Project Snapshot

Novice pilots often face steep learning curves when operating advanced eVTOL aircraft due to complex control systems and monitoring devices. This can lead to confusion, stress, and reduced safety. We needed to understand how pilots interact with existing interfaces and identify opportunities to design a control panel that is intuitive, user-centric, and supports confidence in flight operations.

How Might We design an eVTOL control panel that allows novice pilots to operate safely and confidently while minimizing cognitive load and usability friction?

To understand seller needs and validate the concept of an in-app Seller Wallet, I used a two-phase research approach.

Phase 1: User Interviews
I conducted in-depth interviews with 10 novice and student pilots to explore their experiences with aircraft control systems. The goal was to uncover pain points, mental models, and challenges in monitoring flight data and operating controls. Interviews were semi-structured, allowing participants to share both their frustrations and workarounds.

Phase 2: Card Sorting
To better understand how pilots expect information to be organized within a control panel, I conducted a card sorting exercise. Participants grouped and labeled key functions, alerts, and monitoring elements. This revealed intuitive hierarchies and labeling preferences, guiding the design of a simplified, user-centered interface.

Phase 3: Survey
Based on insights from interviews and card sorting, I created a survey to validate patterns and prioritize features. Over 80 pilots participated, rating the importance of different controls, clarity of alerts, and ease of use for monitoring instruments. This allowed us to quantify preferences and confirm which design decisions would have the biggest impact on usability.

This three-phase approach combined rich qualitative insights with quantitative validation, ensuring that design recommendations were grounded in real pilot behaviors and expectations while addressing the most critical usability challenges.

1. Instrument complexity overwhelms novice pilots
   Many participants struggled to interpret multiple readings simultaneously. 68% of survey respondents reported feeling unsure which instruments required immediate attention during flight
2. Alerts are confusing or inconsistent
   Interviewees described alerts as “too technical” or “hard to prioritize.” Participants often ignored secondary alerts, which sometimes led to missed critical information
3. Intuitive grouping improves confidence
   Card sorting revealed that pilots naturally grouped functions into three categories: primary flight controls, monitoring/instrument alerts, and secondary informational features. 72% of survey respondents agreed that organizing controls this way would make the interface easier to use
4. Workarounds indicate design gaps
   Many pilots relied on printed checklists or external guides to manage flight operations, adding cognitive load. Interviews highlighted that these workarounds reduced focus on actual flying
5. Simplicity drives adoption
   Participants stated they would be more confident using the aircraft if the interface reduced clutter and presented information hierarchically. Survey results showed a 35% increase in reported confidence when controls were organized according to intuitive groupings identified in card sorting.

The research directly informed the design and layout of a user-friendly eVTOL control panel. Key outcomes included:

Validated design direction:
Insights from interviews and card sorting confirmed the need for a simplified, hierarchical control panel, giving the team confidence to move forward with mockups and prototypes.

Improved usability through prototypes:
Mockups based on research findings were tested with novice pilots, resulting in a 35% increase in confidence when locating and using primary controls and alerts.

Reduced cognitive load:
By organizing controls and alerts according to intuitive groupings, pilots reported less reliance on workarounds, like checklists or external guides, and felt more in control during flight simulations.

Team alignment:
The insights, journey map, and mockups became shared references for designers, engineers, and NASA stakeholders, helping prioritize features and layout decisions based on real pilot behaviors.

Actionable design guidance:
Research findings directly shaped labeling, alert hierarchy, and dashboard organization in the mockups, ensuring design decisions were grounded in user needs and expectations.

The combination of qualitative and quantitative research, along with tangible mockups, ensured that the proposed control panel design was both user-centered and practical for real-world implementation.

Combine qualitative and quantitative methods for clarity:
Interviews uncovered why pilots struggled with certain controls, while card sorting and the survey quantified preferences and priorities across a larger group.

Organization drives confidence:
Even small changes in how information and alerts were grouped had a big impact on novice pilots’ confidence and ability to operate the aircraft safely.

Mockups make insights actionable:
Translating research findings into tangible mockups helped the team visualize solutions, validate assumptions, and align cross-functional stakeholders around design decisions.

Workarounds reveal hidden pain points:
Pilots’ reliance on checklists and external guides highlighted where interfaces were unclear or overwhelming, showing that solving these small friction points can have outsized effects on usability.

Iterative testing builds trust in design:
Early concept testing of mockups allowed us to refine hierarchy, labeling, and alert presentation before final development, reducing risk and ensuring the control panel met user needs.