Digitizing AF Personnel Evaluation
Studio 0815
2024
B2B
To protect the client's intellectual property under our non-disclosure agreement, specific details in this case study have been intentionally left out or generalized.
We designed a digital flow on a 24" Desktop to replace the previous paper-based system used by sociologists inside the Air Force personnel staffing discussion system.
This new feature helped sociologists transition from spreadsheets to a digital dashboard, enabling easier nominee evaluations, communication through comments, and a presentation mode
My Role
UX Design team lead + 1 more designer
Collaboration
With Air Force Sociologists, developers, and PMs
Timeframe & Tools
4 months
Hand Drawn Sketches
Figma
The Problem: Air Force sociologists relied on outdated processes - Excel spreadsheets and printed documents, to evaluate hundreds of officer candidates to positions. The paper based workflow caused inefficiencies, data mismanagement, and prolonged discussions, in an already complex staffing process.
Let's break this down to challenges:
Manual Work
The new flow needs to turn inefficient manual analysis of nominee data into a digital form that works effectively.
Disconnected Communication
Replacing scattered communication with a real time comment sharing feature, allowing multiple Sociologists to work efficiently.
Lack of Clarity in Presentations
Transforming static reports into an interactive presentation mode for clearer discussions flow.
In this case study, we will detail our thought process and the steps we took to transform these challenges into a functioning flow, demonstrating our approach and solutions. Thank you for reading.
Let's talk about the users
Sociologists
Aged 28-52, with backgrounds in sociology or psychology, they evaluate personnel, analyze sociometry scores, compare candidates, efficiently communicate insights during discussions, and provide their recommendations.
Data Overload | Manual Work | Time Pressure
Officers
Aged 24-42, trained in leadership and operational skills, officers are evaluated based on performance and suitability for roles. While their data is central to the evaluation process, they are not the primary users of the system.
Desktop | Uncertainty | Under Review
TLDR: Flow is relevant to the Sociologist
Where does this flow take place?
To better understand our role here, let's take a look at where the flow is located in the current system's information hierarchy tree.
All Candidates view vs. Profile View
Tasks Analysis
Based on interviews we conducted with the sociologists, we mapped their current actions and designed a user flow for the updated interface. Focusing on these main points:
Enable the sociologists to load different graphs, charts and scores to the candidate's personal file into one place.
Compare and Evaluate
Compare scores and feedbacks to better understand the relevancy of the candidate to the position and make an evaluation.
Commenting Network
Different sociologists work on different candidates and there must be a commenting network so they can work in a shared place.
User Flow Chart
User Flow. Feel free to scroll around
On to the sketches
After establishing the system's navigation and taxonomy, we sketched the primary layouts and components, focusing on generating quick, easy ideas to refine later.
User Testings
In December 2023, we conducted a usability test to examine users’ intuition when navigating the system. The test consisted of editing a scan mission from the layers panel.
5 Users were tested
Avg. participant age was 24y/o, with no prior background in militarized drones. One person was familiar with civilian drone apps.
Test was conducted on 10" tablet
Participants were asked questions about the system while a tester recorded their scores using a SUS questionnaire.
Controlled recorded environment
Test was conducted in a closed room and recorded. Only the participant and the tester were present.
What did we find?
Intuitiveness
Excellent
Participant answers verified the system’s clear and easy to use operational functions. In our survey they successfully identified different elements within the system
Navigation
Simple
Survey participants smoothly navigated the system interface, including new users who had not previously undergone training. All were able to preform tasks fluidly after only a few minutes of use (avg. SUS score 5 out of 5)
Flow Operation
Successful
Asked to preform a certain task using a specific flow within the system, most participants executed successfully. Primarily in the layers panel and the edit scan mission interface (avg. SUS score 4.96 out of 5)
The system today is in development.
What do I take with me?
This project was filled with unexpected challenges, from navigating a client with limited understanding of their user base to collaborating across multiple teams with spontaneous meetings, tight schedules and lack of clear project milestones. Late-stage technical limitations by the dev team also forced us to rethink our approach, but these obstacles pushed us to grow creatively and adapt quickly.
Overall I'm grateful for the experience and the lessons learned that shaped the success of this project and grew me as a team leader.
