Galileo

An AI-enhanced web application offering unique insights into supply chain visibility and workforce distribution for the port of Montreal.

Client

Airudi Inc x Maritime Employer Association (MEA)

Industry

Role

Lead UX UI Designer

Date

2022, 13 months

MEA is a forward-thinking company specializing in port operations, with a focus on optimizing efficiency and leveraging data for decision-making. The company works closely with terminal operators and other stakeholders to manage logistics and labor within the Port of Montreal.

What they’re saying

Dispatch will be much quicker with this tool, cutting as much as 30% of the time allocated to this task.

MEA

This revolutionary tool is designed to improve the planning surrounding the dispatch of the port workforce.

News Wire

The tool will make it possible to predict the arrival time of ships up to 21 days in advance. Currently, port officials only have a 24-hour window to prepare.

Seaway Review

allow for more accurate labour requirement estimates and complement the Port of Montréal’s projects by providing unprecedented supply chain visibility.

Scale AI

Galileo will propose an optimal scenario for the dispatch of the labour force that both respects the collective agreements, and factors in the availability of port workers and the required classifications

Chamber of Shipping

This innovative project clearly demonstrates the importance of artificial intelligence in improving supply chain processes in order to ensure the fluidity of operations and, consequently, reduce GHGs.

Marine Log

Case Study: Galileo

Galileo empowered MEA to optimize port operations by providing a data-driven, user-friendly web application that improved workforce management, skill tracking, and resource allocation, ultimately driving operational excellence and industry recognition.

Project Overview

Galileo is a web-based application developed by Airudi Inc. to assist MEA and its terminal operators with workforce management, training, and resource planning. The app visualizes critical operational data, including labor force skills and their availability, enabling better resource allocation and more informed decisions.

One of the unique challenges of the project was bridging the gap between MEA’s employees and the terminal operators. While MEA required a high-level, data-driven solution for operational decision-making, terminal operators needed a user-friendly interface that could deliver relevant insights quickly and clearly. Balancing the needs of both user groups—each with distinct workflows and priorities—was key to ensuring the success of the design.

I led the design of Galileo in close collaboration with MEA’s team and their business intelligence (BI) analyst, with constant feedback from terminal operators and other end-users. A further complexity was the need to incorporate bilingual communications—70% in English and 30% in French—while ensuring the design was aligned with MEA’s brand.

Client Workshops & User Research

I led in-person client workshops to understand their goals, pain points, and vision for the application. I also conducted an on-site analysis to observe user interactions with the app. This insight helped inform the design process, prioritize key improvements, and software adoption.

Information Architecture & User Flows

I created a new information architecture and user flows to simplify navigation and make the application more intuitive. This was grounded in design thinking, ensuring that every design decision was based on solving real user problems.

Wireframes & Mockups

I developed wireframes and high-fidelity mockups using Figma, a tool chosen for its collaborative and cost-effective nature. I also established a design system within Figma that focused on consistency across the app and future scalability.

Positive User Reinforcement

One of the major challenges to adoption was the lack of user feedback. I introduced positive reinforcement within the app, such as success messages, helpful prompts, and actionable feedback, moving away from the previous system that only featured error messages. This helped foster a more engaging and supportive user experience.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Approval

Throughout the process, I worked closely with stakeholders to ensure alignment. I presented the designs for approval and, once finalized, translated them into actionable Jira tickets for the development team to execute.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

I collaborated daily with a team of developers (ranging from 2 to 6 members) to ensure seamless integration of design elements. I recorded French specifications in Jira, provided test cases for user testing, and worked directly with developers to troubleshoot and refine the implementation.

Coding & Implementation

At times, I contributed directly to the development process by coding designs in Vue.js, SCSS, and JavaScript. This hands-on involvement ensured that the final product aligned with the vision and design specifications.

Branding & Documentation

I created a cohesive brand identity across all platforms, including a company branding style guide, which helped maintain consistency across both digital and offline touchpoints. I also maintained bilingual user guide documentation, integrated directly within the platform to support users in both French and English.

Website Redesign & SEO

I redesigned the client’s website in WordPress and optimized it for SEO. This resulted in improved search rankings and better user engagement. The website’s design was aligned with the overall brand and application redesign.

Design Process

By framing the design process through the Design Thinking methodology, I ensured that empathy for the users, collaboration across teams, and testing of ideas were core elements at every stage. The result was a user-centric, scalable solution that addressed the complexities of workforce management in port operations while aligning with MEA’s strategic goals.

DESIGN

Galileo was successfully launched to MEA’s terminal operators and everyday users, with great reception. The application’s ability to highlight labor gaps and enable better resource planning proved invaluable in day-to-day operations.

In 2024, MEA was nominated as a finalist for the TELUS Technological Innovation Prize at Les Mercuriades, largely due to the groundbreaking features we integrated into Galileo. This recognition was a testament to the innovation brought to the port operations sector through the design of the web app.

Define: Clarifying the Problem

Armed with insights from the empathy phases, I moved into the Define stage, where I worked to crystallize the main challenges and user needs. This was achieved by synthesizing all the feedback and identifying the core problems Galileo needed to solve:

Core Problems

Problem 1: How can we create a system that serves both MEA’s internal needs and terminal operators' immediate, practical requirements?
Problem 2: How can we present labor force data (skills, availability, and gaps) in a clear, actionable, and visually digestible way that’s accessible to both highly technical and non-technical users?
Problem 3: How do we ensure a seamless bilingual user experience (English/French) without compromising on clarity and functionality?

With these problems clearly defined, I collaborated with the project manager and stakeholders to ensure alignment on expectations, which became the foundation for the next steps.

Ideate: Generating Solutions

In the Ideation phase, we brainstormed several potential solutions to address the user needs and challenges identified earlier. I led collaborative workshops with MEA stakeholders, terminal operators, and the development team to generate ideas and explore different approaches.

One of the most significant outcomes of this phase was the decision to build a visual heat map to represent labor skills across the workforce. This feature would allow terminal operators to quickly identify where there were skill gaps and forecast training needs. We also explored interactive dashboards and how we could prioritize data for each user group.

Key insights

Heat Map: A real-time, color-coded map that visualized the skill levels across different labor groups.
Customizable Interfaces: Recognizing that different users had different priorities, we designed interfaces that could be tailored to display the most relevant data for each user. Whether for high-level insights or detailed operational views, these adaptable interfaces gave users the power to shape their experience based on their roles and goals.

This phase involved sketching concepts, wireframing, and developing initial user flows to map out how the design would come together.

Prototype: Bringing Ideas to Life

With the design direction established, I moved into the Prototype stage. I created low-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes to test different layout structures and interactions. This was an iterative process, where I continually refined the designs based on feedback from MEA and the terminal operators.

I produced high-fidelity mockups and prototypes that were used in our twice a week and biweekly workshops with MEA’s users and extended users. These prototypes were tested in real-world scenarios, allowing us to quickly identify usability issues and opportunities for improvement.

Key insights

Heat Map: A real-time, color-coded map that visualized the skill levels across different labor groups.
Role-Based Dashboards: Custom dashboards for terminal operators and MEA’s internal team, each highlighting the most relevant data.
Visibility of the workforce for a given

Through these prototypes, we were able to evaluate functionality and usability, making adjustments based on user testing and stakeholder feedback.

Wrap Up

This case study highlights not only the technical aspects of the design process but also the collaborative and strategic thinking that went into making Galileo a success. The application’s design not only improved operational efficiency for MEA but also contributed to their recognition as a leader in technological innovation.

Overcoming Challenges

Design Iteration & Stakeholder Alignment

A significant challenge arose when the project direction changed, and a key section was replaced by an undefined concept. This change was a direct response to user feedback indicating that the existing approach was difficult to interpret.

Through active listening and collaboration with MEA’s team, I helped define the feature into a more user-friendly design that met the company’s goals. The heat map feature, which provided a dynamic and intuitive visualization of labor skill levels, became a highlight of Galileo’s user interface.

Documentation as a Safety Net

Midway through the project, the lead developer left the team. This posed a potential risk to continuity and knowledge transfer within the development team. However, thanks to my meticulous documentation of design meetings, user flows, and interactions, the transition was smoother than expected. I also held additional debriefing sessions with the new developers to walk them through the project’s nuances, ensuring they had the context to pick up where the previous developer left off. This proactive approach ensured that the project continued without major disruptions.

Improved User Collaboration is Key

Working closely with cross-functional teams—from BI analysts to branding agencies—was crucial for ensuring alignment and delivering a solution that met business goals.

Adaptability

The ability to pivot and redesign parts of the application based on user feedback kept the project on track and aligned with user needs.

Documentation Matters

Detailed documentation and clear communication kept the team moving forward, even during personnel changes.

Key Takeaways

TECHNOLOGIES USED

Design Tools

Figma, Canva, LucidChart

Project Management

DevOps, Office365

Empathize: Understanding the Users’ Needs

The project involved deeply understanding the diverse user groups that Galileo needed to serve. This meant gathering insights from both MEA’s employe and the terminal operators who would be using the app day-to-day.

I collaborated closely with MEA’s BI analyst to map out the key pain points of terminal operators, as well as MEA’s employee higher-level strategic objectives. I also conducted workshops with the terminal operators and MEA employees to better understand their workflows, challenges, and needs for skill visibility and workforce planning.

Key Insight

Terminal Operators needed an intuitive, quick-to-navigate system that would help them monitor labor availability and skills gaps in real-time.
MEA required more granular, high-level data that allowed them to make strategic decisions about workforce training and resource allocation.
Bilingual Requirements: The app had to seamlessly support both English and French, which added an extra layer of complexity in designing a cohesive experience across languages.

Test: Validating and Refining the Design

While formal testing was limited after the technical handoff, we ensured that the design underwent thorough validation through user feedback sessions with both MEA’s internal stakeholders and terminal operators. The goal was to ensure the app’s functionality, usability, and alignment with user needs before final implementation.

Key insights

A key takeaway from this stage was the critical role of ongoing user validation, even when formal testing is not an option.

The feedback from end users not only helped identify minor usability tweaks but also uncovered deeper insights into how the design could better serve the specific workflows of terminal operators. This reinforced the notion that regular, informal testing with actual users is often more valuable than a singular, formal testing phase—especially when constraints like budget or time exist. It also underlined the importance of allocating resources for user engagement at every stage to ensure the product truly aligns with user needs.

Design Flow

My design process is iterative, starting with problem definition and progressing through wireframing, feedback collection, and technical handoffs. This cycle ensures continuous refinement and alignment with both user needs and project goals.