The Users
The Users
Organizations with individuals working to improve river health and reduce the impact of climate change, that primarily do their work in the field. The users need to find water sources as potential candidates for their projects, and monitor their ongoing projects.
Organizations with individuals working to improve river health and reduce the impact of climate change, that primarily do their work in the field. The users need to find water sources as potential candidates for their projects, and monitor their ongoing projects.
The Problem
The Problem
The client, Purpose Design Co. needed a low-fidelity prototype designed to meet climate scientists’ in-field needs that would serve as an initial concept upon which they plan to test, iterate, and gain buy-in to develop a full solution.
The solution would allow scientists to:
discover potential rivers to conduct their work,
navigate the areas in which they would do their work,
monitor ongoing projects, and
easily visualize their progress.
The client, Purpose Design Co. needed a low-fidelity prototype designed to meet climate scientists’ in-field needs that would serve as an initial concept upon which they plan to test, iterate, and gain buy-in to develop a full solution.
The solution would allow scientists to:
discover potential rivers to conduct their work,
navigate the areas in which they would do their work,
monitor ongoing projects, and
easily visualize their progress.
My Role
My Role
Served as UX Team Lead for a four-person design team.
Incorporated business goals and challenges into a project plan.
Gathered existing user research and background from Purpose Design Co. and then conducted and synthesized secondary research to better understand user goals.
Ideated solutions through Crazy 8s and converged on four key user flows.
Designed the user flow demonstrating navigation of the map and using filters to enable users to discover potential candidate sites and monitor their progress, including wireframing and prototyping the flow.
Lead the integration of four user flow prototypes into a single cohesive product.
Served as UX Team Lead for a four-person design team.
Incorporated business goals and challenges into a project plan.
Gathered existing user research and background from Purpose Design Co. and then conducted and synthesized secondary research to better understand user goals.
Ideated solutions through Crazy 8s and converged on four key user flows.
Designed the user flow demonstrating navigation of the map and using filters to enable users to discover potential candidate sites and monitor their progress, including wireframing and prototyping the flow.
Lead the integration of four user flow prototypes into a single cohesive product.
Constraints
Constraints
4 week project with only 10 hours per week
No budget/time allocated for primary user research at direction of client
Technical and specific target users
4 week project with only 10 hours per week
No budget/time allocated for primary user research at direction of client
Technical and specific target users
Scope
Scope
Understanding business goals through user test-ready low-fidelity prototype
Understanding business goals through user test-ready low-fidelity prototype
My Design Process
My Design Process
Discovery
Discovery
Design
Design
Validation
Validation
Client Needs Research
Secondary Research
Analogue Analysis
Client Needs Research
Secondary Research
Analogue Analysis
Crazy Eights
User Flows
Low-Fidelity Sketches
Low-Fidelity Prototype
Crazy Eights
User Flows
Low-Fidelity Sketches
Low-Fidelity Prototype
Client Presentation
Prototype Handoff
Client Presentation
Prototype Handoff
Key Discoveries and Implementation
Key Discoveries and Implementation
1
1
Working with limited primary research was a challenge, but gathering insights from the client and secondary research provided a solid starting point.
Working with limited primary research was a challenge, but gathering insights from the client and secondary research provided a solid starting point.
2
2
Research of analogous geospatial apps led me to integrate navigation commonalities and UI elements that ensured navigation matched Nielsen’s heuristic of “recognition rather than recall.”
Research of analogous geospatial apps led me to integrate navigation commonalities and UI elements that ensured navigation matched Nielsen’s heuristic of “recognition rather than recall.”
3
3
Integrating into a cohesive solution on time involved dividing labor across the team, open communication, check-ins, and utilizing feedback from within the team and from the client to come together at key decision points.
Integrating into a cohesive solution on time involved dividing labor across the team, open communication, check-ins, and utilizing feedback from within the team and from the client to come together at key decision points.
Gaining an understanding of the project, it’s goals, and existing research through talking with Purpose Design Co. provided a sense of the business needs, the users, and set the scene for the fast timeline of the project.
I used this initial information to create a project plan for the team that would ensure we met the client goals, including key deliverables, but also allow for sufficient flexibility.
Gaining an understanding of the project, it’s goals, and existing research through talking with Purpose Design Co. provided a sense of the business needs, the users, and set the scene for the fast timeline of the project.
I used this initial information to create a project plan for the team that would ensure we met the client goals, including key deliverables, but also allow for sufficient flexibility.
Secondary research to study the target audience’s mission, goals, the science behind their objectives, and how they work in the field giving me a sense of the most important needs of the users.
Secondary research to study the target audience’s mission, goals, the science behind their objectives, and how they work in the field giving me a sense of the most important needs of the users.
This research greatly informed what the ideation and synthesis that ultimately led to the user flows and features that the were included, including map views, way finding, and analytical categories.
This research greatly informed what the ideation and synthesis that ultimately led to the user flows and features that the were included, including map views, way finding, and analytical categories.
Terrain display was key for users to be able to navigate safely to their access points. GIS data layers that could be added from other sources would allow climate and ecological organizations to use the data they needed to find candidate sites.
Understanding the user need to access water sources for testing while carrying equipment led for me to include parking and trails as key way finding filters, knowing that easy parking access to the candidate sites as well as trails and carrying equipment would be a key need for their project lifecycle.
Terrain display was key for users to be able to navigate safely to their access points. GIS data layers that could be added from other sources would allow climate and ecological organizations to use the data they needed to find candidate sites.
Understanding the user need to access water sources for testing while carrying equipment led for me to include parking and trails as key way finding filters, knowing that easy parking access to the candidate sites as well as trails and carrying equipment would be a key need for their project lifecycle.
All of the analogous geospatial applications enabled the user to navigate the map in similar ways, such as dragging to see things out of the frame, enabling zoom, and having filter overlays that appeared on part of the screen while still allowing the user to interact with the map and undertake other tasks. Relying on these tried and true methods became key to ensuring users would feel comfortable and like they did not need to learn how to navigate in a new way.
All of the analogous geospatial applications enabled the user to navigate the map in similar ways, such as dragging to see things out of the frame, enabling zoom, and having filter overlays that appeared on part of the screen while still allowing the user to interact with the map and undertake other tasks. Relying on these tried and true methods became key to ensuring users would feel comfortable and like they did not need to learn how to navigate in a new way.
Analogous Applications
Analogous Applications
Analogous Applications
Analogous Applications
Purpose Design Co. Solution
Purpose Design Co. Solution
Ideation with Client and Team Feedback
Entire Team User Flows
Entire Team User Flows
Purpose Design Co. Solution
Purpose Design Co. Solution
All Trails’ display of trails was part of the inspiration in allowing users to filter on and off trails and parking, recognizing having these access points would be particularly important for going to an access point for the first time.
All Trails’ display of trails was part of the inspiration in allowing users to filter on and off trails and parking, recognizing having these access points would be particularly important for going to an access point for the first time.
Gaia GPS’ ability to allow users to quickly navigate to a user-centered directional view, use a true compass while in this view, as well as easily draw shapes and add other data matched up with our users’ needs of navigating to a river, and adding data and shapes that could be filtered to see later, which led for the inclusion of these features in the final prototype.
Gaia GPS’ ability to allow users to quickly navigate to a user-centered directional view, use a true compass while in this view, as well as easily draw shapes and add other data matched up with our users’ needs of navigating to a river, and adding data and shapes that could be filtered to see later, which led for the inclusion of these features in the final prototype.
For example, we each were responsible for a user flow, which we divided out after ideation and and converging through synthesis in a design meeting including the client.
For example, we each were responsible for a user flow, which we divided out after ideation and and converging through synthesis in a design meeting including the client.
Then, towards the end of the project, I planned how all of our prototypes would link together by tracking the work of the rest of the team, allowing me to connect them into a single prototype quite seamlessly.
Then, towards the end of the project, I planned how all of our prototypes would link together by tracking the work of the rest of the team, allowing me to connect them into a single prototype quite seamlessly.
To ensure smooth hand-off and that Purpose Design Co. was comfortable with the functionality of the prototype for user testing, I created a detailed prototype guide, with team input on each flow, that we provided to them after our final walkthrough.
To ensure smooth hand-off and that Purpose Design Co. was comfortable with the functionality of the prototype for user testing, I created a detailed prototype guide, with team input on each flow, that we provided to them after our final walkthrough.
UX Case Study
UX Case Study
A Geospatial Tablet App Prototype for Climate
Scientists
A Geospatial Tablet App Prototype for Climate Scientists
Purpose Design Co.
