Operator Support System Product Suite
My Role
UI/UX Designer
Only designer on this project
Responsibilities
Gathering requirements from stakeholders
Identifying users
Building user personas
Regular feedback meetings with product teams
Journey mapping
Creating user flows
Wireframes
Prototypes
UX reviews with developers
Tools:
Miro
Sketch
Invision
Project Overview
The goal of this project was to integrate GustoMSCs suite of Operator Support System applications (OSS) into NOV Max™, NOVs big data and analytics platform. GustoMSC provides advanced design, operations, and engineering consultancy to optimize the performance, safety, and efficiency of mobile offshore units at sea. OSS applications provide real-time guidance to operators, based on data generated by onboard equipment.
The Challenge
Our team was tasked to design, build, and implement the suite of OSS applications into seamless, feature-rich, and user-friendly products that leveraged all of the data delivery functionality and value that the Max platform provides. An integral part of this process was to keep the application designs consistent with existing Max UI patterns, and adhere to guidelines defined in the NOV design system.
Another challenge was that the GustoMSC team are based in the Netherlands, so we were only able to collaborate virtually and with a six-hour time difference.
The OSS application suite includes:
OSS Lift (for safer lifting operations)
OSS Events (for digital reporting)
OSS Loading (weight management program)
OSS Jack (preloading operation guidance)
OSS Monitor (equipment monitoring)
Research
During our kickoff meeting with the OSS product team, we learned how OSS applications share crucial information that benefits offshore performance, and provides operators with real-time guidance using real-time data.
These key functions were:
Allow users to save and load configuration files
Allow users to save and load session data
Users can generate and export system reports in digital or print format
The user interface must include links to other OSS applications
Include a link to view or download the product manual
Include system administrator capabilities for customer and asset management
Discovery
After brainstorming sessions with the product and development teams, we identified key functions and requirements that needed to be included in each of these applications, as well as in the mvp (minimal viable product) at launch.
Summary notes from discovery meetings
The major differentiators between OSS and its competitors were:
Functionality: OSS offers more features and capabilities compared to its competitors
Integration: OSS is built on the NOV Max platform, which allows users to view fleet-wide data, collaborate seamlessly, and facilitate real time decisions based on actionable insights at the wellsite and in the office
User experience and interface design: Enhanced ease of use and intuitiveness of the NOV Max platform. Max Edge brings sophisticated visualization and analytics capabilities to the field so there is no cloud-to-edge lag time.
Competitor Analysis
We looked at similar products from competitors, and compared their overall functionality, user interface designs, information architecture, and performance to identify a strategy that improves upon their shortcomings while capitalizing on their strengths.
M04 Advanced vessel motion forecasting
M04 Diagnostics software dashboard
M04 Data analytics software dashboard
Huisman Control system software
User Research
The OSS team shared there were two sets of users who use OSS Applications: Customer operators and GustoMSC engineers. Several of those GustoMSC engineers were also product owners of some of the OSS applications, and served as the user group for our research. They were instrumental in helping us learn about their respective applications, and offered valuable insight into their workflows, use cases, and pain points. Based on these discussions, I was able to create two user personas, map out user journeys, and develop user flows. These personas could be applied to all of the OSS applications, so I used them when building user stories and user requirements for each application.
User Personas
User Persona No. 1
User Persona No. 2
OSS Applications
Using the research, competitive analysis, and user personas, I created designs
for three of the five OSS applications:
OSS Lift, OSS Events, and OSS Loading.
Details of my process building each project can be viewed using the links below.
