Aero | Devpost

Aero - CBRE Prompt

Presentation Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Sk3xBTpb7lM2uRh9oiQrNq6kssud18g/view?usp=sharing

Inspiration

Hybrid and work-from-home environments have reshaped how UX teams collaborate, but they’ve also introduced new challenges: fragmented workflows, endless context-switching, digital fatigue, and a lack of cohesion across tools. Burnout isn’t caused by doing too much work, it’s caused by doing disorganized work without clarity or support.

We wanted to rethink the workday not by adding another app, but by connecting the tools UX teams already rely on. Our goal was to create a system that reduces cognitive load and builds truly intelligent and connected workstreams.

Identifying the Challenge

Through secondary research, Reddit discussions, surveys, interviews with employees, and insights shared during the Design-a-thon workshops, we uncovered a clear pain point:

Employees are overwhelmed by scattered tool ecosystems and lose hours every week piecing their workflow together."

Key root causes we identified:

Excessive context-switching across platforms
Important information buried in threads or outdated files
Burnout linked to inefficient, fragmented workflows
Lack of visibility between individual tasks and team-level goals
Cognitive overload from juggling resources instead of ideating

We realized the problem wasn’t motivation or discipline, it was a disjointed information environment.

Our Solution - What it does

Aero is an AI assistant that transforms scattered workflows from a multitude of applications into one seamless flow, allowing UX professionals to spend less time searching for the necessary resources, and more time ideating/creating. Here is what it does:

1. Search & Surface Anything Instantly: Aero pulls relevant files, messages, comments, tasks, and references from across your ecosystem, all in one place.

2. Streamline Workflow With AI Summaries: Whether it’s a Slack thread, a Figma comment chain, or meeting notes, Aero condenses noise into clear next steps.

3. Automate Routine Admin Tasks: Organize your sprint priorities; Highlight blockers; Suggest relevant design resources; Collect related documents automatically.

4. Reduce Burnout Through Smart, Connected Work: By minimizing context-switching and cognitive load, Aero gives designers more time to ideate, explore, and create.

5. Maintain Trust With Privacy & Accessibility: User-controlled data permissions; Clear transparency about what Aero accesses; Inclusive design for all hybrid workers

How we built it

Figma was our primary tool for creating our prototype. We incorporated:

User flows informed by our research themes
Wireframes based on real UX pain points
A brand identity that feels warm, helpful, and non-intimidating
An AI character(Aero) designed to feel supportive rather than robotic

Challenges we ran into

Ideating the problem and finding a solution was the primary challenge that we encountered. We had to tweak our way of thinking by focusing on the root causes of workplace environment challenges rather than the symptoms of burnout or disengagement. We initially looked at burnout as the issue, but through guided feedback from a UX researcher during the workshop, we realized: burnout is a symptom, not the cause. This insight shifted our trajectory and helped us focus on the root problem: workflow fragmentation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Once we were able to pinpoint the selected root cause, our ideas came naturally. We solidified a brand, an adorable AI assistant, and honed in on main priorities such as privacy and accessibility.

What we learned

Aero would not have come into fruition if it were not for our team discussing our project with one of the UX researchers who held a workshop during the Design-a-thon. This helped us realize the importance of perspective and truly understanding what UX professionals deal with on a day-to-day basis. We learned how to accommodate and broaden our minds to seek viewpoints we may not have previously considered. Their feedback taught us:

The importance of perspective in UX
The necessity of asking “why” multiple times
How hybrid environments magnify small workflow problems
How research should guide, not follow, design choices

What's next for Aero

We hope Aero inspires developers to hone in on assisting busy professionals in the workplace. We wanted to reimagine work in an age of burnout and hybrid routines. Perhaps in the future, we can take Aero a step further, even becoming compatible with spatial workspaces or virtual reality to enhance a hybrid/work-from-home environment.