Overview
CONTEXT
Innovating for Government.
As a part of my Innovating for National Security Internship, my team and I partnered up with the Department of Defense- specifically our problem sponsor Captain Christian Perez, an Observer Coach/Trainer (OCT) for the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) located in Hohenfels, Germany, to improve radio communication monitoring during training exercises.
THE PROBLEM
Unable to Properly Monitor Communication During Training.
From the start, our team’s biggest challenge was narrowing down our given problem statement and truly understanding the issue at hand. Given a vague problem scope, we spent four weeks reaching out to military personnel, OCTs, training unit soldiers, military leaders, and relevant tech companies to gain clarity and narrow down the exact issue preventing OCTs from “properly monitoring” communication currently. To create a meaningful solution, we needed to go beyond surface level understanding. Even Captain Perez, who recognized the problem’s existence, couldn’t pinpoint whether it stemmed from funding, management, technology, or data. Our goal is to deliver a practical, implementable solution- not just a fancy, theoretical proposal. By considering various constraints and insights from our interviews, we were able to refine the problem statement and focus on addressing the root of the issue effectively.
Given Problem Statement:
“Communications Trainers need the ability to monitor communications during training exercises in order to provide thorough feedback on unit performance.“
After 30+ interviews & Germany base visit
Current Problem Statement:
“Observer Coach/Trainers at the JMRC, specifically at the Maneuvers and Artillery Training units, need the ability to monitor radio communication during training exercises and store/analyze training data in a centralized system in order to provide thorough feedback on unit performance.”
Further Breakdown
What they are looking for: OCTs need a way to monitor the training unit’s radio communication in real-time to provide effective feedback
Impact: The training unit would receive more actionable feedback on their performance, allowing them to operate more effectively in tactical scenarios.
OUR SOLUTION
Two Part Solution.
We decided to address the problem with a 2 part solution. Focusing on a combination of technology and software.
Technology: Tracking radio data [Specifics are unable to disclosed publicly at the moment]
Software: Centralized database where radio traffic data will be uploaded and allow OCTs to flag and label errors during live audio monitoring with customizable markers for post-hoc analysis.
JMRC BASE VISIT (GERMANY)
Testing our MVP Prototype.
Through the Common Mission Project, my team and I were able to secure ≈$5,000 to fund supplies needed to build our MVP technology solution and fly to the actual JMRC base in Germany in order to test the prototype. We were able to conduct interviews around the JMRC base for three days and test our MVP on the SINCGARS and ITN PRC 163 radios, effectively discovering that our solution does in fact, work just as envisioned! While only Lanka and Erika traveled to Germany in order to test the physical technology aspect of our MVP, my role back home was also important as they updated me throughout the trip and I iterated in real-time over two days, improving our proposed interface designs for the Audio Monitoring Database through A/B testing. They showed my mid-fidelity interface designs to various military officials and Captain Perez, who all expressed their great interest in the prospect of centralizing data collected via our technology solution.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Designing Audio Monitoring Interface.
As the sole designer on a five-person team, I was responsible for creating the interface designs for our proposed software solution, the Audio Monitoring Database.
THE CHALLENGE
With only six hours to prepare a proposal pitch before my teammates landed in Germany, I faced the daunting task of designing something entirely unfamiliar to me. This task arose after an insightful interview with Michael Getsinger, a counterintelligence professional with experience as both a trainee and an OC/T at the JMRC, who suggested focusing on data centralization for our MVP solution. Before the interview, our team was primarily focused on the technology aspect, leaving the software design largely untouched. After the discussion, and with Erika and Lanka already on their way to Germany, it was decided that I would draft initial designs to showcase to base officials.
MY STRUGGLES
Designing a radio monitoring database was unfamiliar to me and especially given such a short timeframe, creating mockups of our proposal was incredibly challenging. I needed to create something intuitive and useful, despite limited context and a lot of unanswered questions. This experience, while stressful, taught me important lessons about managing design under time constraints and rationalizing decisions in the face of uncertainty. It also highlighted the importance of taking initiative. Although my team didn’t expect me to produce my designs, much less a presentation pitch, under such short notice, I took it upon myself to make the most of the opportunity. I drafted the designs and prepared some usability questions to gather feedback from officials on base, on top of my designs.
EXPLORATION:
Initially, it was challenging for me to visualize the design of the database, as I had never worked on or seen anything similar before. To organize my thoughts, I started by sketching interface ideas in my notebook and creating rapid wireframes, spending just a few minutes brainstorming before settling on a list of basic V1 features. I prioritized scoping out high-priority versus low-priority elements, ultimately focusing on data filtering and audio monitoring as the key features.
END RESULTS:
Surprisingly, my mockup designs became a highlight of the trip!!! Every official our team spoke to emphasized how helpful such a solution would be and highlighted the widespread issue of data centralization within their operations- a problem we hadn't fully realized before. As we tested the first part of our MVP successfully on base (our technology aspect), it became clear that our next steps would be refining the software aspect (our radio database) and developing the MVP designs further, building on the feedback I gathered during my initial mockup designs and subsequent iterations after my teammates’ first day in Germany. This process not only advanced our project but also solidified my confidence in navigating design challenges under pressure.
FEATURES:
For my proposal, I focused on two key features:
The ability to flag and label errors during live audio monitoring with customizable markers.
Centralization of all audio data, where users can view their database with saved audio segments/time-stamps for effective post-hoc analysis of each individual training.
View Proposal
This project is still in ongoing as we explore advancing our MVP beyond the proposal stage, into a startup. This was made possible given the strong positive reception, need-based interest, and incredible support from our problem sponsor and military officials during our team’s Germany visit to the JMRC base where we tested a working prototype.
Details are limited for now as I’m unable to share specifics of our MVP solution publicly, but please to reach out for more information!
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© 2024 Vivian Liu