Playbook
An AI-integrated decision support system for the future success of space missions.
CLIENT
NASA Ames
Research Center
ROLE
Researcher
Designer
TIMELINE
Capstone Project
8 months
April - December
UXD TEAM
Jilly Li
Shivam Shukla
Nhi Tran
SKILLS
UX Research
Prototyping
Usability Testing
TOOLS
Google Forms
Figjam
Figma
Project Overview
Playbook, NASA's mission planning tool, supports human and robotic space missions but relies heavily on manual processes involving numerous individuals. As space exploration advances, mission planning must evolve. With the rise of AI and machine learning, this project aims to design research-backed concepts for an AI-driven mission planning interface in Playbook, tailored for future deep-space exploration.
My Contribution
I was actively involved in the research phase and took the lead in the design process. My responsibilities included conducting a literature review, designing and facilitating user research activities, crafting research questions, interviewing participants, and analyzing data to inform design decisions. I developed and iterated prototypes and also conducted usability testing sessions to refine and enhance features. Additionally, I created marketing materials, including a roll-up banner and a demo video, to effectively showcase our work. As the main point of communication, I ensured effective collaboration and coordination among my teammates.
Video edited and created by Nhi Tran
PROCESS
Empathize
Understanding Planning Workflows
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Understand the challenges general people face during the planning and rescheduling process
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Open-ended, unstructured interviews (n=6): Uncovered individuals' strategies and identified any pain points they faced.
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Group re-planning activity (n=7): Simulated autonomous planning in a space mission context. Participants were given time and resource constraints to re-plan their existing group's plan. Responses and feedback were collected both manually and through surveys (n=21).
User-Centered Discovery: Needs and Obstacles
DATA COLLECTION
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Semi-Structured Interview (n=7):
- Conducted interviews with individuals who have prior experience using Playbook
- Used a semi-structured, open-ended interview format
- Explored challenges participants face and their expectations
- Focused on the context of Playbook, mission planning, and artificial intelligence
DATA ANALYSIS
Provided qualitative insights that deepened our understanding and guided the development of key themes and future design concepts
Coded the Initial Data
Identified Initial Themes
Synthesized Themes
RESEARCH KEY TAKEAWAYS
Our primary research objective:
How can we simplify and make the decision-making and mission planning process more efficient for our users through the use of decision support systems?
Simplify and Visualize Complex Information
Allow Users to Explore Multiple Pathways
Ensure Human-Centered and Transparent Workflow
Define
Focus on the most latest and critical aspect—especially under time constraints. This helps narrow the scope to a universal challenge that not only aligns with user needs but can also lead to solutions adaptable to other contexts.
REDEFINED PROBLEM STATEMENT
Suppose there is an AI assisted decision support system designed to simplify and assist the decision making process in contingency planning
AI ASSUMPTIONS
- Integrates and oversees all data within Playbook
- Evaluates and determines parameters like risk, workload, and other key metrics
- Monitors real-time updates (e.g., unexpected weather or missing resources) to adapt plans dynamically
- Utilizes historical plan data as a reference for decision-making
USER TYPES & USER FLOW
Mission Planners
- Need: Simplify complex information and provide assistance during contingency planning
- Challenges: Dealing with a repetitive manual process and managing the uncertainty and complexity of unexpected events
- Goal: Develop and maintain a safe and executable plan for crew members
Crew Members
- Need: Quick and transparent assistance during execution
- Challenges: Working with plans they did not create themselves
- Goal: Successfully complete tasks and activities
Ideate
SKETCHES & PAPER PROTOTYPE
Exploring Creative Solutions Aligned with User Needs
CONCEPT TESTING
Co-designing Features with Direct Users
Using our findings, we brainstormed ideas and consolidated them into three key concepts. We then conducted concept testing (n=2) with direct users to simplify complex workflows, improve transparency, and enhance usability.
Assistance Panel
Provide users with clear, actionable suggestions to explore complex pathways and predict potential options efficiently.
Timeline Visualization
Simplify complex information by visualizing constraints and interdependencies through multiple views.
Real-time Warning
Provide real-time updates and instant user assistance
Evaluate
USABILITY TESTING
Ensuring the design caters to various skill levels
We conducted moderated usability testing (n=11). Our testing prioritized improving the product's flow, with visual design enhancements planned for future iterations if time permits.
- Playbook experience: proficient (n=6) and minimal (n=5)
- Gather insights from both experienced and novice users, ensuring the design caters to various skill levels
Prototype
Assistance Panel
Your Planning Companion
Users can activate the Assistance Panel by clicking “Assistance” or selecting an activity. The chatbot offers context-specific prompts, with AI responses color-coded and supports both text and voice input. The multi-suggestion generator presents:
- Clickable titles
- Expandable descriptions
- Actionable hints
Each suggestion includes a validation spider graph, with options to compare multiple suggestions and labeled metrics for clarity.
Past Iterations
Timeline Visualization
Empowering Users to Make Well-Informed Decisions
Hovering over chatbot elements or timeline items reveals visualized constraints and interdependencies. Aligning text with visuals simplifies complex information, enabling users to explore pathways and understand requirements without switching contexts. Once a suggestion is activated, a new timeline appears with a separate tab.
- Guided timeline with hints
- Comparative timeline view
- Multi-days overview
- Option to save suggestions for later
- Customizable timeline editor
(Drag-and-drop functionality was introduced post-mid-fi and is pending formal usability testing.)
Past Iterations
Guided Timeline with Hints
Comparison View
Multi-days View
Real-time Warning
Efficient and Non-Disruptive Solution for Crew Members
A warning bar appears at the bottom of the screen to minimize disruption during execution and the use of color highlights alerts clearly without being overly distracting.
A quick, direct pop-up suggestions panel offers optional detailed views, along with brief notes indicating affected activities—making assistance more immediate and efficient for crew use.
Past Iterations
Acknowledge
LIMITATION
Challenges and Constraints of the Project
- Limited access to the Playbook, which serves as our primary resource
- Restricted access to end-users for direct interaction and feedback
- AI is treated as an assumption, with its capabilities excluded from consideration
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Self-Initiated Collaboration and User-Centered Solutions
- Proactively initiated and established the project with our client
- Collaborated throughout the research and design process with support from NASA Ames Research Center mentors
- Designed and implemented a prototype that tackled user pain points effectively within existing limitations
- Successfully managed team dynamics and resolved conflicts to achieve project goals
WHAT I'VE LEARNED
Key Takeaways from the Capstone Experience
- Collaborating with NASA Ames Research Center's Playbook team was an invaluable experience
- Improved teamwork skills, including acting as a mediator to maintain a balanced team dynamic
- Developed active listening and clear communication to address ambiguities effectively
- Learned the importance of scoping down and focusing on specific problems to optimize time and resources
WHAT'S NEXT
Some Points We Consider As Future Work
- Evaluate features across various devices like mobile phones and other portable devices
- Investigate in alternative approaches for relevant metrics and their presentation
- Understand AI capabilities and refining design features accordingly
- Conduct usability testing with crews
