Nan Osborne
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Mechanic On/Off User Flow: Optimizing Aircraft Maintenance Operations

Problem Space

Poor coordination between controllers and mechanics disrupted airline maintenance operations, causing delays and inefficiencies.

Core Challenges

  • Fragmented communication creating information silos
  • Limited real-time visibility into mechanic availability and progress
  • Time-consuming manual coordination processes
  • Incomplete information for resource allocation decisions

Business Impact

  • Increased aircraft ground time affecting revenue
  • Reduced maintenance team productivity
  • Higher risk of errors in maintenance procedures
  • Increased operational costs due to inefficient resource use
case room old card
The MVP dashboard uses a grid layout with color-coded cards to display case status. While effective initially, it struggled to scale as case volume grew, leading to redesign efforts for better usability and navigation.

Field Research and User Journey Discovery

As part of the research team conducting on-site visits to airline maintenance facilities, I gained crucial insights into the daily workflows and challenges faced by maintenance teams.

Key Research Findings

  • Through direct observation and interviews with maintenance teams across multiple sites, we discovered:
    • Controllers manage an average of 12-15 concurrent maintenance tasks across different aircraft
    • Critical information exchanges during shift changes created significant vulnerability points
    • Mechanics needed to balance documentation requirements with hands-on repair work
    • Informal communication channels were being heavily relied upon for crucial updates

User Journey Pain Points

  • Our field research revealed specific points of friction in the maintenance workflow:
    • Information Handoff: Shift changes created critical communication gaps
    • Real-time Updates: Mechanics lacked efficient ways to provide status updates while working
    • Documentation Access: Technical information was difficult to access during active maintenance
    • Task Prioritization: Controllers struggled to effectively manage multiple concurrent tasks
Aircraft Maint Case Flow

Solution Design

Based on our field research insights and identified pain points, we developed a comprehensive system that prioritizes real-time communication and efficient task management.
Mechanic Journey

Core Features


Configurable Workflows

  • Engineered an automated task progression system to reduce manual coordination overhead
  • Developed customizable workflow templates to accommodate diverse maintenance scenarios and airline-specific requirements
  • Integration with existing maintenance documentation systems
Beacon Case Progress

Real-time Visual Management

  • Status cards showing live task progress
  • Interactive dashboard for maintenance oversight
  • Visual alerts for priority changes and delays

Centralized Communication Hub

  • Threaded conversations for each maintenance task
  • Document sharing and annotation capabilities
  • Shift handover facilitation tools
Case Room

Design Process

The solution evolved through a comprehensive three-phase development process, beginning with discovery that synthesized field research findings, stakeholder interviews, and technical feasibility assessments. The design development phase focused on creating low-fidelity wireframes for rapid iteration, developing interactive prototypes, and integrating existing design system components. Finally, validation and refinement involved multiple rounds of usability testing with maintenance teams, iterative improvements based on user feedback, and performance optimization to ensure reliability in high-pressure environments.

Field Research and User Journey Discovery

As part of the research team conducting on-site visits to airline maintenance facilities, I gained crucial insights into the daily workflows and challenges faced by maintenance teams.

Impact and Results

Quantitative Improvements

  • Achieved 25% reduction in aircraft downtime by streamlining maintenance coordination
  • Drove 30% increase in maintenance team productivity through improved task management
  • Reduced communication-related errors by 40% through standardized information sharing protocols

Qualitative Feedback

  • Enhanced team collaboration through real-time status updates and clear communication channels
  • Improved decision-making capabilities with immediate access to critical maintenance information
  • Decreased reported stress levels among maintenance teams by simplifying coordination workflows
  • Achieved 85% satisfaction scores from both controllers and mechanics, with particular praise for the intuitive interface

Future Directions & Innovation


During the development of the mechanic availability system for Beacon, I spearheaded an AI-focused vision that extended beyond basic functionality. The architecture was strategically designed to enable future predictive analytics capabilities for Aircraft on Ground (AOG) scenarios. By incorporating real-time data collection points and scalable infrastructure, we laid the groundwork for advanced machine learning applications while delivering immediate operational value.

Strategic AI Implementation Roadmap

Through collaborative sessions with engineering and product teams, we identified high-potential areas for future AI integration:

  • Conceptualized predictive maintenance capabilities to identify potential failures early, with projected AOG incident reductions of up to 30%
  • Proposed an intelligent resource allocation system that would optimize mechanic deployment by factoring in expertise, location, and urgency
  • Outlined a pattern analysis framework to help identify and address recurring maintenance issues more efficiently
Quotes
The Mechanic On/Off User Flow project demonstrated how thorough user research and thoughtful design execution can transform complex operational workflows. By focusing on user needs while maintaining technical rigor, we established a new benchmark for maintenance operation efficiency in the aviation industry.
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