Note: To comply with an NDA, I have omitted and replaced confidential information, including the company name.
AeroValue
Redesigning the trusted online guide for aircraft valuation data.
Industry
Healthcare
Team
Lead Designer
Frontend Devs
Company Stakeholders
Role
Product Designer
Duration
8 weeks
Background
For more than six decades, AeroValue has been a trusted source for the aviation industry, offering precise and thorough assessments of the aircraft market. With a growing number of users relying on AeroValue's services, the website needed an overhaul to enhance user experience.
The Problem
Poor Usability and Accessibility
The existing interface was hampered by accessibility and usability problems.
No design source of truth
A lack of design standardization meant complicated internal communication, and the current design was neither scalable nor mobile-friendly.
Outdated branding
AeroValue’s brand was in need of a refresh—its appearance was at odds with the modern nature of their products.
The Task
Fully revamp the website experience
Rethink the product design from the ground up, delivering a redesign with improved usability.
Introduce design infrastructure
Build a design system and component library from the ground up which can be expanded and adapted to future projects.
Update the brand image
Refresh the branding to reflect the quality of the products they offer.
Stakeholders
Due to the fast-paced nature of this project, our team had to continuously communicate with stakeholders to update them progress as well as be proactive in seeking out feedback. I received creative feedback from daily design critiques with my team at FuseLab and the CareSync design team.
Auditing the Existing Design
To assess the needs and priorities of the new design system, I carried out a thorough audit of the existing platform.
Note: To comply with an NDA, I have omitted and replaced confidential information, including the company name.
Too many things calling for attention
The current lack of a clear color scheme makes it difficult to guide users towards these primary actions effectively. With a call-to-action in nearly every section, it feels like everything is competing for the viewer's attention. This overwhelming presence of action buttons adds cognitive load for users, making it hard to identify the next step.
The lack of visual hierarchy makes it difficult to quicky scan pages
The mix of multiple elements on a single page and the absence of a grid system makes the interface feel overwhelming and confusing to scan information.
Designing the New Website
Before & After
Our typical users include aviation professionals such as aircraft operators, brokers, consultants, and analysts. Typically, our users are middle-aged professionals who may not be fully up to date with the latest technical advancements. Our goal was to update the design while maintaining a careful balance. We didn't want to alienate our current users but rather make the user interface intuitive and with a more modern approach.
Design System
We expanded on AeroValue’s brand guidelines by designing a full set of semantic design tokens consistent with the brand, which were informed and consumed by a library of reusable components and patterns.
Light and Dark mode
We initially designed the interface in dark mode to give it a sleek and modern feel. However, during the stakeholder panel presentation, there were mixed reactions to this choice. Some felt that the dark mode was too stark of a contrast from the original design. As a solution, we introduced a toggle feature for light and dark modes.
Reflection
What I've Learned
Design for the users, not myself
This project offered a lot of excitement with its creative opportunities, particularly in developing futuristic interfaces and establishing a standout brand. The team was clearly eager to delve into cyberpunk-esque styles as well. Yet, I had to remind myself to focus on our users' needs and assess if these designs would genuinely benefit them.