Routing Pilot.
Digitizing schedule distribution to reduce cognitive load and eliminate administrative errors.
OVERVIEW
Modern infrastructure planning requires rapid power grid expansion, but engineers face severe efficiency bottlenecks when manually drawing and inspecting routes in legacy software like QGIS and ArcGIS. Routing Pilot—developed in collaboration with Iteract—is a decision-support tool that uses modified A* algorithms and Answer Set Programming (ASP) to generate and evaluate optimal power line routes using Swedish GIS data (Lantmäteriet Topo10).
Through a 200-hour cognitive UX project, I conducted an extensive heuristic evaluation and usability testing framework to transform this complex algorithmic demo into an intuitive, high-fidelity enterprise product in Figma.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Timeline
8 weeks
Industry
Healthcare
RESEARCH
To evaluate the system's usability and reduce cognitive overhead for specialized energy grid planners, a dual-research framework was applied:
Qualitative Usability Testing: Semi-structured user interviews combined with task-based usability testing (using Likert-scale quantitative metrics) to map mental models, domain terminology expectations, and navigation friction.
Heuristic Evaluation: A comprehensive audit grounded in Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics, cognitive psychology, and human information processing limits to identify hidden usability bottlenecks.
Competitive Analysis: Evaluated existing market tools to benchmark interaction patterns for complex spatial GIS environments, map visualizations, and data filtering.
PROBLEM STATEMENTS
Cognitive Overload & Visual Noise: Lacked visual hierarchy and cluttered screens with redundant inputs and inconsistent icons, increasing scan times and mental strain.
Ambiguous Terminology & Weak Mental Models Non-standard terms (e.g., "Uppdrag", "Violations") and abstract warning messages created friction and mismatched engineering expectations.
Restricted User Control & Rigid Workflows No ability to edit names, delete projects, or add routes to existing packages, forcing users to restart complex wizards from scratch.
Navigation Friction & Unclear System Status Deep navigation truncated project titles, while missing breadcrumbs and progress feedback made it hard to track background tasks and location.
DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Dashboard view
Saves individual constraints and requirements to eliminate mental fatigue
Templates
Saves individual constraints and requirements to eliminate mental fatigue
Automated Schedule Generation
Auto-creates personalized schedules, customizable text, and downloadable .ics calender files
Clear & Accessible Layout
Replaces confusing checkmarks with explicit dates, times, and week numbers for guardians
USABILITY TESTS
Task-based tests: Validated through 11 tasks and comparative benchmarking with active planners of the current process:
Massive improvement: Every researchpoint was improved e.g. trust, speed and stress level
100% of participants requested to adopt the system immediately
OUTCOME
Resource Optimization: Reduced staffing needs from two people to one single planner, freeing time for direct care.
Zeroed Error Margin: Automated validation removed manual cross-referencing and miscommunication.
Enhanced Accessibility: Delivered mobile-friendly schedules with direct digital calender integration
Municipal Handover: Project report, presentation, video demonstration and specs handed over to Skellefteå IT for implementation
