Aize
Product Design
EMPLOYER AIZE (B2B Saas)
TOOLS FIGMA, CODEX, VS CODE, DOVETAIL, MIXPANEL, LINEAR, ZENDESK
TIMEFRAME 3 years, 6 months
ROLE SENIOR PRODUCT DESIGNER
Working on heavy industrial assets requires navigating multiple data sources, coordination and making decisions in a responsibility, safety and capital-critical environment. At Aize, I'm helping design a single window for collaboration across onshore and offshore engineering operations.
Researched, designed, and shipped Aize dashboards:
Our users lacked a way to aggregate and visualize data - to gauge volume of critical work, potential impact to be had, and where it all was on the asset.
I created a research strategy which involved analysing existing product usage, 25 user interviews, across 4 clients. This was followed by prototype testing sessions. It was key to involve developers during these sessions to build get a shared understanding of the challenges users faced.
In a total of two months and 10 days, we shipped a user-configurable dashboards - enabling users to monitor their choice of equipment and related maintenance and integrity data, to 7000 users.
At the heart of the dashboard design, was interoperability - to see, select, filter, and colour data across tabular/chart/3d format. The interoperability with 3d continues be a key differentiator for Aize.
I worked with Marketing and Product to create a marketing strategy for ‘Aize dashboard’ - in addition to an onboarding UX strategy.
I’ve worked closely with developers to re-build a 3d engine from scratch including determining 3D mechanics, user flows and visualization:
3D Environment: defined and optimised visual parameters camera and interaction states to build a superlative 3d navigation experience of large-scale CAD models, photogrammetry and point cloud scans.
Camera Navigation: Defined egocentric and exocentric navigation modes, scalable to facilities of varying scales - FPSOs to subsea and land-based facilities.
3D-native tools: Designed and shipped tools to measure, cut and view sections, and camera modes to support precise planning workflows rooted in visualisation.
Media Integration in 3D: Locating and viewing drone footage and 360° photospheres overlaid on the 3D CAD environment.
Currently working on:
Developing key user-facing touchpoints such as Tone of voice, Tooling, Product documentation and templates to best curate NL-guided user flows in the app.
Developing proximity-aware labelling system for equipment in 3D space, supporting dense volume handling and interaction across variable zoom levels.
Prototyping in the codebase
For ideation, faster feedback loops, and a tangible way to ideate and do viability checks, thinking integration with devs. For more elaborate and/or iterative experiments, I tend to create use-and-throw prototypes - usually outside of the codebase.
Obsession with shaping scalable processes and operations
I have worked across multiple small and large developer teams shipping on a daily basis. This has allowed me to observe and improve delivery processes - and identify places to insert design and product input, as well as research/discovery projects.
From pitching product overhaul to strategy to delivery
Pair programming sessions with devs
These help bake in (and challenge) design at the right granularity.
Mentoring interns
I'm the go-to person for thinking up project cases for incoming interns. I have mentored and supported recruitment across 3 cross-functional teams of interns, helping them through learning product delivery processes, care for craft, and presentations.Obsession with user analytics
Social runs
A really good way for me and my team to think outside the box.
Automating research and problem-validation
I built a central query-able repository for Product Managers and Designers to help inform the problem-space for their projects. This collates both internal and external research sources. And is now being used to learn about our users, confidence scoring of projects/ideas, and tying in insights form industry-grade research outside the org.Workshopping with stakeholders
I run these regularly on a per-project-basis. Key for sparring in one place and documenting decision points.
I'm best pals with Quality Assessment
They’re always one of the first to see everything I work on. This helps them plan early, catch gaps, and slashes bugs and refactor overhead.
Acting Product owner for teams
I’ve handled prioritization and project deliveries for small stream-aligned teams, as well as when filling in for Product managers.
Making art!
I might have made people draw and paint, to get them to be creative. Possibly on multiple occassions...
Stepping into user's shoes
I was going to say your strength is "domain knowledge", or something to that effect, and while that definitely would be true, I think your main strength is that you really care about the product. You're also very good at the balancing act that fighting-with/listening-to developers is. Your domain knowledge as a 3D user (and soon 3D UXer turned 3D dev) certainly helps, though!
- Eirik, Principle Developer, tech lead
Great domain and UX understanding of 3D visualisation tools and its related features. Proactive with contribution to design considerations that spans the width of the product while creating UX features with very specific purposes. This includes mapping out systems, establishing patterns and taxonomy, to raise understanding of product and UI challenges for teams and organisation. Excellent design communication skills. Great advocate for both product features and value of design in the company.
- Leonard, Staff Product Designer
You are by far the strongest UX designer we’ve worked with! What sets you apart is that you truly feel like a member of the team, not just someone delivering design tasks.
You are highly proactive and consistently take on more responsibility than expected from a product designer. For example, you run our demos, help maintain issues in Linear, and actively support planning (product weeks and continuous planning). This has had a real impact on how smoothly we work as a team and has helped both the team and me significantly.
- Tomasz, Software Development Manager
Strong attention to detail and prioritisation on user goals makes for easier implementation of wireframes, knowing that much of the workflow is pre-digested. You ensure that the team can hit a workflow at a running pace.
- George, Principle Developer
You're extremely self-driven and proactive in researching, trawling through and seeking out the contacts and information you need in order to do your work.
Your prior experiences, curiosity and enthusisasm for the topics we work on both in and outside the 3D team is invaluable, contagious and helps raise the bar on the work we do here in Aize. Good example is the recent nudge on the MCP server opportunities and the accompanying Designs made for discussion on topic of automation and AI integration with clients!
Your status/progress posts on relevant UX topics and UX related to our ongoing initiatives are class - and from my perspective it seems like this helps rally the team troops so that the prod/UX tango with 3D devs is in the right rythm :)
Your huddles with the devs on the breakdown, feasibility and effort of the UX concepts - this is maybe where I think you have one of your strongest traits! This makes us super effective when we do cut code.
- Nicolay, Principal Product manager