided participants with a fully functional version of the Action and real boilers with actual problems. The testing environment was set up at an engineering academy.
Success rate: Four out of five participants successfully fixed their boilers using Google assistance, demonstrating the effectiveness of the solution.
Results
We tested the app with real users and training boilers used by boiler engineers, achieving excellent results.
Four out of five participants successfully fixed their boilers using Google assistance.
We tested the app with real users and training boilers used by boiler engineers, achieving excellent results.
Four out of five participants successfully fixed their boilers using Google assistance.
Other projects
General Election 2024Responsive web
iPlayer - User lifecycleResponsive web
Eurosport - Connected TVConnected TV
Fun projectsExperiential
Get in touch
Send me an email: hi@dianamundo.com or get in touch via LinkedIn