Context
The internal product and engineering team built the system for the company’s own autonomous mining operations. The interface had to work with real vehicles, live operational data, and established field workflows.
Industrial HMI / Autonomous Mining
Autonomous Mining Fleet Operations System
A tablet-based system for dispatching autonomous vehicles, monitoring operations, handling exceptions, and completing equipment inspections in an active mining environment.
Project overview
One interface for fleet operations in the field
The product brought fleet dispatch, individual vehicle control, alerts, and equipment inspection into a tablet interface used by dispatch and safety personnel.
Challenge
Core functions were fragmented, operational feedback lacked a clear visual structure, and the previous interface had not been designed for the target tablet or bright field conditions.
My ownership
I joined field visits, contributed to requirements synthesis, designed most prototypes, completed all high-fidelity UI and 3D assets, validated the work on the target tablet, and supported engineering delivery.
Field context
Field Research
I visited the operating environment with the product manager and spoke with people involved in dispatch, safety checks, inspection, and remote takeover. We translated what we learned into interface tasks that could be reviewed with the wider team.
Find critical information quickly
Operational status, vehicle selection, and task feedback needed a clearer hierarchy than the previous template-based interface.
Design for the target environment
Type size, information density, touch areas, and contrast had to remain usable beyond a desktop design canvas.
Make risky actions explicit
Remote takeover, task termination, and exception handling required clear state changes, confirmation, and feedback.
Workflow synthesis
Three operational tasks, one consistent interaction language
Fleet dispatch
- Review fleet status
- Select a vehicle
- Assign a transport task
- Handle an exception
Vehicle control
- Check vehicle status
- Confirm location and route
- Start remote takeover
- Use emergency stop when required
Equipment inspection
- Filter vehicles for inspection
- Complete manual or drive-by-wire checks
- Mark abnormal items
- Submit the inspection result
Highlights
From field tasks to an end-to-end tablet workflow, reliable, clear, and actionable interfaces support autonomous haulage operations.
Safety workflow
Structure dense inspection work without hiding progress
The inspection flow separates manual and drive-by-wire checks, keeps vehicle and completion status visible, and uses grouped items to control density.
On-device validation
Checking the design on the target tablet
I requested a real project tablet and repeatedly viewed the high-fidelity work on the device. This exposed issues that were less obvious on a desktop canvas and informed further adjustment before implementation.
Vehicle Dispatch and Exception Handling
Core workflow: select a vehicle, confirm status, dispatch a haulage task, monitor feedback, and intervene when exceptions occur. Dispatchers work on one screen, using repeated status feedback and confirmation to stop a task or take remote control in time.
- Select Target Vehicle Dispatcher
- Check Location & Status Dispatcher
- Dispatch Haulage Task Dispatcher
- Monitor Operational Feedback System & Dispatcher
- Stop or Intervene Remotely Dispatcher
Readability
Type size, hierarchy, and information density at the intended viewing distance.
Touch targets
Control size and spacing for common and high-impact actions.
Operational feedback
Visibility of status changes, warnings, confirmation, and task results.
System and delivery
A consistent interface supported by production-ready assets
I defined reusable interface rules, produced the map and vehicle assets used by the product, prepared exports, and worked with frontend engineering through implementation.
Delivery evidence
From field context to a deployed tablet system
Fieldwork through deployment
The project moved through requirements, prototypes, high-fidelity UI, development, testing, and deployment from April to July 2024.
One operational language
Fleet dispatch, individual vehicle control, and equipment inspection use a shared hierarchy and feedback model.
Reflection
Testing on the target tablet reinforced that an interface that looks clear on a desktop canvas is not automatically usable in the field. If I continued the work, I would simplify several dense screens and validate more task flows directly with operators earlier.