As a Product Designer at DEFCON AI, I bring empathy and curiosity to the forefront of my work. I’ve helped shape ARTIV—an advanced modeling and analytics tool—by designing intuitive, human-centered interfaces that turn complex data into clear, actionable insights. I’m passionate about understanding users on a deeper level and partnering with cross-functional teams to build thoughtful, empowering experiences.

Case Study: ARTIV

Confidential Project – United States Air Force’s Air Mobility Command
Role: Product Designer | Tools: Figma, FigJam | Timeline: 2023-Present

01: The Challenge

Logistics planning in high-stakes environments is traditionally slow and complex—often requiring days to generate mission-ready plans. The goal of this project was to advance an internal planning tool that could reduce that time to minutes, while improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and resilience of the plans produced.

I joined the lean product team to help enhance the software’s user experience, ensuring the interface matched the power of its optimization capabilities and met the needs of logistics planners under pressure.

02: My Role

As product designer on the initiative, I was responsible for:

  • Designing end-to-end workflows for core features

  • Collaborating closely with engineering, data science, and product architecture teams

  • Translating complex technical logic into intuitive, user-friendly interactions

  • Ensuring visual and interaction consistency across the platform

Due to confidentiality, designs cannot be publicly shown. However, this case study outlines the approach and impact of the work.

03: Design Process

1. Discovery & Alignment

  • Conducted stakeholder interviews to understand user goals and pain points

  • Reviewed technical documentation to grasp system constraints and optimization logic

  • Mapped out the end-to-end planner workflow, identifying friction points and inefficiencies

2. Wireframing & Prototyping

  • Designed wireframes for key user flows, including scenario comparison, optimization inputs, and plan visualization

  • Created interactive prototypes to test logic toggles, data summaries, and feedback loops

  • Iterated based on weekly feedback sessions with planners and technical leads

3. Design System Contribution

  • Developed and documented new UI components for tables, filters, and visual indicators

  • Refined typography, spacing, and hierarchy for clarity under pressure

  • Ensured all elements were accessible and reusable within the broader design system

05: Key Takeaways

While the interface remains confidential, the impact of the project was clear:

  • Helped streamline inputs and interactions

  • Improved planner confidence through clear feedback and intuitive decision support tools

  • Contributed to the expansion of the platform’s design system for future scalability

  • Earned positive feedback from internal users and cross-functional stakeholders

04: Impact

Contributed to significant improvements in workflow efficiency and decision-making speed

  1. Supported better user confidence through more intuitive, feedback-driven interactions

  2. Enhanced the scalability of the product by contributing to a more robust design system

  3. Received positive recognition from internal teams and cross-functional collaborators

Press

  • "Through Game Warden, DEFCON AI leverages Second Front’s security controls and accreditation compliance which provides the evidence necessary for DoD and other government officials to evaluate risk levels and authorize the use of the application."

    Defense and Munitions

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  • "The on-budget delivery of ARTIV comes two years after DEFCON AI was first awarded a Department of the Air Force Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract to develop operational-level logistics training software that could support mission planning in the face of disruption and just six months after the ARTIV prototype was deployed to DoD Impact Level 5."

    Business Wire

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  • "DEFCON AI, an insights company that is building a next-generation modeling, simulation, and analysis (MS&A) toolset for the modern military environment, today announced that it has formally delivered its advanced MS&A tool, ARTIV, to the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command."

    yahoo! Finance

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  • "The original Phase III SBIR contract, concluded in September 2022, was awarded through the Air Force Installations and Sustainment Center and Air Mobility Command (AMC). It aimed to expedite the transition of DEFCON AI’s modelling, simulation and analysis (MS&A) tool, ARTIV from a prototype to production code."

    Airforce Technology

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