I joined Ray Marine as a design consultant, focusing on three key applications for their marine electronic equipment. Ray Marine, owned by FLIR Systems, is a top player in recreational and light commercial markets for marine electronics.

I was brought in to lead design refresh projects for Ray Marine's applications, focusing on LH4, Smart Instrument, and Dock Sense. LH4 involves heavy conceptual and 3D work alongside UX/UI elements. Smart Instrument requires extensive use of interaction design. Dock Sense is primarily a UI/Motion project aimed at facilitating easy yacht docking.

I participated in a boat trip to observe and document the performance of Ray Marine's current equipment. I took detailed notes, videos, and interviewed the skipper(user) to gain insight into yacht navigation and docking. For project LH4, I gathered necessary information from the skipper. For Dock Sense, we used a drone shot for reference, and I received a Multi-function Display unit to further study and understand the product.

Once I gathered all my research data, I started brainstorming early ideas and concepts for the applications. This was an ongoing process where I worked closely with product owners who had direct access to users, ensuring that our ideas resonated well with their needs and preferences.

The project manager / product owner had some initial concept ideas he shared with me. We worked closely together to create an accurate interpretation of what the new UI could look like. The challenge involved simplifying a complex UI concept and creating a streamlined 3D look/design that met their needs effectively without too much data clutter.

The end result for this initial milestone was a success. We came up with a clean, simple visual display in contrast to their old cluttered display of data screens.

Below are some initial hi-fi wires I did for part of the smart instrument to fully understand how elements are going to situated on the application.

I created and designed user interface elements and iconography tailored specifically for the application, ensuring a cohesive and visually appealing user experience.

I needed to craft some design interactions and rules. The hardware supported a few gestures available to work with, so I had the flexibility to get creative and come up with a cohesive ruleset.

For the smart instrument device, Ray Marine also wanted a digital compass for the user. I worked closely with the product owner to realize exactly what he wanted based on user feedback.

We had a general idea of what was needed, competitive analysis was carried out to inform us on how other brands dealt with certain design issues.

Utilizing a drone, we captured the docking processes to gain insights into yacht navigation and docking techniques.

Worked closely with their in-house designer to understand what needed to change and why etc. Their old application used vectors to display gusts of water being shot out. This needed to be changed to stylistic bubbles that worked with the rest of the new app look and feel.

As I wrapped up my time at Ray Marine, I left behind pleased product owners and stakeholders, having gained approval for all my work, which was now ready for implementation by their in-house development team. I really enjoyed my time on the project.