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Outdated branding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

Heuristic Evaluation
Research
& Findings

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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

Thanks for making it this far!

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Feel free to reach out via email: hello@kimberlyw@gmail.com

Or check out some other projects:

Thanks for making it this far!

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Feel free to reach out via email: hello@kimberlyw@gmail.com

Or check out some other projects:

Thanks for making it this far!

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Feel free to reach out via email: hello@kimberlyw@gmail.com

Or check out some other projects:

Copyright © 2023 Kimberly Wong.

Copyright © 2023 Kimberly Wong.

Copyright © 2023 Kimberly Wong.