Case Study

Derive Systems

This sheet is still being drawn up. The write-up below is in progress.

Client
Derive Systems
Sector
Fleet management
Engagement
UX, Visual Design, Marketing Graphics
Years
2022–2023

BLUF

The bottom line:

  • Redesigned the VQ Insight dashboard — the interface fleet managers use to track fuel savings and emissions reductions from Derive's ECU calibration platform.
  • Restructured user flows around how fleet managers actually work, building on an existing visual foundation from a prior contractor.
  • Also delivered marketing graphics and supported adjacent product teams to keep things consistent across the family.
  • Launched May 2023.

Our Role

UX, Visual Design, Marketing Graphics

The Details

Context

Derive Systems builds calibration software that re-tunes the ECUs of fleet vehicles to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Over two million installs across utilities, government fleets, and commercial operators. VQ Insight is the dashboard side of that platform — where fleet managers see what the calibrations are actually saving them in dollars and CO2.

The Problem

A previous contractor had built the foundational UI styling for VQ Insight. The visual layer was fine. The flows were not.

Fleet managers didn't move through the application the way the application assumed they would. The metrics that mattered most for the day-to-day job were buried; the metrics that were easiest to surface weren't the ones anyone needed. The result was a dashboard people had to learn around instead of one that met them where they were.

Our Approach

We kept the visual foundation and rebuilt the structure underneath it. That meant going back to the fleet manager workflows first — what they're trying to answer, in what order, with what context — and reshaping the navigation and information hierarchy around the real job.

We also picked up marketing graphics for the product's web presence, and worked alongside adjacent design teams at Derive on related projects so the product family read as one product family.

A Craig Montgomery footnote

Craig Montgomery was CRO at Derive during this engagement. He's now President of ATI, where we continue to collaborate. Good people travel well.

Outcomes

  • VQ Insight relaunched in May 2023 with the flows reorganized around the actual job-to-be-done.
  • The visual foundation was preserved, which kept the lift focused and the timeline tight.