“Kate has a gift for translating mission-critical needs into elegant, shippable solutions. She earned the trust of our operators instantly.”
Biz/Org
US Air Force C2 - Kessel Run
Year
2018 - 2019
Defense
Legacy Modernization
Product Overview
Air Force mission planners used to reserve airspace with PDFs, emails, and guesswork—introducing dangerous inefficiencies in high-stakes environments. I led product strategy for Spacer, a tool built with Kessel Run to replace these legacy workflows with dynamic, deconflicted digital submissions.
Interviewed 20+ airspace managers and mission planners across Air Operations Centers
Defined a digital request format with built-in validation and contextual help
Integrated automated deconfliction logic across location, altitude, and time dimensions
Reframed the problem as logistics + validation, not just map UI—shifting stakeholder expectations
Integrated with TBMCS replacement ecosystem, including Triton, Slapshot, and the ATO suite
Product Goals
How might we help mission planners reserve airspace safely and efficiently—without needing to be experts in classified geospatial systems?
Airspace provisioning is a logistics challenge with national security consequences. Most requesters weren’t experts in airspace protocol, but the system forced them to be. We aimed to build trust by guiding users through validated, complete requests—and reduce mid-air conflict risk through automated deconfliction and better visibility.
Cut request time from 40 minutes to under 5 by eliminating hand-jammed rework
Gave users tools to resolve their own conflicts with slight parametric suggestions
Exported airspace libraries in USMTF format to ensure compatibility with joint systems
Created an airspace lifecycle model to reduce stale entries and false-positive conflicts
Challenges
Gaining trust from airspace managers steeped in legacy workflows
Designing for classified systems with fragmented user access and security constraints
Managing stakeholder expectations away from “3D map magic” toward practical innovation
Aligning Spacer with the wider Kessel Run mission planning ecosystem (ATO replacement suite)
Solutions
Conducted extensive discovery with mission-critical stakeholders in multiple environments
Used event storming and flow mapping to visualize and validate process improvements
Built a web-based tool with contextual help, prefilled defaults, and request lifecycle tracking
Introduced automated suggestions for location, altitude, and time deconfliction
Developed flexible UX to accommodate recurring and one-time airspace planning
Outcome & Impact
Reduced average request time from 40 minutes to <5 minutes
Increased safety by reducing mid-air conflicts through proactive deconfliction
Enabled immediate ACO (Airspace Control Order) generation and export for joint forces
Supported the US Air Force’s transition from TBMCS to the Kessel Run suite
Built a mission-critical system that continues to underpin secure air tasking workflows
