Portfolio / Project 07
Shipyard Digital
Production Management
Production Management
A comprehensive production management system for one of Asia's largest private shipbuilders — tracking vessel construction from steel cutting through sea trials, integrating block assembly, quality control, supply chain, and workforce management.
Client
Shoft Shipyard
Role
Design Team Lead
Timeline
3+ years
Platform
Desktop + Tablet
Domain
Defense / Maritime
Year
2019–2022
The Challenge
Shoft Shipyard builds commercial vessels ranging from bulk carriers to chemical tankers, with 3–4 vessels under simultaneous construction at any time. Each build involves hundreds of steel hull blocks moving through fabrication, sub-assembly, assembly, and erection — tracked by production managers using paper status boards, radio calls, and an ERP system that only planners could access.
The core design challenge was bridging the gap between the yard floor and the planning office. Production data lagged by 4–8 hours. Quality inspections existed in paper binders. Supply chain operated independently from the build schedule. Classification society surveyors arrived with their own separate checklists. Every department had their own truth — and none of them matched.
I led the design of this production management system across two stints at Shoft — first as a UX Researcher in 2014–2015, then returning as Senior Product Designer and Design Team Lead from 2019–2022. This is not a concept project. Every screen reflects decisions made from standing in the yard, watching welders work, and understanding how ships are actually built.
Impact
42%
reduction in schedule delay propagation through automated critical path analysis
Production data, 6-month pilot
15%
lead time reduction achieved by integrating supply chain with construction milestones (extending prior inventory system)
Supply chain analytics, 2019–2022
3.8×
faster NCR resolution by connecting QC inspectors directly to production scheduling
Quality management data, n=340 NCRs
67%
less time spent on daily progress reporting through automated data capture from yard systems
Workflow analysis, n=18 production managers
Design Process
Weeks 1–3
Discovery
Shadowed production managers across 3 active builds
Interviewed 18 yard personnel across 6 trades
Mapped existing tools: Primavera P6, paper boards, radio logs, Excel QC sheets
Documented classification society inspection workflows (Lloyd's, DNV, ABS)
Weeks 4–5
Synthesis
Created 3 primary personas from research data
Mapped end-to-end journey from steel cutting to sea trial
Identified 5 critical system audit findings
Quantified task time savings across 6 core workflows
Weeks 6–12
Design
Defined IA mirroring actual shipbuilding phases — not generic PM structure
Designed dual-interface: desktop for planners, tablet for yard floor
Built quality gate workflows with real classification society requirements
Extended existing inventory system with construction milestone integration
Weeks 13–16
Validation
Tested tablet prototypes with foremen in actual yard conditions (sun glare, gloves, noise)
Validated QC workflows with DNV and Lloyd's surveyors
Piloted timeline view with 3 production managers managing concurrent builds
Iterated on block visualization based on how workers actually think about hull sections
Research & Discovery
Shipyard Personas
Kemal — Production Manager
22 years in shipbuilding120+ builds supervised
Veteran production lead managing 3 concurrent vessel builds. Relies on paper checklists and radio communication. Skeptical of digital systems but desperate for real-time block status visibility.
Core Pain Point
Can't see hull block status across all 3 builds without physically walking the yard
Ayşe — QC Inspector
11 years in marine qualityDNV / Lloyd's certified
Classification society liaison who manages inspection workflows for weld quality, coating thickness, and structural alignment. Currently tracks non-conformance reports in spreadsheets.
Core Pain Point
NCR resolution takes 5× longer than it should because data lives in 4 separate systems
Joon — Supply Chain Coordinator
7 years procurement350+ vendor relationships
Manages procurement across steel suppliers, equipment OEMs, and outfitting subcontractors. The previous inventory system she helped build reduced lead times 15%, but had no construction milestone integration.
Core Pain Point
Parts arrive on time but sit idle because assembly schedule changed without procurement being notified
Systems Audit Findings
Task Analysis — Time-on-Task Comparison
Production Manager Day-in-the-Life
Design Approach
01
Mirror the Shipbuilding Process
Information architecture follows actual vessel construction phases — steel cutting → block fabrication → sub-assembly → grand assembly → erection → outfitting → sea trial. Designers who haven't built ships would organize by function (scheduling, quality, procurement). We organized by how production managers actually think about their work.
02
Point-of-Work Data Capture
Every data input happens where the work happens. Foremen update block status from the yard floor on ruggedized tablets. QC inspectors log weld results at the inspection site. This eliminates the 4–8 hour data lag that plagued the paper-based system and ensures production decisions are based on current reality.
03
Classification Society as First-Class User
Most production systems treat classification society surveyors as external auditors. We designed them as primary users. The quality gate system mirrors actual Lloyd's, DNV, and ABS inspection requirements. Surveyors access the same interface, reducing transcription delays from 3 days to zero.
04
Connected Systems, Single Truth
Supply chain, quality control, workforce allocation, and the construction schedule are all linked. When an NCR delays a block, the timeline automatically recalculates, procurement is notified of material schedule changes, and workforce allocation adjusts. No more independent systems with independent truths.
Domain Expertise
This is the most autobiographical project in my portfolio — a direct representation of work I actually led at one of Asia's largest private shipbuilders. For defense and maritime roles, this proves something no generic portfolio piece can: I understand vessel construction from the inside.
Shoft Shipyard — UX Researcher (2014–2015)
Initial exposure to shipyard production workflows. Conducted field research across fabrication, assembly, and outfitting departments. Built foundational understanding of how vessel construction actually works — the block system, the crane choreography, the welding sequences.
Shoft Shipyard — Sr Product Designer & Design Lead (2019–2022)
Led the design team building the production management system. Designed the inventory management system that achieved 15% lead time reduction. Developed the dual-interface approach (desktop + tablet) based on firsthand observation of yard conditions.
Mechanical Engineering Background
Engineering degree provides technical fluency that most designers lack. I can read steel specifications, understand weld procedure qualifications, and have credible conversations with production engineers about fabrication tolerances and structural requirements.
When I designed the block assembly tracker, I wasn't imagining how shipyard workers might track blocks — I'd spent years watching them do it with paint markers and radio calls. When I integrated classification society workflows, I knew the specific requirements because I'd worked directly with Lloyd's and DNV surveyors. This is the difference between a designer who researches maritime and one who has shipped in it.
Interactive Prototype
Explore the Production System
Navigate through all six screens — construction timeline, block assembly, supply chain, quality gates, workforce allocation, and sea trial preparation. Designed for both desktop planners and yard-floor tablet use.
Construction TimelineBlock AssemblySupply ChainQuality GatesWorkforceSea Trial
Complete User Flow
NCR Discovery to Schedule Recovery
Tracing a single weld defect from yard-floor discovery through quality resolution and schedule recovery — showing how all six screens connect in a real production scenario.
1
NCR Discovery in Yard
Block Assembly Tracker
2
NCR Creation & Classification
Quality Gate Management
3
Production Impact Assessment
Construction Timeline
4
Supply Chain Adjustment
Supply Chain Integration
5
Resolution & Quality Gate Clearance
Quality Gate Management
6
Schedule Recovery & Reporting
Construction Timeline + Workforce
Key Design Decisions
Yard-to-Office Dual Interface
Designed a responsive dual-interface: full-featured desktop for planners and QC managers, plus a ruggedized tablet view optimized for gloved hands and outdoor visibility. Block status updates now happen at the point of work — a foreman taps a block on the visual hull map to update status instantly.
Impact
Block status data lag reduced from 4-8 hours to real-time updates
Classification-Integrated Quality Gates
Built quality gates directly into the construction timeline, with inspection checklists that mirror actual classification society requirements (IACS UR, DNV-OS-C401, LR Rules). NCRs are linked to specific blocks and automatically surface in the production schedule when they impact critical path. Surveyors access the same digital interface.
Impact
NCR resolution time reduced 3.8× and classification survey prep from 1 day to 1 hour
Supply Chain ↔ Milestone Synchronization
Extended the supply chain system with bi-directional milestone linking. Every material order is now tied to a specific construction milestone. When the schedule shifts, the supply chain dashboard automatically re-prioritizes deliveries and flags conflicts. Materials that will arrive before their milestone is ready are flagged to prevent yard congestion.
Impact
Material-to-milestone misalignment reduced from weeks to same-day detection
Designed by Rebecka Raj at Shoft Shipyard, 2019-2022
This case study represents design work conducted across 4+ years of direct shipyard experience, including field research with production managers, QC inspectors, and classification society surveyors.
Back to Projects