NSW Fisheries

Modernising fishery compliance systems for commercial fishers and fishing regulators

FishOnline is a NSW Government software platform that enables commercial fishers to report their catch numbers and process other business-related transactions (like managing vessels and licenses). Matt helped Spatial Vision and The NSW Department of Primary Industries to modernise its aging fishing compliance systems to enable better processes, governance, and usability by creating a flexible and scalable design system.

The new design supports responsive user interfaces across every screen size possible, touch-friendly interactions (because fishers are rarely in front of a computer screen), and specific consideration for accessibility and usability for the primary user group (fishers who are mostly older men with poor eye-sight and large fingers working in environments that are moving and wet, most of the time).

♥️ I'm proud of...

  • Understanding a deeply complex regulatory system, Australia-wide, in a matter of days
  • Extending the existing 'website' design system with design componentry more appropriate for tooling/application development
  • Using task-flow modelling and user interviews to help refine (and reduce) requirements
  • Undertaking quantitative analysis of existing application and product use to inform design decisions
  • Ensuring an easy-to-build and flexible responsive user-interface

Design methods

  • User interviews
  • Taskflow modelling
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Workshop facilitation
  • Persona development
  • Prototyping (pen/paper)
  • Interaction design
  • Brand and identity development
  • Visual design
Navigating complex regulation

Understanding deeply complex regulatory systems in a matter of days

There is a lot of regulation around how commercial fishers fish. It’s not just about catch numbers, but also about how often they go out to fish, where they fish, and accurate reporting of catch at the time of trip completion. There are boat licenses, fishing licenses, business licenses, rules for transferring licenses and restrictions around what can be caught, how it can be caught, and when.

Having understood this complex space in a matter of days, Matt was able to begin re-design work almost immediately – adding efficiency and simplicity to workflows.

It’s unbelievable how quickly Matt got up to speed and was able to dissect a very complex set of workflows to show how well he understood things right off the bat

 – NSW fishing subject matter expert

Above: Each 'fishery' has its own workflow, reporting requirements and regulation making the understanding of this space deeply complex.

 

As much data to capture as there is fish in the ocean

FishOnline is responsible for managing fishing licensing, boat management, and business transfers and sales.

Above: Understanding database modelling through the use of the licensing card system meant that Matt could get up to speed quickly on what data is captured, managed and regulated across the FishOnline system.

 

Task-oriented design

Refining and reducing requirements and development through good design

Using design methods like information architecture mapping, taskflow models and quantitative usage data from the existing platform, Matt helped the team reduce the number of features that needed to be developed in the new design by almost 33%.

The taskflow model below shows the original set of actions, decisions, and information flow that was required for transferring fishing rights from one business to another via FishOnline.

Through a re-thinking of the requirements and a fresh look at the interaction required, by law, to complete a transaction like this, Matt was able to propose almost 30% improved efficiency in one workflow.

Above: The same workflow, simplified, whilst still ticking all regulatory boxes.

A new information architecture to reflect more efficient workflows

It was originally assumed that 'all menu items would stay the same' under the assumption that less change would equal less work. But, through Matt's critical thinking and evaluative approach, a re-design of the information architecture for improved understanding, more intuitive and simpler navigation for users, developers also saved time and effort in the re-platforming.

The new mega-menu is designed to optimise for helping users navigate based on what they wanted to achieve, not necessarily how information was organised. The full screen approach also ensured it was responsive across all devices and touch-friendly.

 

Application not website design

Extending an existing ‘website’ design system for application design

The NSW Government has a well-maintained and thorough design system, however, this system only covers ‘information websites’, not tools and applications. In Matt’s design process, he was able to consider and use the existing elements where appropriate so the tool still ‘felt’ like a NSW Government application, but also extended the design system with specific consideration for application design (i.e. a task-focussed approach to goal completion).

 

Above: Before – The FishOnline dashboard before the re-design
Above: After – The FishOnline dashboard after the re-design using the NSW Government Design System as a basis but evolving

Empowering developers

Optimising for an easy-to-build, flexible and responsive interface

The existing application was conceived and developed in a time where mobile phones did not exist. To ensure the longevity of the new design, Matt’s design guidance considered very small screen to very large screen (and every 20 pixels in between).

Nothing gives Matt the heebie jeebies more than a ‘design hand-off to developers’. It really is a terrible way to work. Enabling engineers to make decisions as they develop is important to the success of any software product so the files provided by Matt were designed to be empowering to developers – giving them enough guidance across the design system to provide clarity and direction, but enabling them to responsibly ‘improvise’ without needing pixel-perfect designs every single time.

Above: A small sample of the design system that developers could use for componentry across the whole application

Rollout and beta testing

Optimising for iteration in the field

As of writing, the product is in its final stages of refinement and development before a beta and testing phase for fishers across the country.