SimManager - Hexagon
SimManager is a web-based simulation process and data management application which is a part of Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division. As an Experience Design Intern, I conducted a comprehensive design audit of the legacy application, now integrated into Hexagon's Nexus digital cloud platform. I proposed design enhancements to ensure alignment with Hexagon's design system - Nexus UI, which is also utilised by other Nexus applications.
Associated with : Hexagon (Manufacturing Intelligence division)
Team : Robert Sieg, Ashok Patel
Duration : 3 months
About SimManager
SimManager is a Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) platform designed to streamline simulation workflows in industries like automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. It provides centralized storage for simulation data, models, and results, enabling efficient organization and collaboration among teams. SimManager automates repetitive simulation tasks, enhances traceability by tracking activities and maintaining detailed histories, and integrates seamlessly with various CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) tools and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) systems. By optimizing simulation processes and reducing errors, it helps accelerate product development cycles and improve overall efficiency.
Process
We started by first understanding about SimManager and its users. Being a tool which required a fair amount of knowledge about CAE workflows, it took us sometime to understand the user base and their journeys when using SimManager. For this we collaborated with SMEs and product development teams to get a cohesive view.
Next, we started capturing our initial thoughts on the major features of SimManager very roughly on a digital whiteboard and made messy annotations. While doing so, we were particularly marking inconsistencies with the design system, misguiding interaction patterns prone to errors as well as accessibility issues in terms of colours, fonts and iconography. After having multiple sessions with the stakeholders and making sure all the pain points were captured, we wrapped the Discovery phase.
Now, we knew the areas we wanted to focus more on and also the ones which were quick wins i.e. more impact, less dev work. Keeping that in mind, we started exploring designs for our targeted areas of change and classified them into 2 categories -
- Broad impact (broader areas of change = more impact)
- Narrow impact (change in specific areas of utmost importance in the workflow = more impact)
After identifying opportunity areas, we documented must-dos and good-to-haves along with a detailed breakdown of each component and interaction pattern and presented it to the group of developers who have now successfully updated few things based on the suggestions from the audit.
My Learnings
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SimManager was my very first project as a design professional working in the industry. In discussions with my mentor, I often realised how important it was to capture even the craziest ideas because you never know when can you see it blossoming into something useful.
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Now that I look back, working on SimManager did not only help me grow as a designer but also improved my skills as a communicator, presenter and strategist, as the dev team who is known for being rigorous and resistant to change was quite positive of the design suggestions