As a fastly expanding software company with multiple products in development, Smartwebs needed design standards that could be used cross-application to provide UI consistency, ease of use and brand presence throughout.
To accomplish these objectives I composed a project plan to:
· Define a Brand Presence
· Create UI Consistency
· Assure Ease of Use
Since Smartwebs had never had a thorough brand conditioning, I held a brand workshop to get to the bottom of what qualities defined their brand.
I guided employees through card sorting activities that revealed how they themselves, as well as their customers viewed the Smartweb brand.
We also went through brand personality exercises where I asked employees to describe Smartwebs through color, shape, texture, personality, voice, engagement methods, etc.
Drawing from this exploration, I designed a handful of brand variations that the overall company voted on.
Once the brand specifications were confirmed and in place, I was able to translate them into UI elements. A UI standards library was then composed to explain layout & design specifications as well as usage specifications.
Smartwebs had a history of help calls due to incoherent and confusing user flows. To understand why user needs were not being met we launched an email survey that asked the users questions like “What is the primary thing that frustrates you about using this software”. We also conducted usability lab studies where executives in the field were interviewed and shown different user scenarios and solutions to those scenarios.
Issues like ‘Trouble navigating’ and ‘Losing work’ were among the highest problems users were having with the system. From this feedback, I reengineered the navigation system accordingly. This resulted in prioritized link placement, fewer pages, less clicks, and a clear knoweldge of their location in the system at all times.
I also, suggested an expanding right drawer feature that would allowed the user to reference other pages while staying on the page they’re working on.
As a fastly expanding software company with multiple products in development, Smartwebs needed design standards that could be used cross-application to provide UI consistency, ease of use and brand presence throughout.
To accomplish these objectives I composed a project plan to:
· Define a Brand Presence
· Create UI Consistency
· Assure Ease of Use
Since Smartwebs had never had a thorough brand conditioning, I held a brand workshop to get to the bottom of what qualities defined their brand.
I guided employees through card sorting activities that revealed how they themselves, as well as their customers viewed the Smartweb brand.
We also went through brand personality exercises where I asked employees to describe Smartwebs through color, shape, texture, personality, voice, engagement methods, etc.
Drawing from this exploration, I designed a handful of brand variations that the overall company voted on.
Once the brand specifications were confirmed and in place, I was able to translate them into UI elements. A UI standards library was then composed to explain layout & design specifications as well as usage specifications.
Smartwebs had a history of help calls due to incoherent and confusing user flows. To understand why user needs were not being met we launched an email survey that asked the users questions like “What is the primary thing that frustrates you about using this software”. We also conducted usability lab studies where executives in the field were interviewed and shown different user scenarios and solutions to those scenarios.
Issues like ‘Trouble navigating’ and ‘Losing work’ were among the highest problems users were having with the system. From this feedback, I reengineered the navigation system accordingly. This resulted in prioritized link placement, fewer pages, less clicks, and a clear knoweldge of their location in the system at all times.
I also, suggested an expanding right drawer feature that would allowed the user to reference other pages while staying on the page they’re working on.
As a fastly expanding software company with multiple products in development, Smartwebs needed design standards that could be used cross-application to provide UI consistency, ease of use and brand presence throughout.
To accomplish these objectives I composed a project plan to:
· Define a Brand Presence
· Create UI Consistency
· Assure Ease of Use
Since Smartwebs had never had a thorough brand conditioning, I held a brand workshop to get to the bottom of what qualities defined their brand.
I guided employees through card sorting activities that revealed how they themselves, as well as their customers viewed the Smartweb brand.
We also went through brand personality exercises where I asked employees to describe Smartwebs through color, shape, texture, personality, voice, engagement methods, etc.
Drawing from this exploration, I designed a handful of brand variations that the overall company voted on.
Once the brand specifications were confirmed and in place, I was able to translate them into UI elements. A UI standards library was then composed to explain layout & design specifications as well as usage specifications.
Smartwebs had a history of help calls due to incoherent and confusing user flows. To understand why user needs were not being met we launched an email survey that asked the users questions like “What is the primary thing that frustrates you about using this software”. We also conducted usability lab studies where executives in the field were interviewed and shown different user scenarios and solutions to those scenarios.
Issues like ‘Trouble navigating’ and ‘Losing work’ were among the highest problems users were having with the system. From this feedback, I reengineered the navigation system accordingly. This resulted in prioritized link placement, fewer pages, less clicks, and a clear knoweldge of their location in the system at all times.
I also, suggested an expanding right drawer feature that would allowed the user to reference other pages while staying on the page they’re working on.
As a fastly expanding software company with multiple products in development, Smartwebs needed design standards that could be used cross-application to provide UI consistency, ease of use and brand presence throughout.
To accomplish these objectives I composed a project plan to:
· Define a Brand Presence
· Create UI Consistency
· Assure Ease of Use
Since Smartwebs had never had a thorough brand conditioning, I held a brand workshop to get to the bottom of what qualities defined their brand.
I guided employees through card sorting activities that revealed how they themselves, as well as their customers viewed the Smartweb brand.
We also went through brand personality exercises where I asked employees to describe Smartwebs through color, shape, texture, personality, voice, engagement methods, etc.
Drawing from this exploration, I designed a handful of brand variations that the overall company voted on.
Once the brand specifications were confirmed and in place, I was able to translate them into UI elements. A UI standards library was then composed to explain layout & design specifications as well as usage specifications.
Smartwebs had a history of help calls due to incoherent and confusing user flows. To understand why user needs were not being met we launched an email survey that asked the users questions like “What is the primary thing that frustrates you about using this software”. We also conducted usability lab studies where executives in the field were interviewed and shown different user scenarios and solutions to those scenarios.
Issues like ‘Trouble navigating’ and ‘Losing work’ were among the highest problems users were having with the system. From this feedback, I reengineered the navigation system accordingly. This resulted in prioritized link placement, fewer pages, less clicks, and a clear knoweldge of their location in the system at all times.
I also, suggested an expanding right drawer feature that would allowed the user to reference other pages while staying on the page they’re working on.