💼 Role

The Aeronautical Navigation Office delivered critical aeronautical GEOINT for DoD operations, but analysts struggled with an outdated AERO portal. The system’s inefficient tree-branch navigation, legacy code, and lack of real-time alerts hindered usability, increased frustration, and reduced confidence in data completeness. A modernized solution was implemented to streamline workflows, improve navigation, and enhance overall efficiency.

As the UX Designer and Business Analyst on this project, I led user research efforts, conducted usability testing, and collaborated closely with developers to ensure the solution met user needs. My primary responsibilities included:

• Conducted user research through interviews and guerrilla testing at DoD conferences.
• Created wireframes, prototypes, and conducted iterative usability testing.
• Developed a structured information architecture to align with users’ mental models.
• Worked with developers to ensure design feasibility while optimizing performance.
• Analyzed business and technical constraints to align user needs with system capabilities.

To define the structure of the redesigned AERO portal, I created a concept map that outlined key user interactions, navigation pathways, and system components. The goal was to provide a clear, logical structure that aligned with analysts' workflows and reduced unnecessary complexity.

Key Components:

• Primary Navigation: Organized by mission-critical categories.
• Search Functionality: Allowed analysts to find airfields efficiently.
• User Alerts: Provided real-time notifications for airfield notices
• Data Management System: Refined architecture minimized redundant processes and improved data integrity.

Process
During our user research sessions, we conducted an assumption mapping exercise where participants placed sticky notes on a board to capture their assumptions about the AERO portal and its future state. These assumptions helped shape our design decisions and prototypes.

Key Assumptions:

• Users assumed that a simplified search function would drastically improve efficiency.
• Analysts believed a structured hierarchy would reduce confusion and enhance data retrieval.
• Many assumed that integrating real-time alerts would minimize errors in mission-critical tasks.    

User research was conducted at an annual DoD aeronautical conference, where analysts, pilots, and specialists engaged in usability testing of the prototype. 

User feedback confirmed that a redesign with streamlined navigation, an improved search system, and enhanced usability significantly benefited mission-critical tasks.

Customer Journey Map
To visualize user pain points and opportunities for improvement, I developed a customer journey map outlining key interactions:

1. Initial Access: Users logged into the system but struggled to find relevant data.
2. Navigation Challenges: Experienced difficulty locating airfield documents due to poor organization.
3. Search Functionality: Attempted to search but found results inconsistent or buried.
4. Data Validation: Cross-checked data manually, increasing workload and error potential.
5. Download and Use: Eventually found necessary information but experienced inefficiencies.

With the help of the scenarios we created and probing questions, this setup gave us a good sense of direction on what we needed to do next with the project.  

 A few quotes from the usability testing were:  

"Wow this is amazing. It's visually appealing and it is easy to find what I'm looking for." 

"... Much better than the crap we were using before." 

"I can't wait until this is fully operational." 

"This is definitely a time saver. Finding terminals with the old site was a nightmare."

User feedback from usability testing validated the effectiveness of the redesign. Analysts praised the modernized interface, improved search, and intuitive navigation. The project successfully aligned with user-centered design principles, leading to increased user adoption, reduced help desk tickets, and enhanced mission efficiency.