Query Creator
Product Designer & Researcher, 6 months of SAFE Agile Sprints
Enterprise WebApp
Research, Information achitecture, UI & Interaction design, Prototyping & Test, Marketing & User training
Due to IP protection, I am unable to show design details here, but can share more in an interview setting.
Overview
Engineers access a large amount of data stored in separate sets. Current data access tools require the user to query each data set individually, and queries may only be run by the parameter Time. Results take 2-24 hours to return.
Outcome
A new tool that allows engineers to query multiple datasets at once by a variety of different search terms to enable faster and more powerful information access and technical decision making.
Efficiently access the most relevant data to the question being asked.
Goal
Users
Experimental flight test and product development engineers.
It is difficult to find information that occurred at an unknown time, e.g. the fastest speed, the coldest temperature.
Comparisons between datasets is extremely cumbersome, requiring data to be ported from tool to tool in an error-prone process.
If a change is needed to a query, the time-consuming process is restarted from the beginning.
Training engineers to use the tools takes many years.
Pain points
My Process
Tools: Sketch, InVision, Miro, Jira, Camtasia, MS Office Suite, Inspector, React, Material, ANT
As a UX team of one, I conducted exploratory research via user interviews, created character profiles, developed wireframes and prototypes, conducted task-based usability testing, and documented research artifacts. I also ran informal surveys and design studios, did cognitive task and error analysis, created a service map, updated a style guide, and facilitated expert panel discussion.
I collaborated with product management on comparative analysis, outreach and user training, and provided red lines to a team of 10 software developers and led them in solution ideation.
Discovery & Generative
Conducted extensive interviews in multiple rounds beginning with semi-formal interviews with a variety of user types to support business goals of including new user groups.
Analyzed results using affinity diagrams to identify differences and similarities between user types to focus design choices that could benefit the most people in the shortest amount of time.
Developed character profiles, user flows and low-fidelity prototypes.
Evaluative
Performed rapid usability testing to validate off-the-shelf open-source code prior to engineering integration, saving development resources.
Designed high-fidelity prototypes and developed a usability testing plan.
Led an interdisciplinary team in task-based usability testing, documented test results, and engaged development team in solution ideation.
Communication and Collaboration
Updated style guide and design specifications.
Worked with developers to update the live app and validate usability and accuracy.
Created a service map to improve collaboration and understanding about the complexities of interfacing with other technologies.
Facilitated design studios with the product and development team and an expert panel discussion to gain buy-in.
Maintained regular communication with the users to increase trust and continuously iterate on UI elements.
Methods: stakeholder workshops, user interviews, concept testing, usability testing, card sorting, and click study analysis
Results
Solution
Designed a tool that can search many datasets in parallel and uses pre-indexed information to query time-stored data by non-time parameters.
Included a modern graphics-based way to form complex queries to reduce training time and improve accuracy for users not versed in programming.
Takeaways
With expert users and a technical product, fostering user trust through continuous user collaboration is key.
An MVP-style app was not deemed value-added over historical tools, so additional features were important for user adoption. Deploying features to a live app as they became ready helped keep the users in the loop on this progress.
An app with technically complex goals requires a powerful, flexible UI, not a complex UI. Flexibility is critical for interfacing with other user tools and historical technologies.
Leveraging previously-used code bases can efficiently add incredible power.
Due to business goals, five different user groups were included throughout this phase of the project. After an initial round of interviews, I instituted a screener survey to maximize time with the most relevant individuals.