Millie Chan
Summary
Client
DJI
Hong Kong
Duration
Mar 2020 - Jun 2020
Services
Market Reserach
User Research & User Flows
User Experience Design
User Interface Design
Low-fidelity wireframes
High-fidelity prototypes
Usability tests and findings
Mission
DJI Technology is a worldwide technology brand that develops innovative devices, especially drones, and empower them to provide services in filmmaking, agriculture, conservation, search and rescue, energy infrastructure, etc. Our goals was to enlarge the target drone market from military and commercial to general consumers.
My Contributions
I led the end-to-end design process, from user research and wireframing to high-fidelity UI design and usability testing. I collaborated closely with developers, product managers, and marketing teams to ensure seamless implementation and alignment with business goals.
My contributions included optimizing user flows, enhancing interaction design, and expanding the design system for scalability and consistency. Through data-driven decisions and iterative testing, I improved usability, reduced friction points, and enhanced the overall user experience, leading to measurable business impact.
Impact
Both the initial launch and further iterations produced great results:
in User Engagement
Faster Onboarding Prcoess
in Retention Rate
Product Positioning
Drone is in an complicating position. There are two extreme awarenesses of drone in general consumers. One views drone a professional equipment, while another views drone as tech toys.
Proposed solutions
Redefine the future scenarios and applications of drones and explore the channels to access drones for general people and bring them positive awareness.
Create the opportunities that drones are not just professional technology equipment, but daily essential tools for the general people
Get into the Chinese female market by satisfying their physical and emotional needs.
Create a sustainable business cycle by complex functional products and services.
The Vision
Drone is in an complicating position. There are two extreme awarenesses of drone in general consumers. One views drone a professional equipment, while another views drone as tech toys.
Helper User
Easily use drone as daily essentials to assist their everyday activities
Helper DJI
Enlarge drone target market to general consumers and increase new growth point of consumer market
Helper Growth
Redefine the position of drone in the general market, and provide possibilities for the future development
The Process - Step 2
Understand the Market & Users
Consumer drones have long been limited to incremental upgrades in performance, but growth has stalled. Public perception remains divided—some see drones as professional tools, others as tech toys. This project explores new applications and audiences, redefining drones as everyday essentials while expanding their market, particularly among female consumers.
1 /
Possibilities for exploring domestic market
Currently 80% on foreign exports, Only 20% on internal market
2 /
Exploring female consumer market
90% of existing consumers are male.
Tend to focus more on female market by using female as main character in marketing campaign and advertisements
3 /
DJI is leading the drones market by maximising functions
Improving and maximising the functions of drones such as stability, battery life, camera quality by acquiring and partnership
4 /
DJI is creating ecosystem and community of drones
Setting up SkyFund to facilitate the development of drones industry. Building up and promoting communities of drones users
Blooming of She-Economy
Empowerment and increasing income level of women created the rising trend of She-Economy
Blooming
of Bachelorism
Rising trend of Bachelorism in China, family formation is no longer a must in China
Diversified online shopping platforms
China market is getting dependent on online shopping which leads to rise of different online shopping platforms and attempts are
Increasing impacts from influencers
KOLs is becoming an important elements that affects the China market and customers’ decisions.
Persona
To understand the user experience and user patterns of drones, our team has conduct a series of user researches, including user experience journey mapping, survey and in-depth interviews.
User experience journey mapping & empathy mapping
Understanding the existing users’ experience from the process from purchasing to using and building loyalty. We further analysed the reasons behind their behaviours including purchases, feelings, reviews, etc.Three types of users were defined: 1) Frequent user; 2) Dissatisfied user and; 3) Non-user.
Imaginary persona
By summarising the result of the user journey mapping, survey and interviews. Two groups of woman were defined in terms of lifestyles and personal value. The lifestyles part covered their usage of technology, leisure time hobbies, social life, life challenges and purchasing behaviours While the personal values included their personal achievement, current personal values and future goals.
Insights
1 /
Prefer Multi- Functional Tech Products
When it comes to a question about “tech products”, we found that women or general people basically don’t care about the technology itself. What they really care about is the functions of products and how the products can solve their daily needs. Most women focus on the functions of the tech product when considering purchasing. Moreover, they typically look for a tech product with multi-functions and high user-friendliness because they don’t prefer to spend time learning how to use it. After all, a tech product normally costs a few thousand dollars, most women expect that it can be flexible enough to cater to many scenarios in their daily lives.
2 /
Emphasize on emotional needs
Nowadays, women are seeking a higher level of emotional needs in their lives. They need carings on their feelings or conditions that give life meaning. Emotions such as feeling happy, fulfilled, or at peace are essential for them. Some examples of emotional needs might include feeling appreciated, feeling accomplished, feeling safe, or feeling part of a community. As humans, we seek emotional nourishment as much as food and water. It is our birthright to be emotionally nourished.
As most of women have busy schedules with their work and family, sometimes they may feel stressed but nowhere to express. They need a way to feel secured, cared and connected.
3 /
A sense of belonging in communities
As all of us are social creatures, we need to feel connected to something greater than ourselves. The sense of belonging in communities is very important, especially for women. They can feel they have support and are not alone, often coping more effectively with difficult times in their lives. Coping well with hardships decreases the physical and mental impact of these situations.
Being able to say “ I belong” at work, family, or in a community group is important to feel better psychologically. It could prevent depression, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, and psychiatric treatment.
4 /
Focus on the importance of physical & mental health
Health care is one of the big trends in the 21st century. Women with age 25 or above start to take care of their physical and mental wellness. Self-care “is the mindful taking of time to pay attention to you, not in a narcissistic way, but in a way that ensures that you are being cared for by you.” In essence, self-care means taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness.
New Possibilities
Multi-functional
products
Fulfilling users’ various needs
Daily Essentials
Not just for hobbies or entertainment
Applicable to users from border age range
Simple control drones & user-friendly
Design for
emotional needs
Help manage users' mental health and fulfilling emotional needs
Help maintain
quality life
Assistant of personal everyday life
Assist
skills learning
Able to assist users to learn new skills through applications
Redefine
The design needs to be based on simplicity and users friendly. In addition, it can help users manage their mental and physical health thus maintaining their work-life balance. And the growth of skills learning is also one of the functions that women desire.
Based on the females’ needs, “Accompany” will be the theme of the coming products line. The new products will become the AI butlers of the user which are providing all the functions needed in the daily and taking care of all the issues in their life. Hoping that can accompany the user at every moment, thus meeting these five characteristics:
Witness
By adopting DJI legendary technologies of flying stability , camera quality, throw-and-go technologies as well as the facial and movement detection technologies, photos and videos could be captured and recorded in various angles. The product would witness users’ precious moments in an effective and easy way.
Learn
Since female users look for personal growth and skill learning through technological products, the product could help users to learn by coordinating with different software and hardware. Itt could be a language learning chatbot, music learning tools, workout instructor, photography assistant or even coding and programming advisor through cooperating with different mobile apps and physical components.
Assist
Applying AI technologies as well as collaborating with different mobile applications, the product can assist users in resolving all kinds of big and small problems in life which provides more convenience for their everyday lives. For example, a new product connects with home appliances to control smart home applications; manages users’ life schedules by reminding them in daily; and provides language translation to solve language barriers.
Care
DJI’s original facial and movement detection could be pushed forward to make the product a sensor of your emotions and body conditions. Recording and examining users’ body temperature, heartbeat, or body weight, could help users monitor their own body condition and then give them advice accordingly through cooperation with medical or mental supporting organizations.
Communication
As AI technologies are applied, the product is able to communicate with users and become a channel for users to express their emotions. The method of communication is not limited to messages, emails, face-to-face conversations, and so on. It is also possible to adopt 3D projection technologies to create a character that is able to communicate with users and perform the functions in assistance and care sectors. The creation and customization of character could increase the engagement and emotional linkage with the users which actually satisfy the emotional needs of female customers to communicate, be assisted, and be cared for in their everyday life.
Iteration
The design needs to be based on simplicity and users friendly. In addition, it can help users manage their mental and physical health thus maintaining their work-life balance. And the growth of skills learning is also one of the functions that women desire.
Based on the females’ needs, “Accompany” will be the theme of the coming products line. The new products will become the AI butlers of the user which are providing all the functions needed in the daily and taking care of all the issues in their life. Hoping that can accompany the user at every moment, thus meeting these five characteristics.
The function of follow would be continue to adopt DJI existing and unique technologies of throw-and-go as well as tracking. These two functions are adopted to reduce difficulties of drones operations to female users. For example the drone can take off easily on users’ hand, tracking can reduce the difficulties of controlling.
Through DJI strengths of high flying stability and photography quality, capture and record in various angles and not limited to equipment nor arms’ length. Through the technologies of facial, gesture or motion detection, the product is capable to capture every serendipity. And it is also connective to other DJI products such as drones and goggles to enlarge the scale of “pocket filming crew”
Except alteration on products, it is proposed to build up a DJI integrative app along with the product. In this app, users can control their drone product, create personalised styles of photos and videos through combination of footage, filters or CG backgroundsas well as sharing in drone community and social media.
DJI Solution Map
UIUX
A rapid sketching on paper revealed the challenge of keeping key tasks simple, and at a single level. This was important in discovering which existing design patterns within DJI made sense, and how users would navigate between screens.
UIUX
Low-fidelity prototype testing allowed me to better understand how users expected to complete the tasks I was focusing on. By studying their touch and swipe gestures — and more importantly, having a dialogue with them about what they expected and when — I knew which adjustments needed to be made to lay the foundation for a more fully realized high fidelity prototype.
DJI App Wireframes
UIUX
Iterate
Usability Testing
To validate the new design, I implemented a structured three-phase usability testing process to ensure an intuitive and efficient user experience.
Key Findings
1 / Users struggled to locate key dashboard features
Introduced a guided onboarding tour and contextual tooltips to improve discoverability.
2 / Navigation between sections felt unintuitive, leading to confusion
Redesigned the menu structure, improving hierarchy and providing clearer signposting.
3 / Video Upload & Processing Experience
Users were unsure about upload progress and processing times, leading to frustration.
Solution: Added a real-time progress bar with estimated completion time and push notifications for when uploads were ready.
4 / Social Engagement & Interaction
Users found it difficult to discover and engage with friends' content due to a cluttered feed.
Solution: Optimized the feed with personalized recommendations, a “For You” and “Following” tab, and improved sorting filters.
Keep growing
Enhancing User Experience Through Data-Driven Insights
The platform’s success relied on a seamless video upload experience, ensuring smooth processing, real-time progress tracking, and automatic optimization for high-quality playback. Social engagement features, such as interactive reactions, video collaborations, and trending challenges, played a crucial role in driving user participation and retention. To improve content discovery, AI-powered recommendations and personalized feeds surfaced relevant videos, reducing content fatigue and keeping users engaged.
Optimized for a mobile-first experience, the platform introduced short-form, dynamic formats like looping clips and time-lapse edits, aligning with evolving social media trends. Community safety and moderation tools, including AI-driven content filtering, reporting mechanisms, and customizable privacy settings, helped create a secure and welcoming environment. Expanding accessibility with multilingual support and auto-translated captions made the platform more inclusive for a global audience.
To further drive engagement, gamification elements like badges, achievements, and leaderboards incentivized content creation and social interaction. Monetization strategies, such as creator rewards, sponsored challenges, and premium video enhancement tools, were introduced thoughtfully to add value without disrupting the user experience. Together, these features helped transform the platform into a thriving community where users could effortlessly share, discover, and engage with high-quality drone content.
