User Feedback-Informed Interface Design for Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS)

TL;DR

This paper presents a user-centered GUI design for FMDS, aiming to unify traffic management services and improve workflow efficiency for traffic management specialists in the NAS.

Contribution

It introduces a research-driven, iterative design process incorporating human factors and user feedback to create a GUI for FMDS that enhances usability and streamlines traffic management tasks.

Findings

Reduced task completion time observed in user testing

Identified workflow improvements through user interviews

Proposed next steps for a live prototype development

Abstract

The transition to a microservices-based Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS) architecture from the existing Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) is a critical enabler of the vision for an Information-Centric National Airspace System (NAS). The need to design a user-centric interface for FMDS is a key technical gap, as this interface connects NAS data and services to the traffic management specialists within all stakeholder groups (e.g., FAA, airlines). We provide a research-driven approach towards designing such a graphical user interface (GUI) for FMDS. Major goals include unifying the more than 50 disparate traffic management services currently hosted on TFMS, as well as streamlining the process of evaluating, modeling, and monitoring Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs). Motivated by this, we iteratively designed a GUI leveraging human factors engineering and user experience design principles, as well as user interviews. Through user testing and interviews, we identify workflow benefits of our GUI (e.g., reduction in task completion time), along with next steps for developing a live prototype.