Smuster Project
Role:
UI/UX Designer
Industry:
Hospitality/Cruize
Tools:
Figma
Project Overview
This project involved redesigning the sMuster command dashboard used for monitoring crew and guest safety operations during emergencies and safety drills on cruise ships. The system supports real-time tracking of passengers and crew members across multiple muster stations, evacuation zones, and ship decks, and is used daily by ship safety officers, control room operators, and emergency response teams.
Objective
Simplify emergency monitoring workflows, improve real-time visibility of muster operations, and deliver a glanceable, high-priority dashboard experience that enables faster decision-making during high-stress situations.
Problem Statement
During emergencies or safety drills, ship operators need instant visibility of critical safety data. However, traditional dashboards often present scattered information, making it difficult to quickly identify problems.
Key Pain Points:
• Difficulty identifying missing passengers or crew
• Lack of clear visual hierarchy for critical alerts
• Information spread across multiple sections
• Slow decision-making during emergencies
• Limited ability to quickly monitor muster station performance
• Accessibility gaps due to WCAG contrast and labeling issues
Business Goals
• Improve real-time emergency monitoring and decision-making during live safety incidents
• Reduce response time in identifying missing crew and guests during muster operations
• Improve visibility of critical alerts through a glanceable and actionable dashboard experience
• Ensure reliable coordination of guest, crew, and special-needs passenger management
• Reduce operational errors caused by scattered or delayed safety information
• Build a scalable and consistent dashboard system for cruise ship safety operations
Who Are the Users
Ship Safety Officers
Responsible for ensuring passenger and crew safety during emergencies and drills.
Control Room Operators
Monitor real-time muster progress and system alerts.
Emergency Response Teams
Coordinate evacuation procedures and locate missing personnel.
Cruise Operations Staff
Oversee guest safety compliance during drills and boarding procedures.
User Needs
From a safety operations perspective, users need:
• Real-time status of crew and guests
• Quick identification of missing individuals
• Visibility of muster station progress
• Alerts for wrong station attendance
• Monitoring of device readiness
• Easy tracking of evacuation zones
• A single-screen overview of ship safety status
UX Process
I followed a User-Centered Design Process focused on improving emergency response efficiency and operational clarity:
Research → Define → Analyze → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Iterate
Research Methods:
• Stakeholder discussions with ship operations and safety teams
• Workflow analysis of muster operations and emergency drill procedures
• Dashboard usability evaluation for glanceability and information hierarchy
• Observation of real-time monitoring requirements in high-stress environments
• Heuristic evaluation of existing dashboard layouts and alert systems
• Accessibility and visibility checks for critical emergency information
• Iterative feedback sessions on dashboard structure, alert prioritization, and operational workflows
Key Insights
• Operators struggled to quickly identify missing crew and guests during live emergencies
• Critical alerts lacked sufficient visual priority, reducing response efficiency
• Information overload and dense layouts increased cognitive stress during high-pressure situations
• Monitoring multiple muster stations simultaneously was difficult with scattered information
• Device readiness and operational status visibility were essential for uninterrupted emergency coordination
• Users relied heavily on color-coded statuses and large metrics for faster decision-making
Design Strategy
• Glanceable dashboard layout to help operators understand critical safety status within seconds
• Clear visual hierarchy to prioritize high-risk alerts, missing personnel, and emergency actions
• Zero-scroll information architecture to keep essential operational data visible on a single screen
• Card-based modular layout for faster scanning of muster stations, evacuation zones, and device status
• Real-time status indicators and color-coded alerts to improve emergency response speed
Visual Design
• Clean, modern interface with strong hierarchy
• Card-based layouts for readability
• Clear primary and secondary actions
• Inline validations and contextual help
• Consistent typography, spacing, and color usage
Design System
To support scale and consistency, I created a reusable design system.
• Accessible color palette
• Reusable UI components
• Standardized typography and spacing
• Clear validation and error states
This significantly improved consistency and development efficiency.
Frequently Asked Question’s
What’s your background and how did you become a product designer?
What kind of work do you specialise in?
What kinds of industries or projects do you love working in?
What is your design philosophy or what makes your approach distinct?
What are your current interests or where are you looking to take your work next?
Screens Design
Final Solution
The redesigned platform delivers:
• Real-time monitoring of crew and guest muster status during emergencies and drills.
• A glanceable zero-scroll dashboard experience for faster emergency decision-making.
• Centralized operational view for muster stations, evacuation zones, and device readiness.
• Color-coded alert systems for quick identification of critical operational issues.
• Reduced cognitive load through structured information hierarchy and modular card-based layouts.
Challenges
• Balancing regulatory compliance with usability
• Managing multiple stakeholder expectations
• Tight timelines within agile sprints