Peer Robot

Peer Robot

Collaborating with United Airlines on designing solutions to mitigate fatigue of ramp workers.

Client

United Airlines

Duration

Aug 2023 - Dec 2023

Role

Lead Product Designer

Team

Dennis Siegert

Jiwon Shin

Sunmin Ko

Woo-Mi Jeong

Design Tools

Figma (Main Tool)

Adobe Suite

Mural

Project Overview

Context

Ramp workers are the critical backbone of the airline industry, yet they remain undervalued.

Ramp workers are crucial for flight operations but are often underappreciated. They handle time-sensitive tasks, and mistakes can disrupt travel. Despite their importance, they face long hours, low pay, and high injury risks.

Problem Statement

United Airlines' safety is undermined because the injury reporting system is ineffective, resulting in missing data on-ramp worker fatigue and injuries.

United Airlines' injury reporting system is complex and inaccurate. Poor team dynamics and communication also prevent ramp workers from getting necessary support, leading to fatigue and injuries.

"Culturally no one cares about one another, especially when you are a new hire, and when you get injured it feels like your whole life changes."

UA Safety Team Employee

How Might We

Implement support systems to reduce fatigue and improve ramp workers' working conditions and safety?

What Ramp workers need a supportive and safe environment for injury prevention. By implementing supportive systems to reduce fatigue, we can significantly improve working conditions of ramp workers.

Design Strategy

Peer Robot is an AI system for United Airlines that monitors ramp worker fatigue and improves team communication.

Design Overview

United Airlines Ramp Worker App Design

The Peer Robot app lets ramp workers check fatigue levels, consult with Peer Robot, and file injury reports, which are sent directly to the UA safety team. It integrates with wearable tech, like the Apple Watch, for monitoring.

Designed to Connect to Wearable Devices

Ramp Workers can link their wearable devices to the app to track fatigue levels, heart rate, sleep, and water intake. The app integrates this data for straightforward monitoring.

Impact

Through Peer Robot's support, Ramp Workers can:

1. Fast Injury Reporting

Improve injury reporting efficiency with Peer Robot, which collects essential details from conversations and helps Ramp Workers complete their reports in under 15 minutes.

2. Inspire Encouragement

Have private discussions with Peer Robot to help manage stress stemming from repetitive work appointed by leadership.

3. Recognize fatigue causes

Seamlessly monitor fatigue levels via Peer Robot's integrated devices, leveraging data-driven insights to proactively avoid repeat injuries.

Design Process

Project plan

Research

Methods

Conducting research to investigate current problems, analyzing these insights, and synthesizing them to How Might We Statements

Quantitative Research

20 Case Studies and 10 Discontinuities

Qualitative Research

7 on-site Interviews at O'hare

Observational Research

Observing user journey at O'hare

Journey Maps

Flight Take Off and Landing

Insights

Developing an Insight Book

Compiled a book that combines insights from case studies, discontinuities, and interviews, organized by relevant topics for easy reference and application. You can view them here: link.

Main Insights

01. Many ramp workers skip filing injury reports because it's time-consuming.

Ramp workers get overwhelmed by the report due to the amount of questions needed to answer (Interview)
Ramp workers also file injury reports because they do not feel support from management and teams (Interviews, Quantitative Research)

02. Ramp workers do not get enough support from teams and management.

Ramp workers have to leave behind their emotions to focus on work (Interview)
To be taken seriously by team leads, you need to have a good track record (Interviews, observational research)

Prototype Development: Iteration 1

Developing Wireframes

Creating wireframes from insights to present to the client and ramp workers for user testing

Based on our insights, we created wireframes with essential features for the prototype, including the necessary functions.

Wireframe Details

01. Highlighting that day fatigue details on the home page

Illustrating fatigue with diagrams to monitor its causes, such as heart rate and other fatigue indicators

02. Highlighting injury report through level of fatigue

Creating injury reports through a structured conversation with Peer Robot. The report details the fatigue level for the day and the reasons provided by the ramp worker.

User Testing

*Testing image not shown due to confidentiality reasons*

Main Insights

01. Ramp Workers enjoyed the new way to report injuries

When showcasing our prototype, ramp workers appreciated the ability to make conversations with Peer Robot private
Ramp workers and the safety team wanted to be able to edit the injury report before submitting the report.

02. There is an overwhelming amount of information

Ramp workers mentioned how when observing the prototype, the fatigue tracker section had too much information on the page
The prototype was challenging to navigate, highlighting the need for improved navigation.

Final Prototype

Second Iteration

Taking insights from User Testing to develop a second iteration of high-fidelity wireframes

Based on the user testing of the wireframes, we went back to the drawing board to change prototype based on the feedback from the ramp workers

Prototype Details

01. Having alerts when the user's fatigue is high

Creating clear representation of the percentage of fatigue that day
Creating alerts when fatigue is high to create attention for the user.

02. Making injury reports easier to navigate and editable in the page

Based on user testing, we made the navigation of the page clearer and allowed ramp workers to easily edit the injury reports before submitting the report.

Prototype Interactions

Phone Interactions

Apple Watch Interactions

Design System

Developing a design system to ensure efficiency and consistency when developing the final prototype

Impact

Future Roadmap

Further enhancing safety could be achieved by expanding the physical device to integrate peer robot capabilities.

Right now, the Peer Robot tracks data using a vitals monitor band. In the future, ramp workers could use simpler tools, potentially integrating beam wristbands and smart glasses in 3-5 years to directly identify hazards and procedures, improving safety and awareness.

Outcome

From Prioritizing Efficiency to Safety

By adopting Peer Robot, United Airlines stands to gain:

01. Supportive Culture

Cultivating workplace morale through augmented communication and emotional backing, nurturing an encouraging work environment.

02. Fairness

Streamlined scheduling and flexible task coordination promote elevated wellness across operations, safeguarding equity among all.

03. Accurate Data

Obtaining heightened fatigue insights to continuously refine and bolster injury prevention.

"Through this innovative technology, it fills the void where we don't have any data and provides a voice to the people working on the ramp."

UA Safety Team Management

Takeaways

Collaborating with United Airlines afforded an invaluable perspective on research, insights, and innovation. The immersive view across activities from research to prototyping illuminated structured frameworks for human-centered design applicable across industries. Balancing present realities with future possibilities allowed for contouring innovations optimized for both current and future needs. Looking ahead, the innovation, research, and strategic visioning skills honed here will empower initiatives delivered with empathy, invention, and vision unified under frameworks fine-tuned for advancing value. United Airlines sets an example for realizing progress and driving change through systematic approaches that put people first.

Future Steps

This project remains an ongoing collaboration with United Airlines. The next phases entail refining the proposed solution based on user feedback to better match ramp worker needs. Planned prototype revisions aim to optimize utility and ergonomics. Subsequent testing will evaluate peer robot integration to quantify the concept's ability to achieve enacted impact reducing injury rates. Continued progress relies on centered-human ideation combined with inventive iteration until ramp worker affirmation and safety data converge to signal unquestionable value potential.

References

Efthymiou, Marina, et al. “Flight Crew Evaluation of the Flight Time Limitations Regulation.” Case Studies on Transport Policy, Elsevier, 17 Jan. 2021, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X2100002X.

Wingelaar-Jagt, Yara Q., et al. “Fatigue in Aviation: Safety Risks, Preventive Strategies, and Pharmacological Interventions.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 6 Aug. 2021, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.712628/full.

Morais, Carlota, et al. “Human Factors in Aviation: Fatigue Management in Ramp Workers.” De Gruyter, De Gruyter Open Access, 1 Jan. 2023, www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/eng-2022-0411/html?lang=en.

HealthWay. “How United Airlines Implemented a Robust Safety Plan for Employees during COVID-19: Healthway®.” HealthWay, 29 Nov. 2022, www.healthway.com/story_item/how-united-airlines-implemented-a-robust-safety-plan-for-employees-during-covid-19/.

Heller, Martha. “United Airlines Gives Employees the Digital Tools to Make Customers Happy.” CIO, 25 Jan. 2023, www.cio.com/article/419642/united-airlines-gives-employees-the-digital-tools-to-make-customers-happy.html.

United Airlines, Inc. “United Safety Management System: United Airlines Corporate Responsibility Report.” United Aviate, crreport.united.com/safety/united-safety-management-system.

Bell, Ian. “How to Deal with Fatigue on the Ramp.” Aviation Pros, Aviation Pros, 2 Mar. 2015, www.aviationpros.com/ground-handling/ground-handlers-service-providers/article/12034747/how-to-deal-with-fatigue-on-the-ramp.

Bosley, Galen, "Evaluation of Aviation Maintenance Working Environments, fatigue maintenance errors/accidents", 8 Mar. 2020, www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/initiatives/maintenance_hf/fatigue/article_evaluation_of_aviation_maintenance_working_environments.pdf.