Beacon People Analytics
2 months from initial research to launch
Design Lead and Individual Contributor;
Led user research and workshops, defined user journeys and requirements, mentored design intern, supported design system development, and managed handoff and QA.
The Challenge
Maintenance leaders in major airlines faced critical operational inefficiencies that impacted both business performance and customer satisfaction.
Limited Real-time Visibility
Unable to track and monitor technician availability in real-time, leading to inefficient resource allocation and delayed response times
Manual Task Allocation
Time-consuming manual processes for assigning tasks, resulting in potential mismatches between technician expertise and maintenance requirements
Extended Aircraft Downtime
Increased operational costs and decreased customer satisfaction due to longer maintenance periods and flight delays
These challenges resulted in significant operational costs, reduced efficiency, and potential impact on airline reputation and customer loyalty.
Limited visibility into technician expertise, workload, and availability results in inefficient team utilization, increased assignment risks, and time wasted on manual profile reviews.
The original interface provided only basic profile cards with names and availability status, lacking crucial information about qualifications, performance metrics, and workload. Limited filtering options and no visualization of team capabilities made it difficult for managers to effectively allocate resources.
Poor Information Architecture
⚠️ Critical information spread across multiple views
⚠️ No unified view of technician capabilities
⚠️ Inefficient navigation between team members
⚠️ Limited filtering and search capabilities
Business Impact
→ Increased time to make assignment decisions
→ Higher cognitive load on managers
→ Reduced operational efficiency
→ Potential for overlooking available resources
Proposed Improvement
To address limitations in information architecture and availability management, I proposed a redesigned interface to enhance efficiency, reduce cognitive load, and improve decision-making. The new design unifies key data points, provides real-time insights, and incorporates advanced search and filtering to streamline task assignments and boost team utilization.
Redesigned team list view with enhanced data visibility, displaying key attributes such as roles, teams, homebase, and contact information. This unified layout minimizes navigation time and simplifies task assignment.
Detailed member profile view offering comprehensive insights into workload, performance metrics, and job history. Real-time data on workload and frequent assignments enables managers to make informed decisions quickly.
Availability Management Improvements
Enhanced availability management with real-time tracking, shift schedule integration, and capacity forecasting for better workload balancing and resource planning.
Search & Filtering Enhancements
Upgraded search functionality with multi-criteria filters, expertise-based sorting, and smart location filtering to improve technician assignment efficiency and accuracy.
Leadership & Mentorship Challenges
Intern Development
- Identified early that the intern needed additional support with design system implementation
- Shifted from high-level guidance to hands-on pair working sessions
- Created detailed checklists and review processes
- Developed step-by-step documentation for design system principles
- Successfully enabled intern to work independently on subsequent projects
Quality Assurance Management
- Discovered design implementation discrepancies during initial design audit
- Created comprehensive annotation documentation for engineering team
- Developed systematic review process with engineers
- Established clear communication channels for quick feedback and iterations
Design System Contribution
- Delivered essential components including status indicators and data visualizations
- Created comprehensive documentation of specifications and guidelines
- Conducted regular sync meetings and technical reviews
- Implemented iterative QA processes
Lessons Learned
01 Leadership Insights
02 Technical Learnings
Leading the People Analytics initiative demonstrated how strategic design leadership, combined with hands-on execution, can transform complex operational challenges into measurable business outcomes. Through innovative research methods, adaptive mentorship, and rigorous quality assurance, we delivered a solution that not only met immediate needs but established new standards for efficiency and collaboration.
