App Development

QA Graphics Project Spotlight: Nortek Global HVAC Division Interactive Sales Tool

November 5, 2021

Download the Project Spotlight PDF version HERE for more information and pictures.

QA Graphics (booth C1381) partnered with Nortek Global HVAC Division (booth C3129), to provide a state-of-the-art interactive sales tool application with a larger range of services that utilized the companies many talents. Nortek came to QA Graphics needing a sales and marketing tool for their vendors to showcase how each of their different units can be used in multiple types of settings. The task then became to create a sales tool that shows the versatility of Nortek’s many units by presenting them in a factual display that has an easy-to-understand user interface and is visually appealing. This led to the following services provided by QA Graphics:

Complete Sales Tool with 3D Graphic Models

3D Models

QA Graphics created specialized 3D equipment graphics that were specifically built to see the interior technical workings of each component. This demonstrates how each realistic piece of equipment works with each other as if you were out in the field. Nortek broke it down to eighteen equipment categories that needed sixty-five different 3D units modeled. QA Graphics provided detailed cutaways of the mechanical equipment that contain animation and a high level of detail, along with a 360-degree view. The 360-degree view is a separate module that allows the viewer to control the viewing angle and tilt of the unit with built in controls. The viewer has the capability to zoom in on certain details and to spin all the way around the unit.

Site Maps

QA Graphics worked with Nortek to provide a photorealistic 3D city view to encompass all the requested building types. Nortek’s equipment services were broken down into four major building categories: residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional. From there, twenty-nine custom building exterior renders were created for this site map. This allows the capability to show the versatility of their units by realistically demonstrating the 3D equipment models in a real-life situation within a building or home. The end result is a site map view that is clickable so that users can easily access the various building types to view more. This provides an even more dynamic look and feel, just as if you were viewing the building and equipment in person.

To see the site map and easy-to-understand navigation, view this video:

Total Interactive Sales Tool

The end result is an interactive sales tool for Nortek vendors and sales representatives to always have in hand, ensuring their salespeople are conveying their message and connecting to their audience. No matter if it is in a large-scale format at a tradeshow, such as AHR (Nortek Global HVAC Division booth C3129), or a private meeting to view at their leisure, with the realistic 3D equipment models and site map setting lets Nortek capture their audience’s attention. By delivering the information in an easy-to-understand manner, their customers see what exactly Nortek and their equipment can do for them.

As design and technology collide QA Graphics uses their experience and knowledge to support their clients every step of the way in their quest to standout far above their competitors

Taco Case Study

August 23, 2016

Download the PDF version HERE.

Executive Summary

This report was commissioned to study how QA Graphics worked with Taco Comfort Solutions to enhance their system graphics and user experience.

Taco worked with QA Graphics to upgrade their functional, templated app into one that was also well-designed and intuitive.

By working with QA Graphics, Taco gained:

An application with an improved user experience that embraces Taco’s brand standards
A highly detailed graphics symbol library that depicts Taco’s equipment
Savings in time and money

About Taco Comfort Solutions

Taco Comfort Solutions is a third-generation American manufacturer of high quality and high efficiency heating, cooling, plumbing, and irrigation products.

Taco is based in Cranston, Rhode Island, but is global in scope with manufacturing facilities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Ontario, Vietnam, and Italy. Its skilled employees produce precision pumps, valves and controls, air-dirt separators, heat exchangers, tanks, domestic hot water recirculation systems, and web-based building management controls.

Taco is committed to reaffirming and strengthening the values that have shaped the family-owned business since 1920. This is especially important in a fast-changing, increasingly global marketplace. Taco believes that the strong working partnerships and enduring commitment to product quality will enable them to remain competitive and keep Taco vital well into the future.

Challenges

Taco currently sells a building management tool called the LCI-3. This tool works well in its target market, but has only received small functional updates over the years, and no design improvements. The product’s functionality was fine, but the outdated look and feel was not up to par with what Taco and their customers needed.

The theme did not encompass the company’s brand and style. The LCI-3 tool also lacked the equipment graphics which had become expected by the market. Taco offered other options to provide standard graphics to their customers, but these standardized graphics did not give Taco’s building management tool the personal touch clients wanted. Taco wanted to create a custom graphics package, but didn’t have any in-house graphic design resources.

Taco’s engineering department originally created the custom graphics needed for their application. However, the engineers had very little graphic design experience, and the company still felt the graphics were missing their mark. The introduction of consumer-facing products had rapidly advanced the market standards for HVAC industry graphics and interfaces.

“We knew to play at the next level we would need help,” said Danato Borelli, director of engineering at Taco Comfort Solutions.

How QA Graphics Helped

Taco had seen QA Graphics’ work used by other industry businesses. These projects gave Taco an idea of how QA Graphics could enhance their building control application. The company wanted to work with QA Graphics to enhance the app’s user experience and create a more sophisticated symbol library.

User Experience
QA Graphics’ user experience (UX) designers understand the importance of creating visually appealing interfaces that put the user’s needs first and incorporate a company’s branding. After getting a feel for Taco’s vision for the application, the designers explored the app’s functionality and brainstormed design ideas.

Taco's new app design viewed on multiple devices. — These QA Graphics design concepts show the updated UI for Taco’s building management tool, LCI-4. Mobile and tablet designs were provided for each screen to help developers build a responsive application.

QA Graphics created an application map to visualize the flow of the application and made suggestions on how to improve navigation or simplify a page’s content. The UX designers also researched different ways to marry Taco’s branding with digital design trends. These efforts made the application’s design cohesive, modern, and logical. Users could easily navigate between the different application areas, including a control view with real-time monitoring, activity logs, data trending, and more.

The application was built to work at different sizes on several different devices. QA Graphics designed two separate mock-ups per page to help Taco’s developers visualize how the application would look on different screens. These page mock-ups were sized for vertical mobile devices and horizontal tablets. Once these mock-ups were approved, QA Graphics sent Taco any development specs, images, icons, color values, and font information needed to build the page within the application.

The design theme and assets that QA Graphics created will be critical as Taco attempts to expand their product family across more non-traditional offerings. The controller graphical assets will provide a template for Taco to use across other platforms and create a more consistent style between their products.

Symbol Library
Taco also worked with QA Graphics’ 3D designers and Building Automation System (BAS) specialists to create a custom symbol library and mechanical equipment graphics. QA Graphics’ symbol library offers static and animated graphics, including unit ventilators, under floor units, tanks, rooftop units, and more.

Above is an example of Taco’s custom symbol library graphics created by QA Graphics. This graphic represents a typical AHU with heating/cooling coils and economizing capabilities.

QA Graphics’ specialists are experts in the BAS graphics industry and worked with Taco to build a robust symbol library. QA Graphics created all the 3D graphics and piping needed to build the system graphics within the application. The app’s library now features superior graphic representations of a user’s system, including dynamic graphics, moving fans, and pumping pumps.

Customer Experience
Taco’s team became more excited about the project as QA Graphics worked through the application upgrade and sent updates. The company was able to see how their work could be re-imagined with a modern, updated design, while leaving their desired functionality intact. QA Graphics’ designers transformed Taco’s functional but visually unappealing application and into a presentation piece that Taco is proud to display. Taco now has a product that matches their customer’s expectations.

When asked about the process and work of QA Graphics, Borelli said, “I think that QA Graphics has a really talented team of people who can help HVAC companies move their product designs to a much more polished level. The team was friendly, easy to work with, and offered good value for the time and money spent.”

Post Production

Taco’s new product is close to its launch date, and they have all the graphical assets they need to prepare the application for release. The design process required very little work to be done on Taco’s part. Their engineers were able to refocus their limited time on product functionality, allowing for an overall faster launch for LCI-4. Taco saved time and money in resources when they hired QA Graphics’ professionals to work on their application.

Taco’s new LCI-4 application features a modern style that embraces Taco’s branding. Taco’s graphics are now custom, highly detailed, and accurate representations of clients’ systems. These graphics are controlled entirely through the app QA Graphics helped upgrade. LCI-4’s design is better what than Taco could have created without QA Graphics’ expertise, and the design process did not eat up engineering resources.

“Working with 2-3 experienced designers at a high level was very much worth the cost of the project. There is no way that Taco could have sourced this level of HVAC design talent locally. Sales numbers will likely increase after product launch as well,” said Borelli.

About QA Graphics

QA Graphics is a leader in the building automation and green building industries. The company specializes in HVAC graphic development services, system graphics, floor plan graphics, and Energy Efficiency Education Dashboards™ (EEEDs). The company also provides marketing solutions such as interactive applications, 3D design and animation, UX design, videos, and more.

Since 2006, QA Graphics has served as an expert design resource for the building controls industry and is able to provide BAS graphics for any type of building automation. QA Graphics has collaborated with several leading control system manufacturers and private companies to develop custom libraries. These graphics are embedded within the control manufacturing software to provide a consistent style on any BAS. Offering a competitive advantage in the building automation system industry with more appealing and realistic graphics than typically provided with BAS software.

Visit www.qagraphics.com to learn more.

Download the PDF version HERE.

Use Your App Anywhere and On Any Device

May 14, 2015

UI & UX Design

We are experienced in providing UI and UX design for web applications, mobile applications, large format applications, sales tools and more. Whether you are wanting UI/UX design or both design and application development, QA Graphics can provide a solution that is eye-catching and functional.

Mobile Apps

QA Graphics provides custom mobile application development for Apple iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) and Android devices. With an in-house creative team, we provide quick and affordable mobile app solutions. You don’t have to choose between iOS or Android. QA Graphics can develop one application to be used across ALL mobile platforms.

Web Development

Look to QA Graphics for a custom website solution, whether it’s a new site, an update of your existing site, or an interactive component to incorporate into an existing site. With a creative staff including graphic designers, 3D designers, UI/UX developers, and programmers, QA Graphics uses the latest interactive design techniques to provide a custom web solution.

Work Safer with Interactive E-Learning Applications

February 18, 2015

Interactive 3D Training, Safety and Operations Applications

In today’s competitive business environment, organizations are consistently seeking ways to maximize their return on investment and streamline processes. Leading organizations understand that well-trained employees are the cornestone to their success.

Consistent Training. Improved Safety. Increased Production.

QA Graphics has worked with companies across multiple industries, to design and develop custom interactive training applications. The mobility allows for safety professionals to conduct training from anywhere — on site or in the office.

3D animation offers flexibility by keeping the safety training process contemporary, and allowing for real-life equipment scaling and equipment demonstrations. Also, animations can be updated in a more cost-effective and timely manner than traditional video.

QA Graphics Develops Educational App for Skewed News Tutor

October 28, 2013

October 28, 2013

QA Graphics has developed an educational mobile app for Skewed News Tutor. The app has been published in the App Store, available for purchase for use in the classroom to help middle and high school students become more discerning news consumers.

Skewed News Tutor is the creation of Colleen Bradford Krantz, journalist, author and documentary filmmaker. After a decade of reporting, Krantz grew frustrated with the sometimes-subtle opinions buried within news reports. This led her to begin Skewed News Tutor in 2012, a trusted provider of educational resources aimed to help students and others improve their ability to filter information and identify solid reporting. The News Tutor mobile app, developed by QA Graphics, was created for use in the classroom to help students gain a better understanding of the process behind journalism and news reporting.

“I’ve always loved journalism. This is not an attack on journalists but is designed to set expectations for high-quality journalism,” said Colleen Bradford Krantz, founder of Skewed News Tutor. “I looked to QA Graphics because I felt a level of professionalism right away, and was pleased that they were able to develop the app as I had envisioned.”

The app, titled News Tutor, was designed to put users in the shoes of a journalist and help them learn what makes a good and accurate report. Krantz outlined the educational lesson, and then looked to QA Graphics to design and develop the app. The app sets the scene where the user begins as an intern and is guided through a series of situations in which they must determine the most fair and accurate way to report on news. They are provided a series of videos, quiz questions, and a game in which they are to determine the accurate way to report on a situation. As they progress through the quiz, users are promoted to beginning reporter, senior reporter, and then overseeing other reporters.