ZeroMark, a defense technology company develops advanced counter-drone systems and precision targeting solutions for military applications, by integrating artificial intelligence, robotics, and machine learning with conventional firearms to enhance marksmanship. I have been tasked with researching and designing a retinal display. This display would inform users when they need to manually adjust their rifle position to allow the system to augment the aim of the firearm.

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Competitive Analysis

The four companies specialize in advanced optics and targeting systems, primarily for military, law enforcement, and hunting. AGM Global Vision focuses on thermal imaging and night vision, while Smart-Shooter integrates AI for enhanced target tracking and fire control. Sight Mark and ATN offer versatile optic solutions for hunting and recreational shooting, with Sight Mark focusing on affordability and ATN on high-tech features like Bluetooth and device integration.

Since Zeromark is a military robotics company, I developed questions that would be relatable to the average person, as I did not have access to military personnel. I gathered insights from both gun owners and individuals without firearm experience. To make the questions more relatable, I framed them around familiar navigation services, like those on smartphones, to help users understand how they navigate spaces using directional cues from an interface.

These were my findings:

Users prefer clear and consistent directional cues, such as multiple arrows or visual indicators, for effective guidance. Color changes, blinking lights, and sound cues are effective for signaling movement or interaction needs. Visual cues for scopes and targets should be distinct and easy to interpret, allowing quick focus on the intended target.

HMW provide intuitive guidance for shooters when the target is out of view to help them quickly re-align without losing time?

After researching Zeromark's competitors and conducting user interviews, I identified a need for visual cues, such as arrows, to guide users in specific directions. However, after consulting with Zeromark's engineering team, I learned they were limited to using LED perimeter lighting to guide the shooter. Taking these constraints into account, I developed four potential solutions for directional cues within the retinal scope. I then tested these designs with a general population to determine which display was the most intuitive. My initial expectation is that Option 1 or 2 will be favored, as they guide the user more clearly toward the target.

Option 3 and Option 4 each received 35% of the vote, an unexpected result given my initial expectations.

Usability Test Results: Zeromark Retinal Display Evaluation

These results were quite surprising. I initially expected Option 1 or Option 2 to be the most popular choices, as the LED design in those displays essentially acts as a directional arrow guiding the user toward the drone. Participants who selected these options echoed this sentiment, explaining that the LED movement felt intuitive as a directional cue. However, after reviewing the final results, I now understand why Options 3 and 4 were favored.

Psychologically, humans tend to associate expansion or growth as positive, while contraction or reduction is often seen as negative—even if the color of the LED indicator is positive, such as green. In Options 3 and 4, the expanding visual elements likely resonated with users by providing a sense of completion or progress as they centered the drone. The expanding cues in these designs created a more holistic, intuitive feedback loop, signaling users that they were getting closer to their goal. This contrasts with the more subtle directional cues in Options 1 and 2, where users may not have felt the same sense of progression toward the target.

Ultimately, the preference for expanding elements highlights a deeper cognitive bias: people tend to interpret growth or increasing size as moving toward success, which could explain why Options 3 and 4 felt more intuitive for guiding users to center the drone in the viewfinder.