The Construction Industry Must Fall in Love with the User.

If you buy a product from Apple or Google, you often get a "wow" feeling, where products are tailored for you as a user. Being "customer obsessed" is something that industry typically lives and strives for — but why do we not do the same in the construction industry?

I have previously raised the challenges with cabling and the pace of innovation, but there are further challenges we need to solve: We need to care about the users of buildings. Technically, our buildings are characterised by heavy engineering, with the focus on delivering sufficient air, cooling, heating and lighting based on an assumed usage pattern. The challenge is that our buildings are no longer somewhere we go from 07 to 15.

We do however have a guide that a few buildings have been built according to, which motivates thinking about more aspects of our buildings. Smart by Powerhouse tries to address several of the challenges we face today. Including users and society as stakeholders is important, while also advocating for open systems. Have you driven a brand new car with assisted driving, lots of sensors and many new buttons, and then gone back to a car that is perhaps only a few years old? The difference is enormous. We have not yet seen this effect in our buildings. My view is that you often cannot tell the difference between a new building today and one that is 10 years old, when it comes to the experience for the user and how the technology functions.

The user must be in focus – even in the simple things

Looking at something as simple as the thermostat — Google Nest versus a traditional wired sensor — there is no doubt that Google Nest has thought about the user.

Today, indoor air quality is typically managed according to a time calendar. That is, between 07:00 and 17:00 there is air, and the desired temperature is usually correct (or at least what the operator believes is the right temperature for you) — but after this the ventilation system is switched off. The temperature is then often reduced a few degrees overnight. To override this, you may need to call maintenance, who then have to override it. Perhaps they even have to be physically present at the building to do so. It goes without saying that the user is not the priority here.

What is exciting going forward is that tenants have become relatively demanding. They are informed and know that IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) is one of the most important factors for worker satisfaction, for attracting the best people, and because it has a direct impact on the bottom line.

The fact that something has been tried and tested since the 1990s is no longer a positive thing.

So how do you become "customer obsessed"?

First and foremost, we must use the new technology available out there. The fact that something has been tried and tested since the 1990s is no longer a positive thing. Building users have become very demanding. The link between new technology, demanding users and sustainable choices is absolutely necessary. By involving users before the design phase, the probability of hitting the target first time is much greater, costly reversals can be avoided, and you end up with satisfied users — the result of a delivery with the right quality and features for those who will actually use the building.

We must also look at more aspects of who the users of buildings are. That is, everyone from the tenant, visitors, service providers and all others are users. So how should we build? What do people expect from the building? The user must then be in focus.

We are fortunately seeing a trend towards increasingly avoiding always buying the cheapest option. Features have become more important. And if the expectation is that the tenant should have a lot of data about the building in an app — then the data in the building must be in an open format. Very few buildings out there have that.

Fall in love with the user, and constantly ask yourself whether you have put the user first!

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