Toyota

In my work at Toyota, I led the redesign of the network mapping software used by vehicle data engineers. The key challenge was that the existing tool was outdated, difficult to use, and lacked critical functionality for visualizing and managing the complex data networks within modern vehicles.

My team conducted extensive user research, observing data engineers in their workflow and running participatory design sessions. We identified critical pain points like inability to view network topology at different levels of abstraction, poor change tracking, and lack of integration with data pipeline tools. The new design utilized a flexible, zoomable node-link diagram with configurable views, built-in diff tools for change management, and API integration so network maps could be dynamically generated from live vehicle data.

After a rigorous iterative design cycle with multiple rounds of usability testing, the new tool rolled out across Toyota's R&D teams. It reduced average mapping tasks by 35%, with 72% of engineers saying it significantly improved their productivity. Most importantly, more accurate and timely network visualizations enabled Toyota to accelerate new vehicle network deployment by 4 months.