MODERNIZING AIRPORT PROCEDURE DESIGN SOFTWARE
Roles - UX Designer (Collaboration with Lead Designer, Product Manager, and 5 Developers)​
Timeframe - 5 months of research, discovery, and designing. The project was put on hold after 5 months.​
Company - Boeing / Jeppesen – ForeFlight
Users - Airport authorities, air traffic controllers, drone operators, and dispatchers
Note: Due to NDA restrictions, this case study does not include product screenshots or proprietary visual assets.
THE CHALLENGE
Aviation procedure design software had become a critical bottleneck for users creating and managing aircraft approach procedures at airports. The existing system was severely outdated, forcing users to navigate multiple disconnected design tools to complete a single task. The interface relied on numerous pop-up screens to adjust settings, making it difficult to maintain context and increasing the risk of errors in safety-critical workflows.
Additionally, the system had no established procedures or design patterns for integrating drone operations— a rapidly growing segment of airspace management that needed to coexist safely with traditional aircraft procedures.
DESIGN PROCESS
CORE PROBLEMS
• Fragmented toolset requiring users to switch between multiple applications for one procedure. • Excessive pop-up screens that disrupted workflow and obscured critical information.
• No standardized approach for drone airspace integration.
• Outdated interface that didn't meet modern usability standards.
• High cognitive load for users managing safety-critical procedures.
MY ROLE & APPROACH
As a collaborating designer, I worked closely with our lead designer, product manager, SMEs, and development team to reimagine how aviation professionals design procedures. My specific contributions included:
RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
• Conducted competitor analysis to understand industry standards and emerging solutions.
• Researched the drone airspace landscape to understand regulatory requirements and operational needs.
• Facilitated in-depth interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs)—including dispatchers and
procedure designers—to understand existing workflows, pain points, and critical information needs.
• Documented how users currently navigate the fragmented system and identified where errors
and frustrations occurred.
DESIGN & PROTOTYPING
• Created unified workflow designs that consolidated multiple tools into a single, cohesive interface.
• Designed an overlay system to surface critical information without obscuring the primary workspace.
• Developed interactive prototypes in Figma to test concepts with real users.
• Integrated ForeFlight's terrain mapping technology to provide visual context for procedure design.
Established design patterns for drone operation integration within traditional airport procedures
VALIDATION & ITERATION
• Conducted usability testing sessions with SMEs using interactive Figma prototypes.
• Gathered feedback on workflow efficiency, information hierarchy, and safety considerations.
• Iterated designs based on real-world testing and expert input.
• Collaborated with developers to ensure technical feasibility while maintaining design integrity
THE SOLUTION
We delivered a modernized procedure design interface that fundamentally simplified how aviation professionals create and manage airport procedures.
UNIFIED WORKSPACE
Consolidated fragmented tools into a single, integrated interface that allowed users to complete entire procedure designs without switching contexts or applications.
INTELLIGENT OVERLAY SYSTEM
Replaced disruptive pop-up screens with contextual overlays that kept critical information visible while users worked, reducing cognitive load and minimizing errors.
DRONE INTEGRATION
Established clear design patterns and workflows for integrating drone operations into traditional airport procedures, addressing a critical gap in airspace management.
TERAIN VISUALIZATION
Leveraged ForeFlight's mapping technology to provide real-time terrain context, helping users make informed decisions about procedure design and safety considerations.
BUSINESS IMPACT
The redesigned system significantly improved the procedure design experience for aviation professionals:
• SMEs were impressed by the simplified workflow, noting they could now complete tasks that previously required multiple tools in a single, streamlined interface.
• The overlay system was praised for keeping critical information accessible without disrupting the primary workspace—a crucial improvement for safety-critical work.
• Successfully established drone operation standards within the platform, future-proofing the system for evolving airspace requirements.
• Modernized the interface to meet current usability standards while respecting the complex, technical nature of aviation procedure design
KEY TAKEAWAYS
This project reinforced several important lessons about designing for complex, safety-critical systems:
1. Deep SME collaboration is essential: Aviation professionals brought domain expertise that shaped every design decision. Regular testing and feedback sessions ensured solutions actually worked in real-world conditions.
2. Simplification doesn't mean oversimplification: The challenge wasn't removing complexity—it was organizing it intelligently so users could focus on their work without fighting the tools.
3. Context preservation matters: In safety-critical workflows, losing context can mean missing critical information. The overlay system solved this by keeping everything visible and accessible.
4. Future-proofing requires research: Understanding the drone landscape early allowed us to build flexible patterns that could adapt as regulations and technology evolved.