Aviation users nowadays are tech-savvy consumers using a vast array of modern devices with many apps installed. Most modern day users are already highly familiar with the layout and navigation of modern software interfaces, requiring minimal instruction to realize values from using any application. The “phenomenon” of instant user onboarding is not an accident, but the result of decades of effort in building, designing friendly UX/UI and familiarizing the average consumer with ever-changing technology. In fact, the sleek interface and gestures that can be experienced in present-day software are just the tip of the iceberg above the countless, “invisible” layers of complex codings.
While not just a robustly built back-end, an amazingly designed user interface and user experience are extremely important in this day and age. (Just ask the end-users ). Even though they are built for interactivity, IETMs and IETPs can seldom achieve all of their intended purposes without the utilization of a great interactive display system. When effective UX/UI designs are applied to enhance the experience of viewing digital technical content, the improved interactivity can boost productivity, focus, and control over the content being viewed, as well as reduce any learning curves for the mass of new users.
However, compared to many other modern apps, visual design for the majority of aerospace IETM/IETP viewer solutions rarely depicts a similar level of up-to-date modernity. This is because the need for aviation digital content has existed over a decade before contemporary, user-centered designs came into being and prominence. Enterprise customers, especially in the aviation industry, were almost solely concerned with system stability. The quality of design was often far from the top of the list when it comes to high-level purchasing decisions.
With that being said, other possible causes contribute to this relative underdevelopment of the Viewer, such as:
1. It’s not where most of the effort goes
A major part of great visual design can only be achieved through thoughtful research and the application of the best design practices, as well as extensive trials and errors. To make that happen, software developers will have put together a team of dedicated UX/UI designers. Furthermore, it also requires intensive modification to the existing interface and experience design. As many current IETP viewer solutions were built on rather inflexible, legacy technologies, revamping the Viewer partially or entirely may require a tremendous amount of time and effort.
Few development firms would want to spend money and effort on design while the same resources can be spent on perfecting the other components that possess more competitive KPIs – such as the continuous optimization of solid, robust back-ends. Also, since IETP software developers must fulfill several mission-critical requirements from the customer organizations and regulations of the industry (that are much more important than visual design), the “superficial” Viewer naturally receives less development and polishing attention.
2. It’s not where the money is.
The majority of big software transactions circulate in other IETP solution markets such as technical authoring. In fact, most software developers in aviation data technology have brought back significant revenues from developing authoring tools and enhancing their various components. Without great financial incentives, other modules such as the Viewer end up being unoptimized in both features, performance and design, when compared to most modern authoring tools.
In other software markets, great UX/UI designs may give a significant competitive edge over a less thoughtfully designed product belonging to a competitor. However, in the aviation IETM/IETP solution market, due to the high barriers to entry and the lack of competition, the external interest to develop a modern Viewer is greatly diminished.
Placing the viewing experience in the center – the NIVOMAX innovation
With over a decade of experience providing IT services and developing viewing solutions for aviation IETM/IETP users and systems, SYNAXIOM understands visual design is not solely for aesthetics, but can directly impact the overall productivity and satisfaction of the end-users. Specifically, the consumers of IETM data need a more modern, holistic experience, such as being able to interact with the content being displayed without the distractions of the software clutters and a steep learning curve. They expect the navigation interface to resemble typical modern applications as much as possible.
Furthermore, in scenarios where a three-tier deployment exists (SYNAXIOM – Buyer – Buyer’s customer), great UX/UI is crucial towards ensuring the overall positive experience of the final end-users inside and outside the organization, as well as keeping down the number of tickets towards the customer support systems. This is a significant benefit for the party licensing the software for mass internal and external distribution.
Feature-rich modern design.
Centralized at a highly modern viewer, the NIVOMAX platform was built to address the needs for better experiences of aviation IETM/IETP users by applying various design practices including:
- Control gestures are designed to be naturally intuitive including drag and drop, zoom in/out, and more. View can easily be configured and is adaptable to the type of content being displayed.
- Users can access commonly used tools such as hotspots, indexing, applicability, and notations within a few clicks of a mouse.
- Avant-garde features such as light/dark modes are available for nighttime convenience (e.g. brightness adjustment not needed during dark environments such as nighttime flight deck)
- The myriad of utility tools can be shown or hidden individually, depending on the specific user needs.
- A streamlined UI also assists in creating a seamless UX while navigating the data being consumed
- Easy one-click Single Sign-on (SSO) to access the Viewer and all other modules
Cross-platform capable/powerful web compatibility
As the preference for web-based applications has grown due to its cross-platform capability and no-install requirement, NIVOMAX was engineered to be highly web-capable without the need for any external plugins or local installation. Since users are also using various mobile devices unlike before, the platform is also available on all modern Android and iOS devices (e.g. iPad)
- NIVOMAX Viewer can be accessed via a secured web portal via Single Sign-on
- Content can be viewed in any modern browser (Safari, Chrome, etc. )
- Renders Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) natively on the web while retaining all intelligent functionalities
- Displays natively on mobile devices, retaining all key Desktop features
- NIVOMAX Job-sync allows seamless task switching between different devices and access points.
Seamless brand integration
A sleek UI also helps NIVOMAX easily integrate into any brand. SYNAXIOM co-branding option allows the clear, presiding presence of a customer’s logo in the viewer’s interface on any chosen area. This can also be customized with other brand elements such as a unique color palette. The result is a user interface that is strongly aligned with the customer’s corporate identity, commanding the brand influence in front of thousands of users without affecting the overall experience when navigating the software interface and features.
Trusted by the aviation industry, including one of the top aircraft manufacturers globally, NIVOMAX gives a significant contribution to ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency of the technical content delivery process for thousands of individual users and mission-critical business units in the aerospace industry.
Have questions? Let SYNAXIOM hear you – we can help you address any concerns regarding the display technology of interactive electronic technical publications, other related components, and their deployment specific to your requirements and mission-critical systems.