Mile Two
Software development company focusing on the intersection of people, technology, and work, uncovering complexity and creating effective human-machine teams.
BACKGROUND
About Mile Two
M2 is a custom software development company working with a diverse range of clients, including startups, Fortune 500 companies, and the US government. The M2 approach emphasizes solving complex problems through extensive cross-functional collaboration, incorporating human performance, user experience design, and cognitive systems engineering to craft solutions that prioritize user-centric solutions.
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NOTE
The majority of my work at Mile Two has been with Department of Defense customers, a significant portion of it is classified or confidential.
Work Timeline
2023
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Collaborating with software engineers in sprint cycles to design and implement new features for a translation support software. (UI & Product Designer)
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Leading UX/UI design efforts in the intelligence and cyber operations domain delivering software solutions that utilize machine learning to maximize human-AI system collaboration and decision support. (Lead UX/UI Designer)
2022
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Ideated on concepts and features for digital war gaming interface. (UI & Product Designer)
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Led design team creating a proof of concept for an air war operations planning software solution that enables decision-makers to quickly and confidently plan a mission using AI. (UI/UI Designer & Project Lead)
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Collaborated with developers and CSE experts to design and enhance features for a custom software supporting weapon system vulnerability mitigation and cross-scale coordination. (UI/UX & Product Design)
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Designing initial concepts for application that isualizes outputs of computational modeling and simulation to augment Air Battle Managers in making high-consequence targeting decisions under time pressure and data overload. (UI/UX Designer)
2021
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Sole designer partnered with AFRL developers, Human Factors experts, and Cognitive Systems Engineers to develop a game module helping players to visualize resource needs for cyber capabilities. (Lead UX/UI Designer)​
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Collaborated within a cross-functional team crafting software that enhances workflow and fosters improved coordination between cyber defense teams and network owners. (Lead UX/UI Designer)
2020
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Crafted conceptual designs and prototypes for a tool centered around creating an environment for exploring, discovering, tracking, organizing, and collaborating on various technology solutions. (UX/UI Designer)​
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Iterated on dashboard UI concepts designed to uncover essential data relationships crucial for supporting an extensive, multifaceted decision-making processes. (UX/UI Designer)
BACKGROUND
Design Approach
Mile Two utilized the design wheel framework to inspire deeper understanding of the client’s problem and greater connection across all roles on the team.
Property of Mile Two; Do Not Distribute
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The design wheel is broken into 6 key sections: ​
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Discovery: Learning about the domain and the users
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Understanding: Synthesizing the insights about the users and domain
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Modeling: Mapping out important relationships
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Representations: Visualizing the relevant frames of reference
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Architecture: Building out frameworks for implementing ideas
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Validation: Verifying the value with purposeful feedback Emphasizing Collaboration​
BACKGROUND
Integration Through Collaboration
At Mile Two, collaboration is at the heart of the software development process, uniting CSE, UX/UI, and Software Engineers. Recognizing that incomplete information can impede progress, M2 encourages everyone's active engagement and early sharing of perspectives, which often leads to the discovery of new ideas.
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Within the organization, everyone assumes the roles of both creator and problem-solver. By collaborating through the design wheel, we establish strong anchors for exploration, conceptualization, and the creation of new systems, fostering a deeper connection across all team members' roles.
Property of Mile Two; Do Not Distribute​
BACKGROUND
Design Work
Depending on customer and project requirements, the role of a designer at M2 requires a range of skill sets and strategic approaches.
Common design requirement included:
Engaging in thorough research involving delving deep into understanding user needs and workflows, fostering a broad spectrum of problem-solving ideation.
Generating UI proof of concepts, demonstrated through the use of user workflows, wireframes, and rapid prototyping.
Prioritizing agile development, focusing on rolling out new features for existing software solutions and contributing to or collaborating within established design systems.
Experience
Experienced designing for these topics:
Human-AI system Collaboration
Planning and Decision-Making
Big Data Analysis
Dashboards, Minimizing Data Overload, Supporting Identification of Meaningful Data Relationships
Cross-Scale Coordination, Common Operating Pictures, Logistics
Modeling and Simulation
Wargaming
BACKGROUND
Role of Cognitive Systems Engineering
Mile Two offers a unique perspective on software development with the incorporation of Cognative Systems Engineers (CSE) in the collaborative process. CSE applies principles from cognitive psychology, engineering, and human factors to create efficient systems that enhance human performance and minimize errors in complex systems.
During my 3+ years at Mile Two I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with CSE’s and learn to incorporate their methodologies into my own design process. The CSE approach supports my ability to identify and resolve issues related to cognitive load, information processing, and decision-making, simplifying the complexities of the large scale problems I’ve been tasked with solving. This strategic blend of CSE and UX/UI ensures a balanced approach, delivering enjoyable human-machine experiences while also catering to the cognitive needs of the user in the complex systems they operate in.
