UX is more than designing a website. It’s a goal-oriented design. It’s a process comprising competitive research analysis, user interviews, ideation, design, usability testing, heuristic evaluation, and constant iteration. I have designed mock-ups and websites, but most importantly, I’ve been able to use my UX background to design interactive, self-service dashboards. This section includes samples and a retrospective of some of my work.
UX at a Law Firm
Cooley only developed 20% of the applications used by timekeepers, so there wasn’t any prototyping. We could use the results of our research to help with some of the interfaces of the applications, but mostly, we were in charge of helping with user testing, surveys, and some artifacts, such as the journey map on the left.
I used affinity mapping for brainstorming on designs (and I still use this process for planning analytic dashboards). Eventually, I used these skills to develop data visualizations and dashboards.
WebXhibit
My final project while attending General Assembly was for an actual client, Clickagee, who wanted to develop a website platform for dentists who need to update and manage their websites.
We found that the CMS suffered from confusing navigation and terminology, a system status that was unclear, and no help or instructions. It was unclear if dental staff might or might not want to use CMS.
We had a week to conduct user research. Our client provided the names of his clients, and we were able to interview a dentist who managed her content and did not have contact with Clickagee.
After conducting heuristic evaluations of other content management systems, especially those with which users we interviewed had some experience, such as WordPress, Blogspot, and SquareSpace.
Our team of three also included the client during our Design Studios so that they could participate in our process and help them understand the choices we were making.
We used a benchmarking test before building our prototype. We had a dentist look at the CMS and see how she interacted with it. She did not understand much of the terminology but thought the idea was great. She said she would like to understand how to market her practice better. We conducted two more usability tests on the prototype via Usabilitytesting.com:
- The customer wanted analytics on their site, but we discovered that users would need to understand what analytics meant — for example, what was a unique user? What was the significance of the number of hits per day or bounced hits?
- There was also some confusion about what “news” meant. Did they need to add personal news? Did they need to add news from news sites? New pricing structures? Announcements?
- Testers found it easy to accomplish the goals that we gave them (posting an article and checking to see how their website was doing.
MC2 Wireframes
MC2, Los Angeles,had a client who wanted a mobile application to help small business owners with billing and project management. After whiteboarding what they envisioned, I was brought in as a freelancer to execute the design mockups from snapshots of their design studio.
Happy Campers Concept App
As part of a General Assembly class assignment, we were required to create an e-commerce website that would allow campers to plan camping trips, including sharing lists, sending messages, and planning food.
KOA research showedKOA research showed that one of the reasons campers don’t pitch a tent more often is a lack of time.
The Happy Campers concept app aimed to save campers time by helping them organize their trips and collaborate with the people they are going with so that gear and tasks are shared, communications are streamlined, and logistics are well-organized.
At its MVP level, the design features a flow for users to add friends to the camping planning network and for users to:
- Upload and share lists
- Plan meals with preferences and assignments
- Add friends
- Coordinate logistics
- Keep fellow campers informed using the platform instead of email.
After recruiting campers on social media, I found a camper who organized large rafting trips for Friends of the River, a couple who likes “glamping,” a camper who saves money at Renaissance Fairs by campers, and a Boy Scout leader.
Using an affinity map, I found that there were several attributes that group campers had: they loved food, they loved lists, they loved organizing, but the logistics of getting everyone together. I developed a user flow for the personas I developed — one persona for an organizer of large groups, and another persona for camping with friends.
Using an affinity map, I found that there were several attributes that group campers had: they loved food, lists, and organizing, but the logistics of getting everyone together. I developed a user flow for the personas I developed — one persona for an organizer of large groups and another persona for camping with friends.
After creating a user flow, mock-ups, and wireframes, I created a Balsamiq prototype to test with users.
What I learned
from creating this type of application (aside from working in a one-week sprint) was that I would have simplified the application. There probably was/is room for a separate food app for campers and then one just for logistics — from getting a permit to convening at a meet-up spot for campers arriving from different areas of the country.
Software: MyBalsamiq, PhotoShop, Illustrator