PlanGrid is looking to disrupt the way work gets done in the construction industry that still relies on traditional business practices.
Indeed, PlanGrid is a platform that helps over 500,000 construction projects to store and organize blueprints and construction data, making them accessible across mobile devices.
What could we learn from PlanGrid?
Break the rules to get your products in front of people.
When PlanGrid started, there was a lot of skepticism about technology in construction, and particularly tablets. They were expensive and looked delicate. However, the startup immediately believed tablets were the perfect tools for the construction industry. Whenever they made a demo of the PlanGrid software, people were impressed. But they simply wouldn’t invest in the hardware they needed to use.
So they did it for them. They bought some tablets to remove that barrier. At the time 32 GB iPads were $800 a pop. And Apple was literally not allowed to sell more than three at a time because of limited manufacturing. The founders maxed out their credit cards to procure devices for construction superintendents and project managers.
They were supporting an audience of inexperienced, not super tech-savvy users. So that they’d keep using the product and not get frustrated. They give people the tools, the support, and the context to ensure they have a good experience with it.
Break the market down into profiles, then prioritize them.
PlanGrid broke down the data through the distinct roles on construction sites. Each project has superintendents, foremen, engineers, project managers, field and operations personnel, etc. They looked at the numbers to determine how many of each of those roles existed in each segment of the market from huge skyscraper projects to small kitchen remodels.
They then defined the persona of each role. For example, what a superintendent would be looking for, what kind of arguments or features would appeal most to a project manager. It made what seemed like a massive, nebulous market a lot easier to approach methodically.
They focus on superintendents. Because they have the most building experience and completely understand the challenges of construction and where productivity can be improved immediately. At the same time, they’re incredible leaders, and almost everyone else at a site or on a project will look to them. They tend to have a specific profile too: Many of them started in construction early in life and may not have gone to college. The majority haven’t used software as part of their job before and are the least likely to adopt it, even though it would probably give them the most leverage.
“It occurred to us if superintendents picked up PlanGrid, everyone else would,” PlanGrid’s founder says. To bring them into the fold, the team started running superintendent “Ask Me Anything (AMA)” sessions at the office. It was a way to send the message that the company cared deeply about improving their lives, and was committed to designing a product that would be intuitive despite the learning curve.
Build the features they need by observing them at their jobs.
One of PlanGrid’s key tools is its Issues Tracking Suite. Traditionally, engineers and superintendents document field issues by hand, snap photos, and potentially record voice memos. From there, they head back to the office to manually type them into a spreadsheet to track what needs to be fixed. They even cut and paste photos and other notes to route them to the right people. With Plangrid, they can use the technology to record an issue in full detail, and everything automatically synchronizes to the cloud. This came out of watching people spend six hours or more completing tasks that could be automated. Connectivity is a major challenge. Construction sites very rarely have reliable connectivity. So the app has to be able to store incredibly important data safely and upload it opportunistically as it can. That is why PlanGrid tests new features in low-connectivity environments.
Connectivity is a major challenge. Construction sites very rarely have reliable connectivity. So the app has to be able to store incredibly important data safely and upload it opportunistically as it can. That is why PlanGrid tests new features in low-connectivity environments.
Stick to familiar workflows and mechanisms.
Often, industries are resistant to technology and startups because they’re worried they’ll interrupt their productivity. The learning curve might be too steep and time consuming. Non-tech-savvy folks will feel left behind. It won’t fit into the day-to-day and will create more overhead than it solves. To cut through these fears and avoid pushback, make sure your technology fits tightly with existing workflows and resembles — in design and behavior — how things have worked traditionally.
This is why it was so important for PlanGrid to work across any mobile device. They’re constantly making sure their software runs well on the cheaper and cheaper devices that emerge. The design of the app also very intentionally resembles how blueprints appear and are arranged in real life.
The takeaway: If you’re trying to break into an industry that’s resistant to change, give your customers as much freedom as possible to still get value out of your product, and make it look and feel like the processes and materials they’re used to. This will only help your adoption rate.
Source: First Round
