[ux/ui]
2020
[company]
ROYAL CANADIAN AIRFORCE
[deliverables]
MOBILE APP
Removing the administration burden placed on pilots, so they could do what they do best: fly planes.
DigitalAF was an 8 month initiative to reimagine technology in the Royal Canadian Air Force curated by a team of cooperative students at the Flight Deck Innovation Lab. I was part of an ambitious project to expand the original development to support and improve the quality of life for Air Force pilots working hard to protect our country.
By aiding the Air Force and it's members across operations and logistics of flying, as well as evolving the culture of the organization by helping drive innovation, expanding this app is of utmost importance. This app assists pilots by drastically reducing the administration burden associated with their position. The goal was to design three complex features over the course of a three month period. The three features were predetermined by our contract and included Crew Tracking, Notifications, and Logbooks.
Our plan consisted of 1:1 interview sessions with key stakeholders, more commonly referred to as our “Champions,” to answer questions about the goals of each feature. We met with pilots of varying ranks and discussed key items they required to make the feature function, as well as accumulated information on how they currently completed each task.
A mvp empowers users to become innovators by providing a basic tool to complete tasks and encouraging feedback for improvements. This symbiotic relationship helps us create an app that supports their goals. Additionally, cognitive psychology emphasizes learning by doing, so each new feature was designed to complete a single task, ensuring users are not overwhelmed by multiple new tools at once.
[usability testing & validation]
We conducted usability tests often with users to determine what changes needed to be made in order to make each feature fully functional. Usability tests were conducted using Hotjar, where we could release a mvp then review how users interacted with the app or review direct feedback submitted by users.
[prioritizing the user]
Notifications remind users of time sensitive tasks that need to be completed, so they never miss a mission or lose any flight progress after becoming a pilot. It is important users have the opportunity to categorize notifications as “read” or “unread.” As we all know life happens, and sometimes you need that extra reassurance that you can complete a task at a later time.
[sophia inez scott]
[2024]