Seabed Field ObserverRedesigned the tablet tool for recording seabed observations in real time during marine research missions.

Client

Institute of Marine Research

The Institute of Marine Research conducts marine research across Norwegian waters. Seabed Field Observer (SFO) is the iPad tool annotators use during underwater surveys to log species, litter, seabed types, and other observations as they happen — with live annotation synced to the ship's cruise logger and data exported for the Marbunn database.

Value for client

Led UX on SFO so annotators can log seabed observations at the pace of live footage — in dark ship cabins during research cruises.

Five category views with quick counters and favourites — species, litter, impact, seabed, habitat.
Session setup and role-based workflows — multiple annotators on one mission, taking shifts.
Shaped by onboard observation — how annotation actually works at sea, solo or in parallel.

Dark cabins, fast-moving observations

Annotators work lights-off so they can see live seabed video. Species pass quickly — if logging is slow, the moment is gone.

Context

Researchers annotate live underwater footage in dark, cramped ship cabins during MAREANO cruises

Ship conditions

Design response

Cabin stays dark for the live video

Dark-mode UI readable without glare.

Undo hard to find under time pressure

Visible universal undo on the main screen.

Complex taxonomy, fast observations

Species grouped by phylum colour for glance recognition.

Common logs need seconds, not many taps

Favourites and counters on the main view.

Live annotation during a cruise session

1Enter dark cabin session
2Watch live seabed video
3Spot species or feature
4Tap to register
5Continue without losing pace

SFO on iPad — annotating litter observations over live seabed footage with a stylus — Annotating litter observations over live seabed footage on iPad.

SFO iPad mockups — session setup, species annotation, and seabed feature logging — SFO on iPad — session setup, species annotation, and logging seabed features over live footage.