WorkAboutLifeContact
Fleet Command Dashboard
A real-time command interface for managing autonomous surface vessels across the Indian Navy's coastal patrol network. Designed for 24/7 maritime operations where split-second decisions protect lives, assets, and national security.
Client
Shoft Shipyard
Role
Lead Product Designer
Timeline
3 months
Platform
Desktop Web App
Domain
Maritime Defense
Year
2021
The Challenge
Shoft Shipyard was contracted to develop an autonomous surface vessel fleet management system for the Indian Navy's coastal surveillance program. Shore-based operators would manage multiple unmanned vessels simultaneously, monitoring sensor data, overriding autonomous decisions, and coordinating patrol missions across the western seaboard.
The core design challenge: how do you give a single operator confident situational awareness across an entire fleet of autonomous vessels, while ensuring they can intervene decisively when autonomy confidence degrades, especially in high-traffic shipping lanes like the Mumbai-Kochi corridor?
In naval operations, information overload kills. The interface must surface the right data at the right moment. Nothing more, nothing less. I led the end-to-end design of this system over three months, from operator research to delivered prototype.
Design Approach
OODA Loop Framework
Structured every screen around the military decision cycle: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Operators don't browse; they execute. The interface guides them through each phase with escalating urgency, aligned with Indian Navy standard operating procedures.
Autonomy Confidence Scoring
A 0-100% confidence metric for each vessel's autonomous decision-making. Green (≥80%) means the system is performing well. Amber (50-79%) flags degradation. Red (<50%) triggers override recommendations. This graduated model prevents alert fatigue during extended watch rotations.
Dark CIC Aesthetic
Modeled after Combat Information Center environments at INS Karwar and Shoft's own bridge simulator facility. Dark backgrounds with high-contrast cyan, amber, and red indicators optimized for 12-hour watch shifts in dimly lit command rooms.
Progressive Disclosure
Fleet overview → vessel selection → deep-dive detail. Operators start broad and drill down only when something demands attention. Critical alerts surface at every level, but detailed diagnostics stay one click away, reducing cognitive load under pressure.
Prototype 01
Shore Command Center
The primary interface for shore-based fleet operators managing multiple autonomous vessels simultaneously. Designed for 24/7 watch rotations in Combat Information Center environments, optimized for dark ambient conditions and split-second situational awareness.
Fleet OverviewVessel DetailMission PlanningAlerts & OverrideSensor FusionFleet Health
Prototype 02
Vessel Commander Interface
A mobile-first cockpit interface for the officer directly commanding a single ASV during mission execution. Designed for use on ruggedized tablets aboard escort vessels or from forward operating bases, where conditions demand a focused, thumb-friendly interface with glanceable situational awareness.
Helm ViewTacticalMission TimelineSystems
Key Design Decisions
Emergency Override Patterns
Before
Standard confirmation dialogs that added 3-4 seconds to every critical action. During drills at INS Karwar, operators consistently missed response windows.
After
Single-action critical commands with two-step confirmation only for mission-altering decisions. In a maritime emergency, an extra click costs time. Hold Position and Manual Helm are one-tap actions.
Impact
Reduced emergency response time from 8s to 2s during simulated exercises
Sensor Fusion Display
Before
Separate feeds for Radar, AIS, Camera, and Sonar displayed in four independent panels. Operators had to mentally correlate contacts across windows, leading to duplicate tracking and missed classifications.
After
Unified radar-style display with classification overlays. Contacts appear once with combined confidence from all sensor sources. CPA and threat assessment are calculated automatically and displayed inline.
Impact
Eliminated duplicate contact tracking and reduced classification time by 60%
Battery-Triggered RTB
Before
Manual return-to-base decisions left to operator judgment. During extended monsoon patrols, two vessels were nearly lost to battery depletion when operators were focused on other contacts.
After
Automated RTB at 20% battery with operator override option. The system acts first, then the human decides whether to countermand. Visual and auditory alerts escalate at 30%, 25%, and 20% thresholds.
Impact
Zero vessel losses from battery depletion across 14 months of fleet operations
Designed by Rebecka Raj, 2021
This system was deployed across Shoft's autonomous vessel fleet and used in coordinated exercises with Indian Navy coastal command.
Back to Projects