Queensland Ambulance Services
iPad Visibility Dashboard

A dashboard prototype to increase visibility and ease of tracking for the Ambulance service’s fleet of 5000 iPads.

All lost, stolen and damaged devices are manually managed centrally in a spreadsheet. Furthermore, a refresh of all iPads is conducted every two years, creating manual processes which become an operational nightmare for staff.

Role

Senior UX Designer

Team

+

1 x Principal Developer

1 x Senior Developer

Tools Used

Figma

Miro

MS Suite

Duration

Discovery Phase (6 weeks)

Project Timeline and Approach

Week 1:
Discovery Kickoff

  • Kick-off

  • Desktop Research

Week 2: Exploration

  • SME interviews

  • Process Mapping

Week 3:
Insights & Strategy

  • Pain Points
    Identification

Week 4: Ideation

  • Solution Ideation

  • Solution Prioritisation

Week 5: Design

  • Wireframing & Prototypes

  • Internal review and refinement

  • Feedback

Week 6: Planning & Wrap-Up

  • Solution Backlog

  • Engagement Showcase

01. Overview

A centralised dashboard prototype designed for the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) to improve visibility and tracking across a fleet of 5,000+ iPads.

Lost, stolen, or damaged iPads were being manually tracked using spreadsheets. A two-year refresh cycle created further overhead, resulting in time-consuming admin, limited visibility, and inconsistencies across stations.

02. My Role

As Lead UX/UI Designer, I worked closely with stakeholders and a senior data consultant to design a solution that tackled these operational gaps. I was responsible for:

  • Running remote user interviews and workshops

  • Mapping the current state and identifying workflow pain points

  • Co-designing the future-state experience with SMEs

  • Prototyping the solution for Power BI and Power Apps

03. Understanding the Problem

QAS staff were relying on manual tools and fragmented communication to manage iPad inventory.
This led to:

  • No consistent method for tracking devices across stations

  • A single admin managing all entries in a central spreadsheet

  • Difficulty locating devices and calculating associated costs

  • Workarounds like checking rosters to find users

These problems created delays, data gaps, and administrative strain.

04. Research & Insights

Through 9 interviews with Stakeholders, Resource Readiness Managers, Officers in Charge (OICs) and Support Officers - we identified recurring issues in the current processes and their vision for the future state.

Findings

Manual Processes &
Admin Burden

Reliance on spreadsheets, calls, and emails and one person managing thousands of records

Outdated
Data

Without real-time updates, growers and drivers arrived uninformed.

Low
Visibility

Missing or unreturned
iPads hard to trace

Current-state flow

I facilitated multiple sessions with the Subject Matter Expert, Jo and mapped the current-state flow to pinpoint inefficiencies. These were then validated with the Product Owner and previous interview participants.

Current-state flow (Partial view screenshot)

We feel like we double-handle a lot. It takes a lot of phone calls and emails to just identify an iPad we’ve found. We’ll be lost without Jo!

Steven P.
QAS Officer in Charge (OIC)

Pain points Identification

  • Pain points were identified from the current processes

  • Pain points were extracted and validated by the SME and Product Owner to ensure the right problems were being addressed

5. Designing the Solution

Co-designing the future state

Working alongside Jo, a future state vision of the solution was created with advice from our data expert and validated by participants.

I quickly translated this vision into lo-fidelity screens for early feedback and iterations.

Lo-fidelity Screens

6. Prototyping & Testing

We delivered a prototype for a centralised dashboard, focused on visibility and ease of use. Key features included:

Cost Visibility
Highlights the financial impact of missing or damaged devices.

Search & Filter
Enables staff to locate specific iPads by name, ID, or status.

Activity Logging for Accountability
Tracks all actions by time, location, and staff member.

Real-Time iPad Status Overview
Displays all devices with current condition, location, and last check-in.

One-Tap Issue Reporting & Replacements
Quickly log lost/damaged iPads or request a replacement.

1. Spot usage trends instantly

Jane filters by region to see top and bottom iPad users. She quickly identifies underused devices and usage spikes.

→ Helps her rebalance resources or follow up with stations.

2. Find overdue iPads fast

In the Returns tab, Jane sees overdue iPads by role and region—like staff on long-term leave or casuals who’ve left.

→ Saves time chasing the right people, not guesswork.

3. Check the cost impact

She heads to the Costs tab:

  • $8k lost/stolen / $7k awaiting return / $10k in underused assets

→ Easy to report risk and justify operational change.

4. Action a hot swap

An officer reports a faulty iPad. Jane searches by name, finds the device, and requests a hot swap—status updates automatically.

→ Keeps crews equipped with minimal admin.

5. Everything’s tracked

All actions are time-stamped and assigned—no more chasing email threads or checking rosters.

→ Full accountability across 5,000+ devices.

Technical Feasibility

I facilitated a prioritisation session with the client, PO, and SMEs to assess impact, while a technical SME defined delivery effort. By mapping features on a value–effort matrix, we identified high-impact, low-effort priorities and sequenced complex but valuable items. This ensured aligned, feasible delivery with clear stakeholder buy-in.

07. Next Steps & Future Impact

With stakeholder buy-in secured, future enhancements could include:

  • Live data sync with QAS’ asset systems

  • Track other assets beyond iPads, this solution can be scaled to track QAS’ other equipment, ECG and BP machines, trauma kits etc.

This tool can scale to reduce lost devices, automate tracking, and support better decision-making across the organisation.

08. Final Thoughts

This project demonstrated how focused, user-led design can solve operational pain points at scale. By reducing manual processes and improving visibility, the iPad Visibility App gives QAS the tools to manage its fleet more effectively—freeing up time for what matters most: frontline service delivery.

The data consultant could only join the project 2 weeks after discovery began, this project taught me the importance of proper documentation and clear, concise assets. Proper documentation reduced onboarding time and served as reference during the project.