FlytLog

Drone pilots typically make multiple drone flights in one go and often need recorded data of these flights for debugging and to make tweaks on hardware for future flights. The drone controller is the device that is in charge of the drone flight, it has all the sensors required and computes the flight parameters from input data. The log data from the drone controller is of utmost importance to evaluate flights in case of unexpected issues.

With this in mind, FlytOS (proprietary drone operating system developed by FlytBase Inc.) needed a robust implementation for retrieval of log data from the onboard autopilot onto the FlytOS dashboard screen and made accessible to view for the users. It also needed a way for these to be uploaded and displayed on the cloud based user console.

In this project I was involved in designing the log presentation to users and the workflow they would go through for log download, upload and retrieval. I was also responsible for retrieving the log data from the drone controller onto the FlytOS system for the user to view remotely.

Through user input we identified the key wants of the users and supplemented this through additional surveys to determine the needs. Our research showed that users needed a seamless and robust solution. In most cases, users needed access to only the most recent logs and they needed it fast. The user interface design of this system was made to be as seamless as possible. Special attention was given such as the user would not require any additional onboarding to be able to use the system.

The log retrieval system was designed with this focus. On selecting the option, users were presented with a list of all available logs. Then they had the option to view or download only the ones they required. Interactions were designed through text based icons that were tested to be easily identifiable, so as not to need special documentation. Required interactions touchpoints to access recent logs were kept minimum. Further, log upload to cloud was automated in the background to reduce user load. After internal user testing the feature was deployed and user feedback was taken and incorporated at multiple points.