Terminal View
Focus
Creative Direction
UI/UX Design
Brand Design
I assumed this project's Creative Director role, helping the team by guiding them through product scoping, user flows, wireframing, prototypes, UI design, and usability testing.
I also mentored a colleague, guiding them through the ropes of a desire to assume the role of Product Owner—the project champion.
It was a team effort, and this groundbreaking project wouldn't have been possible without a lot of trial and error and intentional design.
Team
Scott O'Hara – Designer & Product Owner
Chris Lindal – Lead Developer
Format
Web
Desktop
The strength of Terminal View lies in its capability to uncover patterns and data trends, visualize potential bottlenecks, and take corrective actions to enhance productivity.
25%
Improved Efficiency
15%
Decreased Error Rates
Increased Task Completion
Data-driven decisions
Optimized outcomes
Container terminals hum with activity, but data? Lost at sea in a spreadsheet graveyard.
For yard managers, chasing trends and bottlenecks (aka money sinks) turns into multiple trips through the yard, wasting precious time and resources.
This reactive scramble needed a proactive solution, and Terminal View was the answer.
Terminal View is a user-centric approach that combines container data, equipment locations, and GPS info.
But here's the twist—it uses a gaming engine to create a powerful, live visual display, giving terminal operators a superpower to see trends, visualize bottlenecks, and take corrective actions all within this interactive interface.
User-centred insights
In a 40 hour week, more than one person spends 25% of their time driving through the yard searching for equipment.
In our research of customer pain points, which were thoroughly documented for legacy products, we identified deficiencies in terminal processes.
To validate our assumptions, we carried out a series of interviews with target customers. Each interview aimed to corroborate our insights from legacy products and gain a deeper understanding of how operators presently gauge efficiency, as well as their motivations and challenges.
Design Considerations
HUMAN
STAKEHOLDER REVIEWS
PROTOTYPE FEEDBACK
FIELD TESTING
OBSERVATION
CONTEXTUAL INQUIRIES
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
ENVIRONMENT
CAD DRAWINGS
GEOSPACIAL DATA
MOVING EQUIPMENT
RAIL/MARINE SHIPPING TERMINALS
SOLUTION
REAL-TIME EQUIPMENT DATA
INCREASED DATA ACCURACY
TIME EFFICIENCY
EMPLOYEE SAFETY
Global Reach,
Zero Travel Time
Building GPS-enabled 3D environments traditionally requires real-world measurement, a logistical nightmare for our 150 global terminal customers. But a hidden gem emerged – existing CAD drawings.
These digital blueprints became our game-changer. We meticulously integrated them into the system, ensuring every block, dock, building, and road was precisely captured in a virtual world.
Surprise!
That Map Wasn't Buried Treasure:
How We Learned CAD Drawings Are Just a Starting Point
Our initial assumption of perfect CAD drawings led to on-site discrepancies during the first terminal build. We tackled this by working with customers to gather precise GPS readings.
This experience highlighted the need for a standardized process. Now, clients are given guidance on yard prep or work with third-party GPS data for seamless installations.
Blinded by Data
Terminal workers relied on a bygone method: memorizing equipment locations from text and radio updates.
System data guided movements, but uncertainty about the actual location of equipment remained a constant hurdle.
3D Design Takes a Project From Sketch to Speedy Success
After testing our first design, we realized there's no need to reinvent the wheel every time. So, we built a global library of 3D models for all the standard terminal parts.
Now, designing a new terminal is like playing with building blocks – we can pick the pre-made pieces we need and put them together to create a custom space for each customer. This cuts out a bunch of unnecessary work on our end, letting us focus on the special features that make each project unique.
Adding an Interface to a 3D Environment
Operators needed the flexibility to customize the placement of interface elements, ensuring a visually appealing yet clear, intuitive, and dynamic design that allowed efficient task execution without compromising the environment's visibility. We designed an interface that provided essential information without obstructing visibility.
100% Visibility
We saw a chance to use existing tracking data for a visual management tool. While most locations had GPS tracking, they lacked a user-friendly way to see everything. Terminal View plugs right in, letting companies track equipment in real time and optimize their yards. We then added operation-based filtering to reduce visual clutter.
Design Thriving on Restrictions
We Turned Customer Confusion into a Winning Product Strategy: We got mixed reactions at first. Some folks just weren't sold on the "video game" idea. But they were on board once they saw it in action and realized how fast it was to set up.
Adaptability Pays Off: Terminal View could be installed and updated on the fly, which was a huge plus. We learned to be adaptable, especially when integrating with other systems.
Terminal View filled some significant gaps: It also stepped on the toes of some of our legacy products. We had to be very strategic about what we were solving and often included representatives from other products.
Future Proofing Pays Off: Although AR and VR didn't entirely take off in the field, experimenting with these new technologies opened doors to other cool features within Terminal View.
Investing in Others: I had the privilege of mentoring a coworker who was promoted to Product Owner of this product. Seeing their hard work and dedication pay off was incredibly rewarding.
