Empowering everyone to safely take flight
The app provides airspace information to drone operators, like when and where it’s safe to fly, to ensure intended drone activities comply with Singapore’s drone laws when planning flights.
Client
Garuda Robotics
Drone startup
Timeframe
6 months to launch in Q2 2020
Team
1 Designer (me), 2 Engineers, 1 PM
Context
It’s often difficult for drone operators to determine where they can and cannot fly. Whether you’re a person who loves to fly for fun, or a business that uses drones for mapping or photography, the first and most common question you'd ask yourself is "Where can I fly?"
Problem
Some of the top issues we surfaced from research and data were around accidental touches, poor navigation within app.
Casual drone pilots have a lack of awareness on unmanned aircraft (UA) regulations in Singapore. We confirmed that by running a survey which showed almost 40% of our users are unfamiliar with these regulations.
Solution
As a team, we agreed to work on improving the score of System Usability Scale (SUS) to 'OK' as the minimum, before implementing any new feature. Our goals were to:
reduce number of steps to complete a task
make it easier to edit a flight plan, and
allow users to access important information faster
My role
Along with my team, I shipped the redesigned experience for the app's map view, flight planning, and introduced the permit identification wizard.
I prepared the assets for submitting the mobile app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
What I did
Graphic design
UX audit
Creation of design system
Organize usability testing sessions
Prototyping
Gather and evaluate user requirements
Research insights
We started by doing conducting heuristic evaluations on the app and found that it's a functional app filled with usability issues and does not look pretty.
Design concept exploration
I did a handful of explorations to find a balance between information density and spatial efficiency. Our experiment goal was to validate whether this new map actually helps drone pilots understand what the airspace restrictions are, and if they feel confident taking the next steps before flight.
Design system
As this project was using React component library, I created and customized colors and components following Google’s Material Design system.
Key changes to the app
After testing and iteration, we rolled out a new UI update that primarily consists of visual changes to subtly enhance the user experience through minimalist design.
Introducing... the permit identification wizard!
Although there are multiple infographics online regarding Singapore's drone laws, drone users are still unsure any whether training, permit or licence are required for their intended UA activity. As such, I decided to create a questionnaire to assist drone hobbyists in identifying suitable permit for their intended drone activity in addition to displaying airspace data.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore loved this idea and they incorporated it in their website.
Optimise flight planning interface
Currently, users struggle to interact with some buttons due to its position and small tap targets. Our goal for the redesign of the page was to improve indication of interactive elements and reduce usability problems so that it is easier to edit a flight plan.
Gamifying habit-building for safer flights
We introduced a gamified experience that encourages drone pilots to cultivate safe flight habits and adhere to regulatory compliance. By turning compliance into rewarding moments, this helps reduce the risk of potential violations.
Key takeaways
Drone pilots often face several pressures like environmental factors, regulatory compliance, and stay efficient. So the interface should not be ambiguous to minimize cognitive load.