Simplifying complex calculations for materials engineers

Materials engineers working in steel and metallurgy industries need to perform calculations to define the materials used in refractory equipment such as furnaces and boilers.

In this project, these calculations were done with support from other companies, and the projects did not have a centralized repository for storing history and updates. This made it difficult to consult previous projects and increased the risk of errors during field work.

The challenge was to transform this technical process into an application that made both performing calculations and organizing and consulting projects easier.

Before designing the interface, I needed to understand how this type of calculation fit into the professionals' routine and in which situations the system would be used.

I planned and conducted semi-structured interviews with materials engineers and industry representatives, seeking to understand their routines, needs, main difficulties, and expectations in different usage scenarios.

From the research insights, I mapped the user flow and structured the solution architecture, defining how calculations, results, and projects would be organized within the system.

Then I led the UX/UI Design of the interface and developed a high-fidelity prototype, used in usability tests with professionals representing the target audience. The tests helped validate the solution and identify improvement points.