CLIENT PROJECT
INDUSTRY:
B2B SAAS
FOR AEROSPACE
PLATFORM:
BLOCK AERO TECHNOLOGIES
PROJECT TYPE:
FEATURE ENHANCEMENTS
DURATION:
2 MONTHS ENGAGEMENT
TOOLS:
HOTJAR, FIGMA, MAZE, JIRA
MY ROLE:
UX STRATEGY,
RESEARCH, HANDOFF, EVALUATION POST-RELEASE
TEAM:
2 PRODUCT DESIGNERS,
2 DEVELOPERS,
1 PROJECT MANAGER,
1 QUALITY ASSURANCE
USERS:
9 USERS
Deep Tech Innovations: Feature Enhancements in the Aerospace Industry
Before I begin, please keep in mind that to comply with the NDA, I have omitted confidential information in this case study. The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Block Aero Technologies.
Overview
Data-intensive platforms like Block Aero come with their own particular kind of design challenges. Users will perform a mixture of actions over and over again. And so, it's important to get the little things right in order to avoid "death by a thousand cuts", where small inconveniences add up to an unsatisfactory overall experience.
For my work at Block Aero as Product Designer this meant sweating the details, being very intentional about which features to tweak, improve, or chuck out altogether, all while keeping the overall Block Aero experience and design system intact.
About Block Aero
I've worked at Block Aero's blockchain platform as a Product Designer for over 2 years.
Block Aero is an aerospace asset lifecycle management platform that enables organizations to increase operational efficiencies and target complex workflows.
About the Client
One of our clients is a company that provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services primarily for aircraft components and systems.
Specializing in aviation maintenance, they offer comprehensive support to airlines, aircraft operators, and maintenance facilities.
The Process
01
Review Product Requirements
02
UX Research
03
Design Prototype
04
Technical Assessment
05
Usability Testing
06
Synthesizing Findings
07
MVP Design
08
Hand Off
Unveiling Challenges
Our client's work revolves mostly around data, brimming with documents and sheets, which can feel overwhelming to navigate and organize. As a design team, our primary goal is to simplify and improve these processes, aiming for both functionality and aesthetics. This involves not just addressing issues during design and delivery phases but also continuously iterating on existing features.
That’s why I felt really committed to researching ways to enhance features for our current clients.
Hotjar was a valuable tool we used for post-production research to review session recordings. These recordings revealed that users who frequently uploaded documents or attempted to locate them experienced persistent difficulties.
We shared these findings with our business analytics team for further validation, conducting user surveys to gather additional feedback.
After synthesizing the data received from users and the business department, we summarized research keypoints
Research Keypoints
Objectives
Block Aero platform users face workflow slowdowns because, after uploading documents, they need to open each one individually to assign a specific document type (e.g. Vendor Quote), as there was no detect/automate in this process.
Identify potential improvements in the document classification during document upload.
The lack of visual feedback on document content hampers the identification of specific documents during searches, reducing the efficiency of workflows.
Explore opportunities to enhance the document viewing experience on the platform.
Users who work with a batches of documents need the ability to assign type to multiple documents during bulk uploads.
Find an efficient way to allow users work with documents while handling large-scale operations.
Block Aero users need an easy way to upload and manage multiple documents, update document information,
and quickly identify uploaded files.
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This should allow our users to utilize the Block Aero platform for storing documents reliably and complete tasks efficiently.
Armed with these findings, we initiated a mission to enhance the document upload, classification, and view features
User Flows
Initially, I mapped out every pathway where users engage with files, including document upload and viewing, across all platform sections and modules. That helped us to build the scope of work.
Here is one of them:
Comparative Analysis
Given the unique challenges Block Aero addresses in the aviation sector, conducting a quick comparative analysis can be difficult but remains essential.
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Considering Jakob's Law in UX design, which advises using familiar patterns for users, I focused primarily on B2B platforms and document management systems like Nextcloud, Alfresco, Pydio, Zoho, as well as popular tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Adobe Acrobat.
In the comparative analysis, I evaluated factors like usability, task completion, feature implementation, layout, and navigation.
I examined default document views, file upload options, document management features, preview functions, sorting methods, and quick editing tools.
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Below you can find some of the examples of my analysis:
Right side summary panel in document viewers.
The summary often gives a quick overview of the document and allows access to editing options.
This confirmation dialog gave me an idea of how can we help our users to speed up the process of classifying document type during the upload.
It's a common practice to allowing users modify document view.
"
"
I primarily handle documents on the platform, so it would be great to have the ability to upload multiple documents simultaneously without the need to individually assign a document type to each file.
Madison | Repair Order Manager | Block Aero User
Sketching & Prototyping
After sketching some ideas and then discussing which seemed most feasible given the constraints and resources at hand, I moved on to prototyping.
Please contact me at alishapinoli@gmail.com
if you are interested in getting a walkthrough of the prototypes.
One of the prototypes with added enhancements:
different views option: compact, list, and card;
thumbnail on hover
Objectives
Proposed Solutions
Identify potential improvements in the document type classification during document upload.
Allow users to classify document type seamlessly via a simple dialog during documents upload process.
Explore opportunities to enhance the document viewing experience on the platform.
Create a different document view options: compact, list, card.
Add amplifier function to the preview, so that users don't need to open every document individually.
Find an efficient way to allow users work with documents while handling large-scale operations.
Enhance the bulk upload feature for documents by incorporating advanced options, including machine learning capabilities for a quick document identification and processing.
Testing Solution
After the prototypes were finished, me and my colleagues conducted 5 moderated and 4 unmoderated usability tests with our users to analyze the following new features:
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1. Update Document Type While Uploading: This feature allows users to upload and classify documents using the appropriate document type during the upload process.
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2. Updating Documents Type in Bulk: Participants were asked to assess the functionality and usability of updating document types in bulk, enabling them to efficiently classify multiple documents after they were uploaded on the platform.​
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​3. Document View Enhancement: The usability of the document view was assessed to identify potential improvements for enhancing the user experience through the introduction of various document view options.
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4. In addition to the document view enhancements we were expecting users to discover the Hover on the Thumbnail Function.
After the feature enhancements, users can now classify documents approximately 47.16% faster than before.
7 out of 9 participants appreciated the document view improvements, such as the ability to hover on thumbnails.
78% of participants successfully completed all tasks.
100% of participants expressed satisfaction with the document type classification feature.
How Block Aero Benefitted
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Addressed Critical Pain Points: User interviews revealed technical limitations and bugs causing daily frustration. These insights allowed us to resolve reported issues, significantly improving platform reliability and user satisfaction.
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Enhanced Product Scalability: Research led to improvements in bulk operations, a feature critical for larger companies. Adding this functionality made the product more scalable, accelerating growth by catering to bigger clients.
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Improved Platform Usability and Experience: Usability studies revealed key insights, such as the effectiveness of thumbnail previews and a preference for the compact or card view. These improvements refined the interface and optimized workflows, fostering user retention and trust.
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Increased Efficiency in Routine Tasks: By simplifying the user journey, we reduced the time required to complete routine tasks, resulting in increased productivity and a more intuitive experience. This aligns with our goal of minimizing friction in daily operations.
"
I appreciate the changes being made! Thank you for asking for my feedback.
Hiroshi | Aircraft Domestic Engineer | Block Aero User
"
Actionable Recommendations
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Implement Onboarding and Guided Tours: Introduce an onboarding process to highlight new features for users.
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Introduce Machine Learning: into document classification processes to enable users to work with documents on the Block Aero platform more seamlessly.
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Offer Flexible Table Views: Provide options for users to switch between compact and card views, catering to varied preferences.
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Improve Thumbnail Visibility: Increase the size and clarity of thumbnails to enhance document detail visibility.
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Refine Design with Further Testing: Conduct additional usability tests to gather more feedback and iterate on design improvements