Real Time Operations Portal (RTOP)
RTOP is a large-scale internal CSX platform designed to give employees a real-time view of the railroad network. Built from the ground up as a brand-new product, RTOP provides visibility into trains, terminals, and critical operational metrics so teams can make faster, more informed decisions in a complex, high-stakes environment.
As the lead UX designer, I helped turn the initial business vision into a fully realized enterprise platform. I used Figma to design the experience from the ground up, creating scalable workflows, map-based views, and interaction patterns that supported daily railroad operations. To support collaboration and ideation, our team used Miro, Optimal Workshop, and Figma to brainstorm, organize research insights, and explore design concepts with stakeholders, product managers, and developers.
The project followed an Agile methodology, with design consistently staying two sprints ahead of development. We used Jira to track design tasks, development work, feedback, and iteration needs, which helped keep the team aligned and ensured designs were ready before engineering began implementation.
A key part of the platform was designing a multi-layered operational experience that allowed users to move between different levels of detail. Levels 1 and 2 focused on terminal map views, while Level 3 provided a live network map showing trains across the railroad in real time. I also designed both dark mode and light mode, making RTOP the first application at the company to offer that level of visual flexibility.
After launch, I used Pendo to track analytics, monitor user behavior, and identify opportunities for improvement. These insights, combined with ongoing user feedback, helped validate design decisions and guide future iterations. RTOP became a highly visible and valued tool within the organization, supporting better real-time visibility, stronger decision-making, and more seamless train operations.
Discovery
During the discovery phase, I worked closely with stakeholders, product managers, developers, and operational users to understand the vision for RTOP and the challenges employees faced when managing railroad operations in real time.
There was an existing application in place called Operations Portal, which contained valuable operational data but had limitations in usability, scalability, and real-time visibility. Stakeholders wanted to bring that existing data into a more modern platform while also introducing new capabilities, including a full network-level mapping feature that would allow users to see train activity across the railroad in real time.
Because RTOP was both a modernization effort and a brand-new product experience, discovery focused on understanding what needed to be carried over, what needed to be improved, and what new functionality would create the most value for users. We worked closely with stakeholders through brainstorming sessions and collaborative working meetings to define the future-state vision together.
We used Optimal Workshop to gather and organize user feedback and Miro to document research insights, map early workflows, and explore ideas with cross-functional partners. These discovery activities helped us identify the need for a centralized platform that could reduce information silos, improve real-time visibility, and help users make faster decisions in a complex, high-stakes railroad environment.
Define
In the define phase, I translated research insights, business goals, and user feedback into a clear product direction. I helped define the primary user needs, core workflows, and different levels of operational detail the platform needed to support.
Using Miro and Figma, I organized user flows, mapped key operational scenarios, and aligned with stakeholders on how users would move through the platform. One of the biggest challenges was structuring dense railroad data in a way that felt clear, scalable, and actionable.
This led to a multi-layered experience where users could move between terminal-level views and a broader live network view. Levels 1 and 2 focused on terminal map views, while Level 3 provided a live map view of trains across the network in real time. Defining these levels helped shape RTOP into a platform that could support different roles, tasks, and decision-making needs across the organization.
Ideate
During ideation, I led and participated in brainstorming sessions with product managers, developers, and stakeholders to explore how RTOP could bring complex operational data together into one intuitive experience. We used Miro, Optimal Workshop, and Figma to collaborate, organize ideas, and evaluate possible solutions.
These sessions focused on how to display trains, terminals, maps, metrics, alerts, and operational layers without overwhelming users. We explored different layout options, map interactions, data visualizations, filtering patterns, and navigation structures. The team used feedback from users and stakeholders to prioritize the ideas that would provide the most value.
Because we were working in an Agile environment, ideation was not a one-time phase. We continued to brainstorm, refine, and adjust concepts throughout the project while staying two sprints ahead of development so the engineering team always had validated designs ready to build.
Prototype
For the prototype phase, I used Figma to design RTOP from the ground up. I created the screens, workflows, map-based interactions, and visual patterns that became the foundation of the platform.
A major part of the prototype was the multi-layered operational experience. Levels 1 and 2 allowed users to view terminal-level operations, while Level 3 gave users a live network map showing trains moving across the railroad in real time. I also designed both dark mode and light mode, making RTOP the first application at the company to offer that level of visual flexibility.
Throughout prototyping, I focused on making dense operational information easier to scan, understand, and act on. I also worked within an Agile process, using Jira to track design tasks, development tickets, feedback, and iteration needs. Staying two sprints ahead of development allowed me to refine designs, respond to stakeholder feedback, and prepare clean handoffs before engineers began implementation
Test
During testing, I gathered feedback from users, stakeholders, product managers, and developers through design reviews, working sessions, and iterative feedback loops. Because RTOP supported high-stakes railroad operations, testing focused on whether users could quickly understand network activity, identify trains and terminals, interpret key metrics, and move between levels of detail without confusion.
I used feedback to refine map interactions, improve visual hierarchy, adjust information density, and make the platform more intuitive before and during development. We tracked design updates, feedback, and implementation needs in Jira, which helped the team stay aligned during each sprint.
After launch, I used Pendo to track analytics and monitor user behavior. This helped validate design decisions, identify where users were spending time, and uncover opportunities for future improvements.
Iterate & Launch
RTOP was designed and built using an Agile methodology, with continuous collaboration between design, product, and engineering. I stayed closely involved throughout development by reviewing builds, refining designs, and ensuring the team had what they needed at least two sprints ahead.
We used Jira to manage the work, track progress, document changes, and align design priorities with development timelines. After launch, I continued using Pendo analytics and user feedback to guide future iterations and improve the platform over time.
RTOP became a highly visible and valued internal platform, supporting better real-time visibility and more seamless railroad operations. During a recent quarter, the business reported a 25% improvement in efficiency. While that outcome was driven by multiple factors, RTOP played an important role by giving teams a clearer, more intuitive way to monitor and manage operations in real time.