The Challenge

Digitally enable a new generation of missile defense warfighters

Raytheon has built an engineering marvel: an air defense system that identifies, tracks, and intercepts the most sophisticated threats from aircraft to hypersonic missiles.

Unfortunately, their legacy C2 (command and control) was so complex, it took months of training before a soldier was even considered operational. The 2-D interface—referred to by one subject matter expert as “black and white spaghetti”—was designed in the analog era and never updated to consider evolving interaction patterns while personal computing and video games were rapidly reshaping our everyday digital experiences. The dated system offered no built in guidance, buried key information, and forced users to memorize thousands of settings. When you have mere seconds to act on an incoming threat, that kind of design isn’t just frustrating—it’s life threatening.

The Work

Here’s how we helped Raytheon

Key activities:

• User Research
• Observational Studies
• Journey Maps
• Information Architecture
• Interaction Frameworks
• UI Design
• Usability Testing

Our mission extended well beyond updating interface elements. It required a fundamental reassessment of how warfighters engage with critical systems under high-stress, time-compressed conditions. Key operational questions guided every decision: What indicators signal a potential threat? What level of confidence does the system provide? How much time is available to respond? These and other considerations could not be treated as optional.

We began with the individuals at the center of the mission: the warfighters. Observations, structured interviews, workshops, and continuous collaboration with subject-matter experts enabled us to capture their mental models, operational workflows, and friction points.

With this operational understanding established, we restructured the system around realistic decision cycles and employed progressive disclosure to ensure that only the most relevant information surfaced at the moment it was needed. Instead of displaying every airborne object, the system elevates anomalies. Instead of reproducing legacy analog controls, we applied modern 3-D spatial design principles aligned with the expectations and instincts of today’s digitally fluent force.

We didn’t just modernize the interface; we designed an instinctual experience that operators understood and preferred.

“During the tests, we were thrilled to see operators navigate the new WMI with little-to-no advanced training. The WMI displays complex information in an easy-to-understand way, helping Patriot operators make faster, better decisions that ultimately save lives.”

Tom Laliberty President of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon

Watch how we intercept threats in 3D

We leaned into three-dimensional, game-like interaction design to create a familiar environment that felt like it mapped to the real world. In this video, the host provides a side-by-side comparison of the interface before and after Visual Logic came onto the project.