United Rentals
Helping the largest equipment rental company in the world understand their customers and transform their business.
United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world. From backyard dabbling to the most complex projects on earth, UR provides the tools and knowledge to get the job done. It was our job to help them build a digital experience that reflected the same reliability and expertise that their customers depend on every day.
Our goal was to build construction-grade software; tools that would help builders manage their equipment, track their teams, and keep their jobsites safe.
Research
Over two years, we developed a research program that connected the strategy, design, and development teams from multiple organizations to the real-world needs of United Rental's customers.
Throughout our work we leveraged a range of novel research approaches to better understand the intersection of products, policies, and people. Those approaches are outlined here. ⇢
Foundational
We helped United Rentals envision the future of the construction industry by grounding that future in the current needs of their customers. We conducted in-field studies to establish foundational understandings and explore new perspectives. This included an in-depth persona analysis along with several exploratory strategy and concept studies.
Generative
If the goal of our work is to inform the future, we believe it's more useful to build that future in tangible, actionable ways. All of our research and strategy was accompanied by detailed concepts and prototypes—a think-by-making approach to research.
Applicative
Iterative and fast, the research team worked alongside the design and development teams to actively explore, articulate, concept, design, and launch new products. We worked to support a seamless development process through a sprint-based research process injecting the voice of the customer into the daily details of design.
Evaluative
Real designs tested with real people doing real work; throughout the design and development process, we tested everything we made. From early concepts and prototypes to betas and live releases, we vetted our ideas and refined our work.
Archival
Two years of research produces a lot of data— insights, quotes, photos, frameworks, ideas, concepts. To ensure our research would stay relevant, we built a library. Designers, developers, and stakeholders across the organization could search for findings, quotes, and stories to help guide their ideas.
Design
My Role
I was the lead researcher on this project. Over our two years with United Rentals, I helped transform the research program from a series of small readouts to an integral part of UR’s innovation strategy.
Similar to the foreman on a jobsite, my duty was to manage our in-field efforts while maintaining the high-level vision and communicating a shifting landscape to stakeholders above.
135 hours of interviews
93 research participants
18 studies
2 steel-toed boots
1 hard hat
