Manufacturing Plant Management Platform

Assembly Line Case Study

Role

Sr. Product Designer

19,000

Users

Scope

0 - Launch

Platform

iPad

Plant Operations Management Redesign

Assembly Plant 4

Fort Worth Texas

1 Mile Long

F 35 Planes

19,000+ workers

Problem:

Assembly line inefficiency, scattered data and infrastructure, broken record keeping, inaccurate instructions, shift handoff, inventory tracking and ordering, QA, communication

Solution:

Build a single point solution on iPad, new data structure, real-time communication system

Timeline:

10 - months

Team Size:

1-Product Designer, 1-PM, 1-data architect, 4-developers

My Role and Ownership

Research

Product Roadmap

Prototyping

Visual Design

Design QA

Research:

Assessment included 5 days shadowing 8 assembly line worker across 3 shifts, Interviewed 3 supervisors and 2 inventory workers. Spoke with data architects to get an understanding of limitations and possibilities

Workflow Design:

Developed feature outines estimating feature design/build cycles and timelines

Prototyping

Created early exploration of feature sets and presented them to 4 sets of users. Gathered feedback on initial concepts and made iterations, repeated this cycle

Visual Design:

Created the design and look n feel. syling and estetics

Design QA:

Reviewed builds on iPad device and coordinated with developers on Visual and functionality changes.

This project was done before figma and the use of AI. My workflow has changed dramatically. The cores I haven’t changed is face to face user interview importance, direct customer feedback, heuristic evals. My tools in the process has changed and has sped up the product design cycle.

“Wish I had everything all in one place, and be able to keep it with me on the assembly line”

Ken, assembly

Problems, Research Findings

2-4

hr avg

Spent looking up Information

90

min avg

Spent waiting o communication

Stationary Computers

Workers are constantly leaving work area to look something up.

Scattered Records

No one single place to keep Documents, no naming conventions. Nearly impossible to find what your looking for

No Real Time Data Syncing

System data needed organized and accessible, system was a mix of patches of data sets, needed rebuilding.

Solutions

Dashboards

User type Dashboards for quick summaries, task outlines, risk managements

Document Space

Document annotations, camera input, personalized instructions or notes to add to steps or processes

Messaging, Calls

Direct communication with workers, supervisors, file sharing

Workflow Breakdown

Workflow steps that included timer, instructions, tools, documents, communication, inventory tracking

Revised Search

New database structure allows for unified deep search by tags and keywords

Account, PIN signin

New database structure allows for unique PIN sign in, can assign training, track efficiency, time off and adjust work schedules by manager.

Access to training documents, OCEA standards, safety protocals

Shift Handoff

Allows information to be recorded and passed on easily to next shift, automated instead of spoken and lost in translation

Part Tracking

Inventory tracking including status, part numbers, order numbers, safety tracking, tied into work forcasting and assembly dependency

Assembly Line Worker Dashboard

IA

Feature Set

Thought Process

I wanted the screen to give as much information to the viewer about their job as possible. This typically goes against the premise that you give the user only the information needed at the time. I broke away from that as this screen is their dashboard. Dashboards are an overview for seeing operations as a whole.

In this case I wanted the worker to see what steps are taken to complete the assembly section. What needs inspection to move forward, Inside the steps are task and a user can break down any part of their work into detail. Their may be documents or specific instructions related to each task or step.


I wanted the user to not have to guess what they need to complete the task, what parts are there or not there, tools, documents, the ability to ask some one questions, send completed task to QA for approval. The ability to take pictures and add them to the task or step.

Assembly Line Worker Dashboard

Thought Process

I wanted the screen to give as much information to the supervisor about the day to day projects that are under his umbrella. He can see tiles and then click on a tile and see the details. he can see his task and what he needs to address.

Document Editing

Thought Process

The customer only wanted the ability to see images, possibly zoom in and see detail if there were any. They also wanted to be able to see all of a batch of images or documents that were attached together.

I proposed the ability for workers to write notes on an image. You could toggle them on or off. The ability to take photos and add them to a specific image as an annotation or a document or a process.

A worker could have the ability to see any newly added notes or images. Who added them and when. This ability was for accountability and tracking.

What didn't make the cut

I also proposed the ability to see part numbers and stock that was outlined in the image. This idea was too complex with the hundreds of thousand parts and numbers. We shelfed this idea but everyone thought this could be useful in the future.

With the help of AI I think that this idea could be easier to implement in todays product building.

Inspector screens

Measures of Success

Reduce assembly task completion time
Reduce errors
Increase document orginazation, creation, and naming efficiency
Improve communication
Make training easier
Support inventroy department effiency
Reduce switching between tools