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NASA SUITS
2022
The NASA SUITS project was a high-stakes design challenge focused on developing an augmented reality interface for spacesuits to support astronauts during future lunar missions. The goal was to create an intuitive, mission-ready UI capable of delivering core functionalities such as navigation, terrain awareness, EVA system monitoring, and mission logging while working seamlessly under the extreme constraints of lunar environments, including bulky gloves, limited visibility, and high cognitive demands.
As part of a collaborative design and engineering team working directly on the NASA SUITS challenge, our approach was to design and prototype an AR interface that could be integrated seemlessly into a spacesuit helmet display. Taking a deep dive into space missions to inform necessary assumption and mapping out an astronaut's entire journey while creating and iterating on possible design solutions was a key starting point on this project. The project combined user-centered design thinking with technical problem-solving to meet NASA’s operational requirements.
Research into astronaut workflows and environmental constraints informed the creation of a streamlined, responsive interface. Multiple iterations of wireframes and prototypes were developed, incorporating a palm-activation menu for glove-friendly use, a dynamic navigation system with compass integration, rover control tools, real-time chat and SOS features, camera functions, vitals tracking, and geological sampling tools. The final design was tested in a simulated lunar terrain at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Rock Yard, where team members and astronauts assessed usability, responsiveness, and information clarity under realistic conditions.
