OPM Illustration for Aviation

One of my favorite things to do is take complex ideas and make them simple. Predix OPM from GE Digital is a complete control-to-cloud optimization solution that improves the performance of plants, sites, and enterprises by stabilizing operations and optimizing yield, quality, and efficiency.

Let’s look at Aviation. Jet engines need to be manufactured and serviced, and airlines are constantly looking to optimize their processes to improve costs. If something is wrong with your jet engine, you can either repair it or put in a new one. And it’s way cheaper (obviously) to fix an engine than to put in a new one. With an average of xxx flights per day per major airline, there’s a big impact to your bottom line. Predix OPM helps get the best use out of jet engines.

I worked with the VP of Product Management, OPM to illustrate this idea graphically. It’s a very complex process, with many moving parts. My objective was to make the illustration as simple as possible, while maintaining the integrity of an information-rich process.

Solution: Illustration, Creative Direction

Original concept

There’s a lot going on in this initial whiteboard sketch given to me by the VP of Product Management. Great information, but no real sense of flow or information hierarchy. It’s a bit text heavy, and the different colors aren’t intentional in adding new information. 

V1: Reduce copy, visualize the flow

I find sketching to be an incredibly valuable tool as a designer. In 10 minutes, I was able to communicate a rough idea of how the graphic could be laid out. Information graphics require an obvious visual starting point for the viewer. In this case, the user starts with the top left airplane and follows its journey through a repair cycle. Complex ideas always take time to refine, so rapid prototyping is essential. 

V2: Focus on the engine

Initial feedback was positive, but not quite there. The illustration highlights the status of the airplane and whether or not it is in flight. However, showing the status of the engine from manufacturing to fleet to the repair cycle is more of the sweet spot. Another quick sketch and we were back in business. 

Final design

After getting the green light on the design concept, I brought in the brand colors, fonts, and illustrative style. This illustration was used to support a technical white paper.