Porsche Trace is a requirement interchange format system that was designed to address the challenges faced when designing complex automotive systems. The problem faced during this process is the difficulty in efficiently exchanging requirements between different stakeholders, including suppliers, engineers, and project managers. This can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunications, and ultimately, delays in the development process. The Porsche Trace system provides a standardised format for exchanging requirements, ensuring that all stakeholders have a clear and consistent understanding of the requirements, reducing the risk of errors and miscommunications.
As the sole designer, I collaborated closely with a product manager and development team to bring the first version of Porsche Trace to life. Working together, we transformed the vision into a tangible product, ensuring that it aligned with the project goals and met the expectations of all stakeholders.
A timeframe of 3 months was allocated to me as the sole designer for the project. Within this duration, I conducted four iterative cycles, utilizing user feedback to continuously improve and refine the design. This iterative approach ensured the development of a more robust and user-centered requirement interchange format system within the given timeframe.
I hit a few bumps in the road while conducting user research with Porsche Trace, but I was able to overcome them.
Traceability: Inadequate requirement tracking and communication during development, risking non-compliance and stakeholder disengagement.
Data Management: Challenges in organizing and managing extensive data, hindering accessibility, comprehension, and effective utilization.
Collaboration: Inefficient collaboration and communication among teams and departments hinder effective stakeholder cooperation.
My task is to design a Requirement Interchange Format (RIF) system to address these challenges. By creating this system, I aimed to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and user-friendliness of requirements management, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration among stakeholders.
I interviewed 20 individuals, gathering valuable insights that deeply informed the project's design, ensuring it effectively met their specific needs and considerations.
Key information was gathered throughout the interviews to aid users in understanding:
User Demographics:
70% of users are automotive engineers
30% of users are product managers
User Needs:
Users need better collaboration features
Users require integration with other automotive design tools
User Feedback:
40% of users suggested adding a real-time collaboration feature
30% of users requested a mobile app for accessing the RIF system
20% of users suggested improving the reporting and analytics capabilities specific to automotive engineering requirements.
The research involved user interviews, understanding demographics, capturing needs and feedback, and analyzing perspectives and demands. This informs design decisions, prioritizes features, and meets user expectations.
Observing users in their environment to understand needs and behaviors, informing design with real-world insights.
01
Context Inquiry
Extracting insights and patterns from collected data to inform decision-making and draw meaningful conclusions.
02
Data analysis
Create personas for each user category based on the data gathered to get a better idea of the people.
03
Persona analysis
Designing visual information structure and evaluating usability in early stages.
04
Mockup (Information architecture) and 1st usability test
Creating detailed visual designs and interactive prototypes to simulate the final product's look, feel, and functionality.
05
High-fidelity design & Prototyping
Evaluating the usability of the final product's high-fidelity design and interactive prototypes to gather feedback and make further improvements.
06
2nd usability test
Ensuring traceability:
Designed user research processes for tracking and monitoring requirements throughout development.
Implemented a feature to compare document versions and communicate changes to stakeholders.
Effective data management:
Designed accessible and user-friendly information management systems.
Improved stakeholder access and utilization of data for a smoother design process.
Facilitating collaboration:
Incorporated instant messaging feature for real-time communication and collaboration.
Enhanced speed and accuracy of decision-making.
Personalized solutions:
Tailored solutions to overcome challenges and meet stakeholder needs
Resulting in an efficient design process and improved user experience.
To create a sketch for Porsche Trace, I had to gather information about the requirements and goals of the system, as well as any existing design elements that should be incorporated.
I used the Fluent UI design system to design Porsche Trace. Fluent UI is a design system developed by Microsoft that follows the principles of minimalism, simplicity, and functionality. It offers a wide range of design elements, such as typography, icons, colours, and spacing, that can be used to create a cohesive and visually appealing interface.
Additionally, Fluent UI provides a set of pre-built components, such as buttons, forms, and navigation menus, that can be easily integrated into the Porsche Trace. These pre-built components helped me speed up the development process and ensure that the system is consistent in terms of look and feel.
Microsoft Fluent Web
The decision to use the Fluent UI design system was driven by the requirement set by the product manager.
Efficiency Boost: 30% reduction in time spent on gathering and documenting requirements compared to previous approaches.
Expanded User Engagement: 50% increase in the number of stakeholders accessing the Porsche Trace system, with at least 80% actively using it.
Enhanced Traceability and Compliance: 90% of requirements gathered and monitored using the new system have traceability and comply with industry standards, minimizing loss and ensuring compliance.
Time Efficiency Amplified: 25% average time savings compared to previous techniques.
Enhanced Engineering Management: 50% more engineering needs are recorded and tracked using the new system, surpassing the capabilities of older methods.
Cost Savings Amplified: Significant cost savings were achieved through streamlined processes and improved efficiency.
Driving Revenue Growth: Revenue generation for Porsche through increased productivity, faster time-to-market, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
The enhanced Requirement Interchange System not only optimized operations and reduced costs but also generated revenue by improving overall performance and contributing to Porsche's success.
Designing a Porsche Trace was a fun and exciting project. I approached the task with a sense of curiosity and creativity. One way I did this was to think about the specific needs of Porsche as a company and how the system could be tailored to meet those needs. This involved researching the company's history and understanding its design philosophy, as well as looking at the specific requirements of different Porsche models.
Being open to feedback and testing the system with end-users made the process of designing Porsche Trace more fun and engaging. This also helped to ensure that the final system is well-designed and meets the needs of Porsche and its customers.
Overall, designing a requirement interchange format system for Porsche was a fun and rewarding experience when approached with the right mindset, research, collaboration, and testing.
Applied critical thinking, attention to detail, and human-centered design thinking to the project.
Explored opportunities to add useful features and experimented with novel interactions and patterns.
Considered edge cases that were not initially captured in the project brief.
Collaborated with engineering to understand backend logic and build a component for the Design Library System.
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