ADAPTING EXPERIMENTATION AND TESTING
before they begin writing or integrating code, dramatically reducing the risk that ATIS won’t deliver a relevant solution for Soldiers. Ultimately, the strategic placement of the UX researchers and designers within teams is designed to support the program’s end-to-end, user-centered approach to UX design, which requires that they’re able to empathize and communicate the needs and preferences of end users during every step of ATIS’ design and development cycle.
CONTINUOUS USER ENGAGEMENT In December 2022, Headquarters Department of the Army tasked Army commands and direct reporting units to provide users for ATIS’ user engagement process. Te order required Soldiers and government civilians to participate in user engage- ment sessions with ATIS’ UX researchers, providing them with sufficient opportunities to understand user needs, generate design ideas and validate or invalidate ideas through continuous user engagement. Tis process ensured the program would make design decisions backed by empirical data generated through continuous engagement with Soldiers and government civilians, further ensuring that ATIS will deliver an ideal and relevant solution.
As of March 2024, ATIS’ UX researchers have engaged with more than 170 Soldiers and government civilians in live video sessions where users are asked to provide input on ATIS’ upcom- ing work. During those sessions, system end users describe their preferences and any unofficial workarounds they’ve created to overcome the challenges of using legacy IT systems. Tose engagements inform the building of design prototypes, which end users provide additional feedback on, validating the efficacy of UX design before it’s handed off to developers to implement.
CONCLUSION Te Army’s collective shift toward Agile is providing an oppor- tunity for acquisition programs to take a more collaborative and user-centered approach, a paradigm exemplified by ATIS. Te iterative nature of Agile supports recurring events and feedback cycles, providing government community representatives with opportunities to continuously provide input—the value of which can’t be overstated as they’re experts with years of experience in engaging with their unique populations.
Furthermore, Agile teams deliver software incrementally, provid- ing embedded government product owners with the ability to iteratively direct and verify that what’s being delivered is the best value for the Army, and the UX design of the software can be backed by empirical data iteratively solicited and validated by
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system end users before code is ever written and implemented. Tis shift to an Agile approach is being accompanied by a shift in culture, in which a user-centered mindset is paramount in deliv- ering best value. If embraced, Army acquisition programs could perpetually field solutions that Soldiers want to use.
For more information on ATIS, go to https://
www.pdmatis.army.mil/Media-Resources.html.
MAJ. JAMES OLIVER is the assistant product manager for ATIS, in Newport News, Virginia. He began his military service as an infantryman in the Indiana National Guard in 2007. Since commissioning into the Army in 2012, he has served with the infantry, the Adjutant General Corps and now the Army Acquisition Corps. He holds an M.A. in human resources management from Webster University, an M.S. in systems engineering management and a certificate in advanced acquisitions from the Naval Postgraduate School and a B.A. in history from Ball State University. His professional certifications include Project Management Professional, Associate Systems Engineering Professional and SAFe 6 Practice Consultant.
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