Airthings
- Mobile Application
- Web
- Home
Context
Founded in 2008 in Oslo, Norway, Airthings is driven by an ambitious objective: offer accurate, user-friendly radon detectors to the masses, making them as common as smoke detectors.
Radon
What is radon?
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally when the uranium in soil and rock breaks down. It is invisible, odourless and tasteless. When radon is released from the ground into the outdoor air, it is diluted and is not a concern. However, in enclosed spaces like homes, it can accumulate to high levels. High radon levels can be a risk to your own or of your family’s health.
What are the Radon Levels in Canada?
All homes in Canada have radon gas in them. Concentrations differ greatly across the country but are usually higher in areas where there is a higher amount of uranium in underlying rock and soil.
Radon concentration levels will vary from one house to another, even if they are of a similar design and standing close to each other. No matter the age, type of construction or where your home is located, the only way to be sure of the radon level in your home is to run a test.
*Source: Health Canada
Issue
In 2014, Airthings introduced a mobile app aimed at home inspectors and radon professionals around the world as a companion to their Corentium Pro digital radon detector. However, the interface needed a refresh to make it more user-friendly.
Solution
In 2019, members of our team flew to Oslo with a mandate to redesign Airthings’ digital tools for business users.
A new professional application
Available on iOS and Android, the Corentium Pro app works in conjunction with the device of the same name via a Bluetooth connection.
The app allows home inspectors and radon professionals to:
- Set up the device for a series of readings at the client’s location;
- Generate reports from their smartphone;
- Customize reports and add notes;
- Send reports in PDF format to multiple email addresses.
Professional dashboard
Using the new dashboard, home inspectors and radon professionals can now customize data templates, name devices, assign employees to their business, generate reports, and control Corentium Pro devices remotely.
Challenges
Data transfer speed
Installed at a client’s location over a few days, the Corentium Pro device collects as much data as possible from air samples. The professional then returns to the site to transfer data from the device to the application via Bluetooth, which can take several minutes.
To make the process more efficient for users, our team developed a feature which displays the data as it becomes available. The professional can thus launch a new test or create a report while the data continues to download in the background.
Legislation
All home inspectors or radon professionals are expected to comply with various industry standards, which needed to be reflected within the digital solution.
Home inspectors and radon professionals are in the best position to know which rules apply in their state, county, or province of practice, so our team designed a report customization tool allowing different sections to be added or deleted to match compliance needs.
Learning curve
As the level of knowledge and ease with technology can vary greatly from one radon professional to another, our team aimed to make the application as intuitive as possible.
To ensure users could discover their app at their own pace and without training, we used a user support technique called contextual help, whereby explanations on the main components of the application are provided just as they are about to use them, when they most need to learn about them.
Results
99.5%
Since the professional app and dashboard were launched, over 99.5% of Corentium Pro users have upgraded to the new system.
80h
Home inspectors or radon professionals using Airthings’ new professional digital tools save 80 hours per year on average.
