Ground Control Station Battery Indicators

A Case Study in Human-Centered Design for Critical Aviation Systems

Scope of Work

Our consulting engagement focused on resolving a critical user experience challenge within a ground control station software system. The project required designing an intuitive battery monitoring interface for operators managing swarm flights of heavy lift unmanned aircraft, while maintaining the technical accuracy demanded by engineering teams and operational safety requirements.

About the Client

The client operates in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector, specializing in heavy lift drone operations requiring sophisticated swarm flight coordination. Their ground control station software manages deployment, monitoring, and execution of multi-vehicle missions where precise battery management is critical for operational safety and mission success.

Defining the Problem Space

The core challenge centered on effectively communicating battery life information to operators during active swarm flights. The batteries powering these aircraft exhibit complex chemical behaviors that make traditional percentage-based reporting problematic:

  • Power spike volatility: Flight maneuvers such as takeoff, landing, and complex maneuvers caused significant energy draw spikes that would temporarily distort battery readings

  • Accuracy vs. usability tension: Engineering teams prioritized precise, technically accurate data reporting, while operators needed intuitive, actionable information for real-time decision making

  • Safety implications: Inaccurate battery information in multi-vehicle operations could lead to dangerous situations or mission failures

  • System complexity: The arbitrary nature of percentage-based reporting for these batteries created confusion and potential misinterpretation

How We Solved It

After conducting stakeholder interviews with both engineering teams and operators, and drawing upon pilot experience with similar systems, we developed an innovative visual indicator system that bridged the gap between technical accuracy and operational usability.

Our solution replaced traditional percentage displays with a capacity-based visual indicator system that:

  • Established clear voltage boundaries from fully drained (plus safety margins for descent) to fully charged

  • Created visual indicators that correlated with current draw in real-time

  • Provided operators with flight-relevant battery information without displaying potentially misleading spike data

  • Maintained engineering requirements for data accuracy and safety

Through iterative design sessions with operators over several weeks, we refined the visual interface until it seamlessly integrated into their operational workflow while satisfying the engineering team's precision requirements.

Key Success Criteria

  1. Enhance operator safety by providing reliable, actionable battery information during critical flight operations

  2. Resolve stakeholder tension between engineering accuracy requirements and operator usability needs

  3. Improve mission success rates through better informed decision-making capabilities

  4. Achieve maximum impact with minimal development overhead

Delivered Value

  • Eliminated data misinterpretation by removing arbitrary percentage displays that didn't account for battery behavior

  • Improved operational confidence through consistent, spike-resistant visual indicators

  • Enhanced multi-vehicle safety by providing operators with reliable battery status across entire swarm operations

  • Achieved stakeholder alignment by satisfying both engineering precision requirements and operator usability needs

  • Delivered iterative refinement through collaborative design sessions with end users over several weeks

Looking Ahead

The successful implementation of this battery monitoring system has established a foundation for future ground control station interface improvements. The human-centered design approach demonstrated the value of bridging technical accuracy with operational usability, setting precedent for similar challenges in critical aviation systems. This solution framework can be adapted for other sensor data displays and expanded to support larger swarm operations as the technology scales.