Research that reframed the product
One case study, not a series. Two and a half months embedded across 14 utility sites produced a product direction rather than a features backlog, and then two rounds of scope cuts tested how much of that direction survived contact with a ship date. It's the only thread here at this depth, and the honest reason is that there isn't a second one. Padding it would read worse than the asymmetry does.
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The research method: embedded fieldwork across 14 sites, synthesized into a reframed product direction rather than a features backlog.
Arcos, IncHow 2.5 months of embedded research across 14 utility sites reframed a greenfield product from the ground up — and what it took to ship that vision through two rounds of scope cuts.
As Head of UX and Lead Researcher, I conducted field research across 14 AEP operating companies — observing and interviewing 120+ emergency managers and field workers — to reframe Arcos’s emergency preparedness platform — what shipped as Control Tower for the back office and Arcos Field for mobile — from UI modernization to a workflow-native system. I developed the “user lenses” product vision using AI-assisted prototyping in Lovable, then held that vision through two descoping rounds to ship the convoy tracking MVP in August 2025.