UX for construction sites, not the perfect office

At PDP, we designed an interface for conditions where real life beats up the pixels: weak internet, freezing temperatures, dirty hands, and a tablet that runs on “whenever it can,” not on charge.

So we didn’t optimize for “beautiful” — we optimized for useful right here, right now: made buttons large, removed unnecessary text input, and kept selection to predefined lists. Because nobody on a construction site wants to type while wearing gloves — and honestly, that’s the most straightforward UX test.

We also added the ability to pin issues to axes and markers directly on the floor plan: tap the right spot on the tablet — and you’re done. No “somewhere around here, near the column.”

And to avoid getting buried in tasks, we added filter templates: quick switching between my issues in building No. 3 and critical unresolved issues across the entire project.

Against the background of the hype around AI-UI, it’s a good reminder: sometimes the best interface is the one that works in dirt and offline.