CONTEXT
Current pilot education platforms are confusing, outdated, and fragmented for student pilots.
Obtaining a private pilot's license is the first step in an aviation career, allowing holders to fly for personal use. Requirements include ground training, flight training, solo practice, and practical and written tests.
Despite growing global demand for pilots, the training system has changed little since the 1950s. Structural and experiential flaws make it difficult for students to succeed and instructors to teach effectively.
Over 80% of students who begin flight training never complete it and obtain their license.
THE PROBLEM
An outdated and inefficient training system plagues the pilot pipeline, creating both a severe pilot shortage and a quality crisis in the industry.
PAIN POINTS
Disorganized curricula
Fragmented tools
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Undertrained instructors
Lack of progress visibility
THE PROCESS
01. Inspiration
FIGURE 01
Our team's inspiration boards. Main inspirations included Duolingo's friendly, gamified UI and visual progress checkers often found in fitness tracker apps.
02. Lo-fi
FIGURE 02
Laying out all of the information for the dashboard after the initial briefing.
03. Sitemap
1 step forward, 2 steps back
Ultimately, there were too many features required for this platform to start with lo-fi right off the bat. Our team went back to the drawing board and created sitemaps in order to better digest the information.
FIGURE 03a
Back to the basics: working with an extremely dense brief called for sitemapping first
FIGURE 03b
Final consolidated sitemap!
04. Putting it together
Moving into high-fidelity
By this point, the graphic design team we were working with had finalized Talulah's branding kit. Our team translated their ideas onto our mid-fidelity wireframes, and Talulah started to come to life!
FIGURE 04
The component set made for our high-fidelity wireframes using Talulah's new branding.
OUR SOLUTION
Talulah’s breakthrough is treating pilots the way athletes are trained: with structured progression, objective metrics, consistent coaching, and reflective practice.
By digitizing and centralizing every stage of training (preflight, in-flight, and postflight), Talulah transforms scattered tools into one seamless ecosystem.
Centralization
Lesson planning, performance tracking, communication, and reflection all in one place.
Built like athletics
Preflight modules, interactive scenarios, and readiness checks mimic an athlete’s warm-up. Post-flight reflections and targeted drills mirror film review and training plans.
Data-driven progress
Every checklist, maneuver, and radio call can be tracked and scored for adequate progress.
TAKEAWAYS
What I learned after Talulah
Prep is key
For a project with a scope as large as Talulah's, taking the time to map out the UX and organize everything on paper is essential to move with clarity – especially when the product space is unfamiliar.
Explore horizontally
Because Talulah is so multi-faceted, designing multiple iterations of the same screen, interaction, or feature allowed us to weigh the options of each and make informed, intentional decisions.
