ORBIS
CLIENT
Final Year University Project (Human-Centred Design Module)
TYPE OF CLIENT
Maritime / Industrial Design
CATEGORY
Product Design, Ergonomics/TUI, AI Exploration, Graphic Design
BRIEF
Traditional ship bridges are often defined by cluttered physical interfaces and outdated aesthetics, creating a high cognitive load for captains during critical manoeuvres. The goal was to redesign the bridge environment to prioritize safety and intuitive control through a Human-Centred Design approach. The brief challenged us to apply Human-Centred Design principles to completely reimagine the ship bridge workspace. The goal was to replace chaotic, non-intuitive controls with a streamlined environment that bridges the gap between physical touch and digital feedback, creating a visually cohesive, ergonomic, and safer navigation experience.
WHAT I DID
Working as a team for the initial research and development phase, we explored how emerging AI tools could optimise the industrial design workflow. We utilised AI for rapid concept generation, and ergonomic layout optimisation. Individually, I translated these insights into the ORBIS concept a next generation interface pairing a digital Graphical User Interface (GUI) with physical Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs), including a sculpted trackball and an ergonomic wooden thruster joystick. I then leveraged AI image generation alongside advanced graphic design to create high-impact presentation assets and a dynamic video concept demonstrating the interface in action.
RESULT
To showcase the final outcome, I produced a high impact, creative A0 informational poster utilising advanced graphic design and AI image generation. The final presentation package relies on high fidelity renders that visualise the ORBIS bridge under different times of day and lighting conditions, clearly communicating how the seamless blending of form, tactile feedback, and intuitive UI layout reduces user strain and drastically improves situational awareness.
If you would like to explore the project in greater depth, the full process book, showcasing comprehensive research, ideation, and development work—is available upon request.