Product design · Industrial AR platform · 2023

Connect the operator to the next useful action.

An industrial AR experience has to work around a task already in progress. I connected device setup, hands-free guidance and remote assistance across mobile, web and glasses without making the operator manage three disconnected workflows.

ROLE & OWNERSHIP

I mapped operator needs, structured the cross-device information architecture, prototyped mobile and web experiences, and evaluated task flows with five industrial workers. Roy and Mike supported development.

SCOPE

Platform concept · AR glasses, mobile and web · June–September 2023

THE CHALLENGE

Industrial AR Glasses

Operators need instructions while looking at equipment, and help when a step fails. A standalone AR screen cannot solve the handoff between getting a device ready, performing work and involving a remote expert. Unclear status or fragile overlays add risk instead of reducing friction.

01 / Discover

Study the work before the interface

Market review, operator interviews and survey inputs

I reviewed competing industrial tools, gathered regional survey input and interviewed operators about task interruptions, training and expert help. The material helped separate needs that were essential for the first experience from features that could remain optional.

What changed: The strongest opportunity was continuity across surfaces. I mapped preparation, task execution, a request for support and follow-up as one journey. Device management belongs on mobile and web; in-task prompts belong near the work; support needs a clear handoff between them.

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02 / Define

Define cross-device ownership

Journey mapping and information architecture

I separated setup from live task guidance and kept status visible at each handoff. This choice reduced the amount of interface the wearer needed to manage while preserving access to device controls and an expert when something went wrong.

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03 / Develop

Explore the task flow

Low-fidelity alternatives

Early layouts explored the mobile and web structure before high-fidelity screens. The proposed platform gives a technician a path from connection and task selection to step-by-step guidance, with remote help available when the task demands it.

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04 / Deliver

The proposed platform

Setup, guided work and remote help

The proposed experience gives operators a clear setup state before work begins, then moves step guidance and expert help into the moments when they are needed. Mobile and web remain responsible for device management and follow-up.

Industrial AR Glasses concept overview — Experience overview

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05 / Validate

Evaluate with operators

Five-person formative comparison

Five industrial workers completed tasks with and without AR guidance in a formative comparison. I collected task observations, time and error records, and follow-up feedback. Guided steps showed promise, while participants called for clearer status and more dependable overlays. The sample was too small to claim a production efficiency gain.

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WHAT THIS WORK ESTABLISHED

A direction grounded in the work.

The next proof point is reliability in live work. A pilot should test connection recovery, remote-help handoffs, task completion and operator confidence.