Sensemaking in practical design: A navigation app for fast leisure boats

Abstract

Every year a number of Norwegians are killed in small boats crashing into rocks and islands due to faulty navigation. “Human error,” like inattention and misconception, is often a triggering factor. To help the human operator to make sense of a complex situation instruments like the sextant and the nautical chart have since long been developed. Recently these aides have also been automated and made electronic. However, these modern navigation tools are most often made for larger boats that can provide shelter for the sensitive equipment and many of the accidents happen with very fast open crafts and water scooters where the driver is unprotected and has to use both hands to hold on and steer the boat. This chapter describes a sensemaking-in-practice project, the design concept, development and test procedure of an applica-tion specially tailored for such fast, open and exposed boats. The smart phone-based application was developed according to human-centred design (HCD) principles in a project named SikkerKurs and a proof-of-concept was tested at sea in Norway in 2017 with good results. The user experience was the focal point for the user tests. Local users have for some time been using the application and delivered critique and comments. A second iteration is now being planned for the autumn 2020.