Guardiaris builds simulation systems for military training, from vehicle simulators to LED wall environments where soldiers practice combat scenarios. Before each training session, the instructor needs to configure the entire exercise: choose a scenario, assign physical simulator hardware, assign soldiers to those simulators, configure weapons and equipment for each one, and verify everything is ready for launch.
My challenge was to design a touchscreen interface that makes this multi-step process fast, error-resistant, and clear enough so that the instructor never loses track of the current state. Based on interdependent data, the simulators determine how many soldiers can be assigned. The soldier assignments determine what configuration options appear.
My approach was to structure the flow as a five-step wizard. Each step has a single clear task, and the interface prevents advancing until that task is complete. This was a deliberate choice over a more flexible dashboard-style layout; in a sequential setup process, freedom to jump around creates more problems than it solves.
Design principles that guided the work:
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Prevention Over Correction. Disabled buttons, capacity counters, greyed-out assignments prevent errors before they happen. The instructor never sees an error message in the entire flow.
- Progressive Disclosure. Complexity is revealed when needed. Advanced functions are not needed for established procedures and are therefore tucked away ready to be available when needed. Configuration options appear only for the active simulator type. The personnel roster starts read-only and becomes interactive on demand.
- Continuous State Visibility. The footer always reflects the current state. Badges update in real time. The sidebar shows progress which is back-traceable. At any point, the instructor can answer “where I am and what I need to do” without reading instructions.