Incident Command Platform
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UX Design
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UI Design
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〰️ UX Design 〰️ UI Design 〰️
For this project, I was tasked with designing and developing a command-and-control digital platform for first responders. Hardware on each operator would send data about each responder’s health and whereabouts, providing command with increased situational awareness and improved insights by allowing them to better organize their scene and perform rescue operations. The main goals of the project were:
1. Design a platform that digitally represents the pre-existing incident command architecture and operations
2. Seamlessly connect the hardware data to the display, representing it in a clear and concise manner
3. Make the visuals as simplistic and intuitive as possible, as most of the user base was unfamiliar with digital tools like this
Research and User Flows
To begin the project, I first had to learn what command operations looked like across multiple departments. I researched different firefighting textbooks and magazines, interviewed several fire chiefs about their experiences, and saw firsthand several training drills. I compiled this research into different visuals to help plan the design, with the most important being the user flows. I had to take into account the hardware along with the software, so understanding the full picture helped to plan the interface as efficiently as possible
Mockups & Wireframes
After planning out the design, I created mockups to visualize what the interface would act and feel like. Because the visuals were very simplistic and assets could be changed easily, the mockups were meant to represent as close to the final product as possible. These were also turned into functional prototype wireframes that could be interacted with via a computer and mouse. They were used to conduct user studies with fire chiefs, and helped developers understand how to implement the designs effectively. Designs were often updated based on feedback and increasing demand, and these wireframes helped to explore how they fit into the overall architecture.
Functional Application
After running the design iterations through several rounds of customer feedback, they were handed off to the developers. I had a lot of involvement with this process as well, and at times implemented the designs myself. There were several iterations of the product based on new and improved feedback, with many versions making their way into customer's hands and on the field.