I've worked as contractor for a leader company in consumer robotics. They rely on vast amounts of data generated by its robots during test missions to drive innovation and product improvement. Developers and data analysts depended on an internal web application to review and analyze these mission logs. I was brought on to lead the complete overhaul of this critical tool, migrating it from a legacy version of Angular to a modern framework. This project was not just a technological upgrade; it was a complete re-imagining of the user experience, aimed at creating a more efficient, intuitive, and visually appealing platform for iRobot's engineering teams.
Mauro is a highly dedicated and proactive professional, combining strong technical expertise with excellent soft skills. These qualities not only make him an outstanding individual contributor but also a natural leader. In the project we worked on together, Mauro was responsible for designin... more »
The Challenge
The existing application suffered from several key issues. Built on an outdated version of Angular, it was difficult to maintain and scale. The user interface was clunky, and the overall user experience was not optimized for the complex data analysis tasks that users needed to perform. Key user needs, identified through initial feedback, were not being met, leading to inefficient workflows and frustration. The core challenge was to rebuild the application from the ground up, creating a robust, user-centric tool that would empower developers and analysts to derive insights from mission logs more effectively.
My Role & The Process
As the lead front-end & UX developer on this project, my responsibilities went beyond just writing code. I took a holistic approach to ensure the new application would be a success:
- User Research & Usability: I initiated and conducted a series of usability interviews with the primary users—robotics developers and data analysts. This allowed me to gain a deep understanding of their day-to-day challenges, their goals when using the tool, and the specific features that would make their work easier.
- UX/UI Design: Translating the insights from user research, I designed and proposed a new, modern interface. The focus was on clear data visualization, intuitive navigation, and simplifying complex workflows into manageable steps.
- Front-end Development: I developed the entire web application from scratch using the latest version of Angular. This involved building a scalable architecture, creating reusable components, and ensuring the application was performant and reliable.
- Backend Collaboration: A modern front-end requires a capable backend. I actively collaborated with the backend team, suggesting API changes and new endpoints to support the enhanced features and improved data flows of the new application. This close collaboration was key to creating a seamless and powerful user experience.
Outcome
The result was a completely transformed log analysis platform that was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from its users. The new application is not only visually attractive but also significantly easier and faster to use.
This project was a demonstration of how a thoughtful technological upgrade, driven by a deep understanding of user needs, can create a tool that not only solves existing problems but also unlocks new potential for its users.
