MxHub
Alaska AIrlines • 2024
MxHub is a new internal application that we are creating within Alaska Airlines for the maintenance and engineering department. As the lead designer on the team, I was responsible for designing the dashboard and mobile oil entry interface of the MVP.
Background
Alaska Airlines is a Seattle-based transportation company. MxHub is our new internal application for supporting aircraft engineers, who are responsible for fixing aircraft issues and keeping planes safe.
Our goal is to identify key usability issues within the current process and integrate existing software into one intuitive tool that allows engineers to move through their workflows seamlessly. By improving the efficiency of this department, we will minimize the time each aircraft is out of commission, saving both time and money.
MY Responsibility
UX/UI Design
I took over the responsibilities from the previous designer who went on a 5-month vacation. Inheriting all of her work, I collaborated with a team consisting of two product owners, a scrum master, and four developers. My role involved continuing her projects, which included designing the dashboard and the mobile oil entry feature of our product. This encompassed everything from reviewing the research material and strategy to ensuring pixel-perfect delivery.
Our Process
Our team works within an agile process of 2 weeks sprints. The design process is based on the double diamond method and lean UX process. We aim to incorporate the key phases of discovery, definition, development, and delivery in all our epics.
Problem Statement
The maintenance and engineering department is in dire need of a tech overhaul. The current process is fragmented, requiring users to go between several different tools in order to complete their work. Additionally, many of these are not mobile-friendly, which limits a technician’s resources while out on the aircraft.
Defining goals
When developing a new application, it's crucial to identify the main objectives to maintain focus. As part of our strategy, we conducted several rounds of affinity mapping, which helped us outline the high-level goals of our application and the features that would support those goals.
Journey Mapping
After going through several hours of demos and interviews with different stakeholders outlining the current tools, I was able to map out the problem that each tool was trying to solve as well as the limitations of that tool.
I used personas and journey maps to analyze areas of opportunity and major pain points. Our first task was to replace the primary tool outlining aircraft, flight, and maintenance information. This decision was based on the business's need to retire that software, as well as user research outlining its value.
Methods:
User interviews (in-person and virtual)
Surveys
Forums (demos, etc)
Behavioral Observations (Site visits at several airports)
Goals:
Understand user’s mental models, goals, and needs
Discover pain points and opportunities in the user journey (software limitations, process inefficiencies)
Determine the best path forward to deliver the most value to users in our MVP
User Flow
Aircraft logistics is a complex system. Within our user groups, there are different types of technicians, two different companies Alaska and horizon, and various station sizes and locations, each with their own localized processes that affect maintenance workflows. The flow below represents how technicians resolve one type of maintenance issue. However, there are many more flows to be considered for our product.
Information Architecture
While previous solutions treated the aircraft as the central container in which everything else revolved, deeper research revealed the individual maintenance issues to be the most central. This pattern is similar to the information architecture and UI of a task management system, where items are broken out into cards and boards.
Since resources and status center around each aircraft, it makes sense for each aircraft to have a dashboard view, with each maintenance issue being listed as its own card, opening to reveal further details, the status of completion, attachments, comments, and resources.
Wireframing Solutions
Deciding on the layouts and user workflows involved several rounds of low-fidelity iterations and testing. These wireframes served to shape the eventual solution. In addition to gathering feedback and doing research, many of the decisions were influenced by the design system of Alaska Airlines as a whole.
In an effort to keep consistency across various internal tools, the company decided to stay as close to Native iOS styles as possible. While the majority of our components were custom-made to accommodate our use case; elements such as modals, navigation, and overall UI patterns were based on Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines.
Testing
Designs were validated through user testing of low-fidelity concepts and high-fidelity prototypes. In addition to conducting various virtual tests and surveys through Maze; I traveled to several stations, doing in-person usability testing in order to listen and observe how users interact with our application.
As part of measuring the progress of our product, I sent out quarterly SUS and CSAT surveys. These have resulted in an average of 8 out of 10 satisfaction rating. Since its implementation, engagement with users continues to increase as we receive positive feedback.
User Interface
As the first version of our app, features are constantly being added and designs updated. The mockups below are a snapshot of the main pages within the application: listing out incoming aircraft, outlining maintenance work that must be completed, and demonstrating troubleshooting and collaborating around individual issues.
Conclusion
Takeaways:
Define the Problem First: Before focusing on specific features, it's crucial to step back and assess the overarching issues. This helps in questioning assumptions and broadening the perspective.
Narrow Scope While Preparing for Future Iterations: With limited resources, strategic decisions are essential to deliver value quickly while setting up foundational patterns for future versions.
Honor User Research: Ignoring user research can lead to costly and time-consuming solutions that ultimately fail due to user rejection. Adhering to user insights ensures that implemented features meet actual needs.
Involve Engineering Upfront: Engaging engineers early in the process helps to understand technical limitations and inform design strategies, reducing the need for rework later.
Future Developments
As the lead designer, I continue to collaborate closely with product owners and leadership to shape the roadmap. Although our MVP has made significant progress, much remains to be done. Future efforts will focus on:
Adding aircraft history
Increasing functions within the activity feed and collaboration feature
Automating manual searches
Allowing leads to assign technicians
Creating a digital logbook
Continually improving existing features