Biometric Monitoring and Analysis for National Security Training

Context

Effective training for law enforcement and national security personnel depends on more than scenario design and instructor judgment. Understanding how candidates respond physically and cognitively under stress (and being able to track, review, and analyze that response systematically) can meaningfully improve both training outcomes and candidate evaluation.

This project explored how an existing Thales biometric measurement system could be adapted to support the training programs of the RCMP and national security training organizations. The system captured physiological data from wearable devices (including heart rate, oxygen saturation, activity levels, stress response indicators, and positional data) providing instructors with an objective layer of information to complement their direct observation of trainees.

The Challenge

Adapting an existing product to a new context is not simply a matter of rebranding. The users, the environment, the tasks, and the stakes are all different. Training instructors are not the same as the product’s original user base; they have different mental models, different workflows, and different needs for how information should be presented and acted upon.

The core UX challenge was twofold. During a training session, instructors needed to monitor multiple trainees simultaneously in real time, tracking biometric data as scenarios unfolded and identifying when a trainee’s physiological response required attention. After a session, those same instructors needed to review what had happened, replaying events, analyzing patterns across trainees, and building the kind of documented evidence that supports formal evaluation.

Two distinct but connected use cases. Two modes of interaction. One coherent system.

The Approach

The project began with stakeholder research. We conducted interviews with RCMP training officers and national security instructors to understand their current training practices, their existing technology use, and the specific ways they evaluated candidates and scenarios. This grounding was essential: designing for high-stakes training environments requires understanding not just what users do, but the professional context and judgment that surrounds it.

From those interviews, we developed the interaction design for two core interfaces:

• Real-time monitoring interface
  Designed for use during active training sessions, this interface gave instructors a live view of biometric data across all trainees simultaneously. The design prioritized immediate legibility, instructors needed to identify anomalies or concerning readings at a glance, without navigating away from the primary view or losing situational awareness of the session in progress.

• Analysis and playback interface
  Designed for post-session review, this interface allowed instructors to replay sessions, review individual and comparative biometric data over time, and conduct the kind of structured analysis that informs evaluation decisions. A history and playback capability allowed instructors to return to specific moments in a session and examine what the data showed at that point.

The design was built on an adapted foundation from an existing Thales biometric product, which provided a working technical base. Our role was to translate that foundation into interfaces genuinely suited to the needs of training professionals, not just technically functional, but appropriate to the context, the cognitive load, and the professional stakes involved.

The project was led by Noémie Lemaire, with Louis-Philippe Bellerose co-designing throughout and providing senior UX guidance, Figma setup, and quality assurance. Noémie has since become the lead UX designer at Thales Digital Solutions.

What the Work Produced

The project delivered a high-fidelity Figma prototype covering both the monitoring and analysis interfaces; detailed enough to serve directly as the specification for the development of the final built solution.

The research and design process produced interfaces grounded in the real workflows and cognitive needs of training professionals, adapted from a proven biometric platform to a new and demanding operational context.

Deliverables

• Stakeholder interviews with RCMP training officers and national security instructors
• Interaction design for real-time biometric monitoring interface
• Interaction design for post-session analysis and playback interface
• High-fidelity Figma prototype used as development specification

Project period: January 2021 — March 2021
Client: Thales Digital Solutions
Context: RCMP and national security training organizations
Language of work: French and English