Pilot Interface Concept

Pilot UI for Supervised Autonomous Rotorcraft

2022-2023  |  Product Designer, Advanced Programs

Project Overview

As part of Bell's Advanced Programs team, I was tasked with developing a new user interface layout for pilots operating supervised autonomous rotorcraft- aircraft designed to fly with reduced pilot workload while retaining human oversight for mission-critical moments. The project required balancing trust in autonomy, situation awareness, and interface clarity for a new category of cockpit experience.

The Challenge

How might we design a flight deck UI that supports pilot confidence in autonomous systems, ensures safety, and provides clarity during high-pressure mission states, without overwhelming the user with data?

My Role

• Collaborated closely with flight test pilots, avionics engineers, and the autonomy team

• Conducted research on pilot mental models, workload thresholds, and existing UI norms

• Led wireframing and layout iteration for primary displays

• Prototyped interactive screens and supported user testing with simulated flight scenarios

• Worked with aerospace constraints (latency, redundancy, fail-safes, standardization)

Outcome

• Delivered a modular UI framework that balances autonomy feedback with pilot control

• Validated through internal testing on usability, readability, and information flow

• Laid groundwork for future autonomous systems integration across Bell platforms

• Project strengthened Bell's approach to human-machine trust in next-gen rotorcraft

Initial inspiration for wireframing

Everyone starts somewhere, initial wireframe sketches

In context example

Example flows for "flying via points" vs "by knobs" and a landing scenario