Advancing Mission Readiness Through Predictive Modeling (Defense Sector)
Description
The Department of Defense (DoD) sought to pioneer a new approach to operational readiness through the development of its first predictive modeling framework — an advanced analytics ecosystem designed to provide visibility across the complex landscape of mission readiness.
This framework introduced an unprecedented level of foresight and precision in support of strategic military objectives, enabling leaders to anticipate resource gaps, optimize maintenance schedules, and strengthen decision-making at every echelon.
The initiative united cross-functional experts from data science, operations, engineering, and design to translate high-volume data into actionable intelligence — modernizing how readiness was forecasted, monitored, and managed across the defense enterprise.
Challenge / Goal
Design and deliver an intuitive, scalable, and visually coherent platform that:
- Translates advanced data science into actionable readiness insights
- Supports proactive maintenance, logistics planning, and mission forecasting
- Empowers analysts, planners, and operators with predictive confidence
From Insight to Impact
Integrating user research, design iteration, and predictive intelligence into a mission-ready experience.
Discover
Conducted weekly user interviews with analysts, program officers, and readiness planners to understand operational workflows and decision-making challenges. Facilitated two collaborative workshops with client stakeholders to define priorities, map readiness data flows, and identify usability pain points in the existing process.
Explore
Led a divergent low-fidelity exploration of visualization and interaction models to uncover effective ways to communicate readiness data and predictive insights. Iterated through rapid testing cycles and transitioned into convergent, high-polish prototypes that balanced complexity and clarity for mission users.
Establish
Delivered interactive high-fidelity prototypes and coordinated specifications with engineers to ensure pixel-accurate implementation. Established a design governance structure that aligned UX, engineering, and data science efforts — creating a scalable design foundation for future predictive capabilities across the DoD.
Impact
- Designed the DoD’s first predictive modeling framework for mission readiness.
- Enhanced decision-making precision through intuitive data visualization and interaction design.
- Established a scalable design framework to support future predictive and AI-driven systems.
- Fostered cross-disciplinary collaboration among data scientists, designers, and engineers.
My Role
As Lead Experience Designer, I guided the UX direction from discovery to delivery, ensuring the framework reflected both operational logic and user empathy. My contributions included:
- Leading weekly user interviews to align design goals with mission workflows.
- Facilitating collaborative client workshops to co-create solution priorities and design direction.
- Managing design iteration from low-fidelity exploration to polished interactive prototypes.
- Partnering with engineers to coordinate implementation specifications and ensure delivery accuracy.
- Defining design governance standards to maintain consistency across predictive modules.
Generated Artifacts
Due to the sensitive nature of defense-related work, specific project artifacts and data visualizations cannot be publicly shared.
- Workshop summaries and insight synthesis documentation
- User journey and readiness data flow maps
- Low-fidelity exploration sketches and concepts
- Interactive prototype flows and component library
- Design-to-engineering specification package
Reflection
This initiative showcased how human-centered design and predictive analytics can converge to transform military decision support systems. By grounding data visualization in the operational realities of the DoD’s mission, the framework redefined readiness visibility — empowering users with foresight, trust, and actionable clarity.