Textron Systems: Synturian
UX Strategy, Flows & Wireframes, IxD, Rapid Prototyping, UI / Design Solutions
Textron Systems Synturian Drone Operator App
Textron Systems needed to re-design their current operating application for a new line of unmanned aerial drones. The existing version of the app, created by in-house engineers, was dismissed as too clunky, leading to lengthy training times.
As UX lead, I spearheaded the UX re-design.
After multiple onsite interviews with prospective users, primarily military drone pilots, and lengthy brainstorming sessions with the Textron team, I was able to isolate the key fundamentals, and create a functionality hierarchy.
Based on the onsite takeaways, I determined that the UX solution lay in both the interaction vocabulary and a clear field-of-view.
A "control halo" was created that combined orientation control with waypoint functionality. The same halo device was then incorporated for all interaction states across the application leading to visual language familiarity and thus significantly reduced training time.
Additionally, the interaction elements were designed to collapse, thereby clearing the field of view for the user.
I incorporated the same interaction vocabulary throughout the experience.
During onsite conversations, the Textron team mentioned that they wanted to gamify the experience as much as possible. Therefore, when consulting with the graphic designers, I pushed a gamer aesthetic that would evoke video game UI.
Textron was so impressed with the outcome, that they came back to us a short while later to develop a UX strategy for their next product dealing with geospatial solutions.