Overview

Background

Playbook is a scheduling tool for NASA missions. What sets Playbook apart from other scheduling tools used aboard the ISS is that it allows crew to self-schedule without ground control intervention, a crucial feature especially as missions travel further and instantaneous communication with Earth becomes more difficult.

Part of Playbook’s self-scheduling capabilities is supporting activity constraints. Mission schedules often must abide by specific constraints. For example, certain activities may be required to occur at specific times, or a resource can only be used by one activity at a time. Playbook allows users to assign constraints to activities and create conflict-free schedules.

Playbook constraints are a necessary yet complex feature. In this project, I explore how Playbook can help users better understand:

• What an activity’s constraints are

• What to do when constraint violations occur

User research

From internal user interviews and previous team research, I determined that the best way to improve understandability of constraints is through:

1. Language. Understanding constraints & violations through UI messages.

2. Visual. Understanding constraints & violations through visual timeline elements.

Part 1: Message language

One aspect of improving constraint clarity was through more clear, straightforward language for constraint descriptions and violations. Playbook currently has 14 unique constraint types. We wanted message formulas that were concise, brief, and general so that they could be applied consistently across different constraint types

The new message formulas used more concise language, and in the case of a constraint violation, they included relevant info to help users understand why the violation was happening.

Part 2: Visual UI elements

In addition to clearer, more informative constraint messages, I created a new UI system that reimagines constraints as modular card objects.

New card designs featured:

• Hoverable color blocks showing which activities were involved in constraint

• Expandable menu of fix suggestions

In the broader Playbook UI system, design changes include:

• When a user clicks on a constraint card, elevating activities in the timeline. This quickly lets users identify which activities are involved in a constraint.

• In the timeline, violation count badges on activities with constraint violations let users understand if multiple scheduling violations are occurring at once.

• When a user clicks on a constraint card, more salient red markers on activity start/end time. This allows users to visually locate where to move activities faster.