Production Process
UX Optimisation
Global Automotive OEM / B2B
A global automotive manufacturer relied on outdated, fragmented methods for documenting and communicating production issues. While the assembly line had to run continuously, fragmented workflows in rework & production management were still handled through inefficient legacy systems or even informal workarounds.
This not only slowed down resolution but also created barriers between technicians, engineers, and managers who needed real-time visibility.
Design mandate : digitally transform a critical workflow without disrupting daily operations or alienating the people who keep the line moving.
Challenges
01
Legacy Dependence
The existing digital toolset was antiquated, and parts of the process were still paper-based or verbal. Simply replacing everything with a “modern” interface would have broken mental models and triggered pushback.
03
Hidden User Needs
Many technicians were so accustomed to old practices that they struggled to articulate what they really needed. Long-standing habits obscured genuine pain points and aspirations.
05
Psychological Resistance to Change
For workers on the line, “I changed the system, now you must change your behaviour” would never work. The new design had to feel invisible, an augmentation of how they already think and act.
02
Always-On Operations
The production line could not stop for a system overhaul. Any disruption in technicians’ daily workflows would directly translate into financial loss and employee resistance.
04
Cognitive Mental Models vs. Official Structures
Engineers often thought about vehicles and processes differently from official schematics or IT frameworks. Bridging this cognitive gap was essential for adoption and speed.
Impact Highlights
Double-digit million Euro
range efficiency gains
Unified workflows across roles, reduced delays
Adoption without resistance Technicians embraced the system
Design Principles
Invisible Integration
Change must fit seamlessly into technicians’ existing workflows, rather than demanding they adapt to the system.
Agile Evolution
Replace legacy elements incrementally, keeping the line running while layering in new functionalities.
Seamless Access
Ensure all documentation, communication, and status tracking is unified in one platform, usable on both handheld devices and desktops.
Mental Model Alignment
Interfaces structured to reflect how employees naturally conceptualise cars and defects, not how organisational charts or databases are structured.
Empathic Discovery
Go beyond what employees say they want. Surface latent needs through contextual inquiry, repeated testing, and psychological mapping.
Brand Coherence
Leveraging the corporate design system to create trust, familiarity, and a sense of belonging.
Approach
01
Bridging Old and New
Rather than tearing down legacy systems, we first connected them into the new environment. This allowed gradual migration, minimising disruption while establishing trust.
02
Deep Contextual Research
Conducted ongoing workshops, shadowing, and iterative tests, treating each interaction as an opportunity to map the psychological as well as procedural landscape. I did not just collect feature requests; I learned how technicians think under time pressure, what they feared, and what they valued.
03
Surfacing Latent Needs
Many employees had grown so accustomed to suboptimal workflows they could not articulate alternatives. By interpreting fragments, contradictions, and behaviours, we identified their unspoken needs, which often became the genesis of entirely new solutions.
04
Agile, High-Frequency Iteration
Every insight was translated into weekly increments, tested live on the shop floor. Rapid feedback loops allowed us to pivot instantly, ensuring changes aligned with real-world constraints and employee expectations.
05
Unified System Design
The result was a consolidated platform: documentation, communication, error visibility, status management, all previously scattered, now unified. The system was deliberately structured around technicians’ mental models, with interactions optimised for use in high-pressure contexts.
06
Brand-Coherent Experience
By anchoring everything in the company’s design system, I delivered not just a functional tool, but an extension of the brand identity. Employees felt they were working within a seamless ecosystem rather than a patchwork of disjointed tools.
Outcomes
Adoption Without Resistance
Technicians embraced the platform because it reflected how they already worked. Change felt natural, not imposed.
Operational Efficiency
Streamlined workflows unlocked measurable gains, estimated to deliver double-digit million Euro in efficiency savings.
Cultural Transformation
Staff saw the tool as designed “for them, not against them,” creating advocacy rather than resistance.
User Satisfaction
In the later testing phases, feedback from technicians was constantly very positive, with emphasis on how the new system “spoke their language.”
Client identity and proprietary details anonymised
in compliance with NDA.
