OVERVIEW

Working with a small team: 

  • I implemented Agile UX methodology

  • Performed stakeholder & member interviews

  • Created user stories and developed personas

  • Designed 3 iterative clickable prototype and mockup iterations of a membership renewal portal.

CHALLENGES

  • being onboarded to the company as the primary UX designer for the project

  • complex, multi-level and siloed business processes

  • old, legacy IT systems

  • a lack of business-readiness and effective change-process systems in place

  • lack of sense of urgency and relative business immaturity of client
     

MY ROLE

I led the team as the primary designer, and was responsible for interviews, recording and processing user stories and the clickable prototype iterations.


'Pre-Mortem' exercise

Basic renewal touch points and workflow

Early member workflow layout

Technical workflow

sketching early — and often

Initial low fidelity wireframes and flow

first clickable prototype

final hi-fi mockups flow

 

responsive dashboard content presented in mobile format


PROCESS

For this project, we worked closely with the client stakeholders to comprehend the needs, functionalities, and most important touchpoints and interactions they needed. 
We began by with discovery, conducting multiple meetings and workshops with our stakeholders, implementing Pre-Mortem and Merrill Covey Matrix exercises to help tease out possibile and apparent difficulties.  They helped me get a better sense of just how siloed their departments were, but also helped me hone in on who we would need to work with in what capacity.

To help ease the complexity, I sought to get us all on the same page as soon as possible by iterating in quick sketches to aid the conversation, and allow us to begin to build consensus on the necessary steps.  I used these conversations then to build out an initial vision of the important wireframes and user flows.

Stakeholder review and approval of these initial steps was invaluable and helped me make necessary refinements.  These I built into an interactive, clickable prototype in Proto.io.  As I built, I also informally tested out on a variety of users, to check viability.

Through subsequent meetings and reviews, I was able to adapt an ever-more detailed understanding of the requirements.  I realized that, for this release cycle, the MVP would be focused on the member Dashboard, and member questionnaire.

After approval of the 3rd, interactive mockup prototype, I also created a gif for the main UI as well as a style guide to assist the development.

Although it was out of scope for this sprint, I also created a simple mobile-dashboard mockup version, to illustrate the vision of what a responsive mobile UI would look and feel like.


TAKEAWAYS

Upon completion, I had:

  • learned how to effectively lead a design process, better communicate and contribute to the dynamics of a tight, Agile-based team;

  • realized the vital importance of business process, analysis, and readiness to the implementation of a healthy and complete UX design;

  • discovered the importance of respecting and accommodating the unique process, speed, and expectations of the client;

  • learned how to adapt the design within the context of a governmental, non-profit structure

  • honed my skills in presenting to and managing high-priority clients;

  • learned the language context of Proto.io and deepened my grasp of Sketch app and inVision.

With more time, I would:

  • perform more extensive user interviews and research to find out a more fitting section data to present members in the dashboard content buckets;

  • perform usability tests to help come up with more feasible designs;

  • fully flesh out the tablet and mobile presentations as clickable prototypes;

  • personally perform user tests on the final prototype;

  • continue to design and apply the refined format and style across the client's digital services.

Overall I felt extremely grateful to have worked with such a wonderful team, and in the context of such kind and sincere clients.
Feedback from my team and the client regarding the development and final prototype was almost universally positive, and final changes were relatively minor. 


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