Position reports
Industry
Redesign
Client
Zodiac Maritime
Service
Product design/ UX
Date
2023
Position reports are critical to tracking a vessel’s journey, but the existing experience made it difficult for users to input and review data efficiently.
Information was fragmented across multiple screens, with inconsistent structure and unclear sequencing. This created friction in a workflow that needed to be fast, accurate, and repeatable — especially during active operations.
The goal of this project was to restructure the reporting experience, making it easier for users to understand what needs to be completed, reduce duplication, and move through reports more efficiently.
Research
I started by auditing the existing reporting experience, reviewing designs, user feedback, and support patterns to understand where users were struggling.
Working closely with the SME, I mapped the full reporting process across a vessel’s journey to understand how reports were actually created and used in practice.
This revealed several core issues:
Data was fragmented across multiple screens, making it hard to get a complete picture
Reporting steps lacked a clear sequence, increasing cognitive load and errors
Users often duplicated data across reports due to poor structure
There was little guidance within the interface, particularly for less experienced crew members
These issues meant that even simple reporting tasks became time-consuming and error-prone.
From this, I identified the need to simplify the reporting flow, introduce clearer structure, and provide better in-context guidance to support both experienced and new users.
Personas
To ensure the redesign supported real-world usage, I focused on the differing needs of:
Crew members completing reports in real-time during operations
Shore-based users reviewing and analysing report data
This highlighted the need for a balance between speed and clarity, enabling fast input for onboard users, while maintaining structure and consistency for downstream reporting and analysis.
These insights directly influenced how the reporting flow was structured and how guidance was surfaced within the interface.
User flows
To improve the Position Reports experience, I mapped the full reporting journey from the crew’s perspective.
Working closely with the SME, I identified key decision points, edge cases, and gaps that were missing from the existing flows.
This exposed several issues:
Redundant steps and duplicated data entry
Missing guidance at critical points in the workflow
Inconsistent sequencing across reports
I translated these into clear, structured flow diagrams, which became a shared reference across design, product, and engineering.
These flows helped align the team early, reduce ambiguity, and ensured that the redesigned experience addressed real operational scenarios before moving into UI design.
