Turning risky remote commands into safe, predictable workflows.
One of the most critical functions during the lifecycle of a connected device is sending and managing commands like Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) updates, configurations or any other custom commands to devices remotely.
Unlike standard SaaS apps where 'Undo' is easy, IoT commands carry a physical risk.
Pushing an incompatible file or losing connection during a command can permanently damage ("brick") the device hardware.
The team needed a safer way to send remote commands to connected devices.
Previously, our internal engineering team performed these high-risk operations using a custom-built Python tool. This workflow was fraught with usability issues.
High Risk of Error
No way to avoid wrong file selection or asset selection. It allowed whatever the user was doing, even if it's wrong.
Cognitive Load
Engineers worked under the constant stress that a single mistake could disable a fleet of vehicles.
What if we could turn this moment of distress into the power of control?
😖→😤
Let's begin from the start and see how we achieved it.
This project was started as a separate module for Vec-TR.
Vec-TR is a comprehensive SaaS platform developed by Vecmocon to manage the lifecycle, monitoring, and configuration of connected vehicles and IoT devices.
It includes different modules, each with their own functions, and command center was going to be one of the critical functionality of this app.
Vec-TR
Organizations
Assets and Devices
Dashboard Management
User Management
Inventory
Command Center
Events
Reports
Role Management
Asset Groups
Route History
Data Profiles
At the heart of this ecosystem lies the VIM (Vehicle Intelligence Module). Think of the VIM as the "brain" of the connected vehicle. Physically installed on the asset, it acts as a central gateway, aggregating critical telemetry data from sub-components like the Battery Management System (BMS) and Motor Controller.
The communication flow is bi-directional, creating a constant feedback loop
Upstream (Telemetry)
The VIM constantly pushes health and status data to the cloud, which Vec-TR visualizes for the user.
Downstream (Command & Control)
This was our design focus. The user needs to send complex instructions—such as configuration changes or firmware updates—from the Vec-TR web dashboard back to the VIM.
While the team was facing a lot of problems, those all could be categorized into three categories.
There were three main problems that the team was facing.
Managing Command Files
No single repository
Engineer make code, pass onto another engineer and then push
Difficult version controlling
Pushing a command
Selection of wrong file
Incompatible file selection
Wrong asset selection
No testing ground
Tracking the command
No window to track the command
Final Design and Details
High Risk of Error
No way to avoid wrong file selection or asset selection. It allowed whatever the user was doing, even if it's wrong.
High Risk of Error
No way to avoid wrong file selection or asset selection. It allowed whatever the user was doing, even if it's wrong.
Cognitive Load
Engineers worked under the constant stress that a single mistake could disable a fleet of vehicles.
Process →
Initial Project Brief Meeting
Title
Initial Project Brief Meeting
Title
Initial Project Brief Meeting
Title
Initial Project Brief Meeting
Title
Market Research
Azure…etc
Ticker
Understanding internal processes and stakeholders
Hardware heavy, need to understand the hardware flow too.
When would it happen?
Who would do it?
Why?
User Flow Ideations
Broader flow - Upload a file -> Create a new command with multiphase -> Trigger the phase one and so on (emotional peak)-> Track the command progress
Key idea was to separate the creation and trigger, because this was the peak emotional part
Push file to device (device should be stable, can take time, need the correct one)
Trigger FOTA (device should be stable and off or not in use)
But for MVP only 1 phase becaue heavy on backend (we did make some key screens to showcase)
Screen Ideation
Two main pages - files and progress page
File one was sorted since it was simple upload
Main was command creation, trigger and progress
But for MVP only 1 phase becaue heavy on backend (we did make some key screens to showcase)
Future prospectus
Bundled Fota
Phased Fota
Maker and checker
Results and Impact
Vec-TR has evolved from a project to a product that our team and customers are using.
Operational Efficiency
Drastically reduced the time to configure dashboards for new clients (from weeks of coding to minutes of configuration).
Independence
Features like drag and drop dashboard customization eliminated reliance on third-party experts and licensing fees.
User Feedback