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Screens
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Fully prototyped
product features
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User evaluations
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Strategic vision
of the future
My Approach
Having no prior experience in autonomous robotics (let alone underwater!), this was an entirely new domain for me. I approached this challenge by leaning on my principles.
Insight: Balancing Stakeholder Needs
When customers expressed interest in AI flaw detection, I facilitated crucial conversations around technical feasibility, business risk, and ethical implications. This highlighted the need for a hybrid approach that balanced automation with human oversight in high-stakes applications.
Insight: Analogous Domains
The analogous domain research demonstrated that – despite the specialized nature of underwater robotics – design principles are universal and can be applied to create intuitive interfaces.
Design
Screens and details omitted due to NDA. Please contact me if you would like to learn more.
Product Features
The final product is a working prototype—including 12 fully built-out features tailored to user goals—demonstrating user interactions during the two key workflows.
Human-Robot Interaction
A mission control interface providing real-time situational awareness and collaborative human-AI route planning for operators managing inspections.
3D Data Analysis Portal
An intuitive platform and virtual workflow enabling engineers to navigate, analyze, and assess 3D infrastructure models for structural defects.
Reflections & Impact
The role of UX in deep tech
Working in deep tech reinforced that even the most groundbreaking technology must be anchored in user needs. As the Founding Roboticist said after one of my presentations: "The technology is nothing without the user."
Leadership and teamwork
I learned that effective leadership is about creating the right conditions for each team member to succeed. After transitioning from summer intern to leading a six-person research team, I overcame initial uncertainty by reorganizing around individual strengths. This approach improved both work quality and engagement.
Impact and future directions
By bridging advanced robotics with user needs, we created not just a product but a compelling narrative about the future of underwater infrastructure inspection that stakeholders can see, feel, and believe in. My work culminated in a functional MVP prototype that now serves as the foundation for Aquatonomy's strategic direction as they launch customer pilot tests.