When Veronica Jericho became the 23rd person to order a Savic Motorcycles C-Series in 2019, she had no idea that one day she’d be personally involved in the development of the motorbike she’d fallen in love with. Fast forward five years, and the Brisbane-based mother of three is now a central figure in our evolution – specifically, the development of the Savic Motorcycles Rider’s App.
After two decades developing some of the country’s most cutting-edge defence and mining technologies, Veronica knows a few things about user experience and interfaces. In fact, it’s her rare expertise at the intersection of engineering and UX/UI design that makes her such a potent find for Savic Motorcycles.
Since graduating from QUT in 1999, Veronica has sharpened her skills in some of the most advanced automation settings in Australia – including 12 years developing communication and air-traffic control systems for Boeing, and five years developing user interfaces for fleet monitoring at Caterpillar.
Today, she’s a senior engineer at Emesent, a “super-cool company” that uses LiDAR technology to autonomously map inaccessible environments. Veronica’s job involves building a mission-control app for planning autonomous missions for drones and robots to capture data – a job that’s even required her to get a licence to fly exceptionally sophisticated drones.
At Savic Motorcycles, Veronica is working closely with our software and design teams to complete the first iteration of an app that will enable C-Series owners to connect with their bikes, check their locations, and monitor and fine-tune their performance. Alongside basic login and account information, the first app will feature simple performance readings, a battery monitor, remote unlocking, and security functions, while subsequent versions will offer more personalised ride modes, journey planning, cumulative trip records, and notifications. “The reality,” says Veronica, “is that the possibilities are pretty endless.”
After ordering a C-Series and investing in our first raise, Veronica sees her work on the app as a natural progression in a company she already feels close to. “Every time I meet the team, I’m so inspired by how close they all are, and the faith they have in the company. I’ve been around tech start-ups for over 20 years, and most don’t make it to this point. It’s a testament to the team’s drive and determination that they’re now hitting the milestones they’ve set for themselves.
“I really believe that these guys are going to succeed. And since I’ve joined the team and learned more about the bike and the company, I find myself believing that more and more.”