American Airlines
Aircraft Maintenance
Kiosk User Interface Redesign:
Enhancing Efficiency
for Mechanics
In the dynamic landscape of aircraft maintenance technology, optimizing operational efficiency is paramount. The Aircraft Maintenance Kiosk Redesign project emerged as a response to the complicated challenges faced by mechanics within the Digital Aircraft Technology support domain at American Airlines.
The existing kiosk system, which plays a key role in important maintenance tasks, encountered issues ranging from login complexities to device availability, impacting the overall productivity of the maintenance crew. As a UX designer within the IT team, my role was to redefine the kiosk’s usability to directly address these pain points. This context establishes the stage for a focused exploration of the redesign process and its transformative impact on enhancing the operational workflow for mechanics.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
User Needs:
Mechanics in the Digital Aircraft Technology support at American Airlines express key needs: a streamlined login process, reliable access codes, readily available and correctly assigned laptops, efficient charging solutions, transparent status updates, and improved features like ‘quick return.’ A crucial aspect is the need to assess and ensure the right laptop is selected for specific tasks, mitigating challenges related to deferments and delayed actions due to incorrect device selection. Understanding and addressing these diverse needs are pivotal for optimizing the kiosk system’s usability and aligning it seamlessly with mechanics’ operational requirements.
Problem Statement
-Login Complexity: Mechanics encounter difficulties during the login process, especially in time-sensitive situations.
– Access Code Reliability: Inconsistent functionality of access codes hinders mechanics’ ability to access the kiosk reliably.
-Laptop Availability and Selection: Challenges arise with the availability and correct assignment of laptops, leading to deferred tasks and delays.
-Charging Issues: Uncharged laptops and mid-maintenance battery failures impact the efficiency of maintenance procedures.
-Lack of Clear Status Information: The absence of transparent updates during ongoing processes results in decision-making challenges for mechanics.
-Deferred Tasks and Inefficient Workflow: Issues with laptop availability, selection, and charging contribute to deferred tasks, impacting overall workflow efficiency.
The overarching problem is to enhance the kiosk system to effectively address these challenges, ensuring a more streamlined and user-friendly experience for mechanics in their daily operations.
Goals
- User-Focused Innovation: Innovate solutions that prioritize user needs and enhance overall user experience.
- Consistency and Clarity: Ensure consistency in terminology and user interfaces for a clear and unified experience.
- Efficient Task Management: Streamline task lists to improve accuracy and align with user expectations.
- Optimized User Interaction: Enhance user interaction through improved button design, font size, and overall interface.
- Seamless Device Access: Simplify user flow to minimize clicks and ensure easy access to devices.
- Visual Status Clarity: Develop a visually clear status display system for quick comprehension of laptop statuses.
- Adaptability to Change: Design with flexibility to accommodate changes and updates, ensuring long-term usability.
- User-Centric Language: Use user-centric language for improved user understanding.
THE PROCESS
Conducting interviews
Task Analysis
Contextual Inquiry
Identify challenges and provide solutions
Kiosk User Flow
Design Iteration
Comprehensive Product Interface Redesign
Conducting interviews
Our journey into the heart of the kiosk system began with one-on-one conversations with the mechanics, crew chiefs, and other stakeholders. We conducted a couple of interview sessions to validate our conclusions by analysis.
Key User Concerns Identified Through Interviews:
The Interview Summary
Task Analysis
After conducting interviews, we closely examined the tasks performed by mechanics using the kiosk. Our focus was on identifying any challenges, points of slowdown, and potential areas for improvement in their workflow. The aim was to gain a thorough understanding of the tasks mechanics engage in and identify opportunities to streamline and improve overall efficiency.
Contextual Inquiry
To gain firsthand insights into the mechanics’ workflow and interactions with the kiosk, our team conducted contextual inquiries. This involved on-site observations, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the mechanics’ working environment. By witnessing their day-to-day tasks and challenges, we obtained a deeper understanding of the context in which the kiosk is utilized. This direct observation played a crucial role in informing our design decisions and ensuring our solutions were tailored to the real needs of the mechanics.
Challenges
Solutions
Kiosk User Flow
Optimizing Kiosk User Flow for Enhanced Usability
Design Iteration
We initiated design iterations to address identified usability issues and
enhance the overall user experience of the product
Comprehensive Product Interface Redesign
Conclusion
Our Kiosk Interface redesign journey was all about improving user experience and overcoming usability challenges. Through thorough interviews, task analysis, and inquiries, we understood the daily struggles of mechanics and crew chiefs.
The iterative design process, guided by stakeholder feedback, resulted in a comprehensive product interface redesign. Our focus on minimizing clicks, optimizing workflows, and enhancing UI communication led to a user-friendly solution. Introducing a task-driven device selection feature streamlined processes and build user confidence.
Usability testing refined our designs, emphasizing our commitment to a user-centric approach. The redesigned interface not only addresses current challenges but also paves the way for future enhancements based on user feedback.
Moving forward, our dedication to functionality, user-friendliness, and efficiency remains steadfast. The positive impact on user experience and the ongoing pursuit of improvement marks a successful chapter in the evolution of the Kiosk Interface.