DMecanic: interface móvel multimodal para gestão operacional de reparos em pequenas oficinas

Abstract

Digital transformation is a requirement for the survival of micro and small enterprises. However, in the automotive repair sector, the adoption of management systems faces usability and ergonomic barriers. The present work proposes the development of a mobile application (DMecanic) aimed at monitoring and updating the status of repairs in small mechanical workshops. The central objective was to circumvent the need for massive textual typing in operational environments, where professionals frequently find themselves with occupied or dirty hands. Methodologically, the research was characterized as applied and mixed, focused on the validation of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with industry professionals and a perception survey with end customers. The technological solution was structured under the Mobile-First paradigm, integrating multimodal interfaces through Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology and voice command transcription (Speech-to-Text). Validation was carried out in loco in 7 local mechanical workshops, with the application of the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, and complemented by a sample of 8 clients. The results demonstrated usability classified as "Excellent", reaching a score of 94.6 on the SUS scale, along with high acceptance and intention to use among the participants. It is concluded that the integration of artificial intelligence in multimodal interfaces has the potential to facilitate access to management tools on the shop floor, mitigating ergonomic barriers and assisting transparency in communication with the client.