Portfolio

Update

Thanks to Nathan Maas, PrInstagram is being reborn as a web and mobile app. Proving that great minds not only think alike, they work better together, destiny brought together Nathan's Penny Post and the PrInstagram concept. A team of a half dozen merry devsters plus Nathan spearheading all PM tasks and my UX contributions, we aim to have an MVP ready in January 2016. Stay tuned for updates here.

Process

Recently purchased by Facebook for a $1 billion, quick profit has never been part of Instagram's DNA. In fact, founder Systrom has always avoided letting business strategy trump user experience. Constant Contact surveys proved valuable to screen and inquire about printed photograph and photo-sharing behavior. In-depth interviews led to affinity diagram honing in on barriers, sentiments and routine around printed photos and photo merchandise.

We began to clarify how Instagram could best leverage opportunities in-App without disrupting user flow. Instagram's philosophy, "not to let technology get in the way of user experience" served as the guide. By introducing the print feature within the photo sharing interaction, the user determines with branch in their flow: either photo sharing, printing or both options are clear.

Process

Our team of three supported discovery and research activities, SME interviews and usability testing. Design studio activities helped crystalize the user experience guiding Nike staff in uploading, tagging and right-managing Nike’s most valuable and confidential products—its digital assets.

My role focused on translating usability findings into interactive wires and fluid grid design templates, creating custom asset libraries (Axure and Illustrator), Style Guide and responsive grid, and interfacing with dev team.

Process

Wei Kitchen’s products are ‘first to market’, certified organic and of exceptional quality. The products are sold throughout West Coast retail grocers, so consumers need a reason to go to the website. Domain research focused on ‘cooking styles and motivations’ which gave valuable insight to both recipe/meal selection and entry point for client’s product. In-person, task-based usability tests followed up by exit interviews to help gauge baseline time-on-site, navigational flow and ‘sticky’ concepts or impressions post visit. Hours of transcribed discussions (about people’s cooking habits, recipe searches, ideal cooking scenarios, favorite resources and cook’s desires) helped us to better understand the the customer journey of planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, eating.

With user preferences clear, we did a series of activities to first think big (generate, create, ideate), then synthesize (refine, winnow, prioritize). Flows addressed where (to recipes) and what (clarify purpose of the site) and how (simple steps and options) to fully deliver on user desires. Once distilled, the user’s desire for easy as 1,2,3 gave clear organizational structure to the site and the only 3 steps to any meal: Gather, Prep, Savor.
Wei Kitchen has begun an excellent job of curating quality content. But it was lost on users going to retrieve a recipe and exiting. Aiming to cross-populate content, we tested several dynamic search/select tools that would work across multiple platforms. Site hints of coming features like a Taste of Travel Blog and Asian Cook Technique and Tips were well received. Although out of scope for this UX project, we designed a bottle hang tag to help direct grocer point-of-sale consumers to the Wei Kitchen website.

Client

Work Colleges help students graduate with a valuable liberal arts degree, four years’ work experience and little or no debt. It’s model that’s proven successful for more than 150 years. Currently there are seven federally-designated Work Colleges across the country. All students must participate in the comprehensive Work-Learning-Service program.

Process

The WCC plays a crucial role: networking the seven Work Colleges and liaising with the U.S. Department of Education and Congressional delegations. It’s messaging and materials have to be clear, direct and highly informative. And condense hundreds of pages of student assessments and outcomes into a 2-minute read. Shown are some of the communications pieces including a Drupal CMS site that allows Member Colleges to collaborate and share resources. Plans are underway for student-created web journals, YouTube student videos, and other storytelling tools to share their learning-labor-service experience.

Process

UX research methods and tools revealed a clear direction. Campers overall are prepared people and have already-established, more effective means to self-organize. Other challenges were revealed in research: responsibility for others’ kids including allergies, emergencies, permission slips and gear/equipment preparedness. This gave me the opportunity to pivot and reimagine a microsite that could address needs of a growing and promising audience: camp volunteers for Sierra Club, Big Brothers and other groups. In addition to purchase activities, the site includes a CMS integration allowing volunteers to coordinate with guardians for permission slips, emergency contacts and more: Tents? Boots? And manage communication with a dozen parents, many who have never camped.

The early introduction to REI should contribute to loyalty among youth campers and extend its ‘purpose brand’ even deeper into the hearts of its affinity groups. Techniques like concept mapping, card sort, storyboarding, user scenarios and contextual inquiry informed better sitemaps and tighter prototypes. Since this was a solo project, I developed a ‘checkpoints poster’ for both inspiration and to stay focused on the user perspective. In-person testing led to further prototype edits. Balsamiq was appropriate for low fidelity prototyping and rapid iterations.

Client

Berea College was founded pre-Civil War and actively recruited women and blacks offering free education and skills training. Today, all Berea College students work on campus in addition to their studies. The arrangement also incorporates service activities, and helps students graduate with little or no debt. Berea College is regularly recognized by Princeton’s Review, U.S. News and World Report, and Forbes as one of the leading higher educational institutions in the U.S.
In absence of an official logo, there were actually dozens (and dozens) of varying college signs and symbols. Many documents included the school’s official seal, dated and including a large crucifix, the seal was not appropriate for this inclusive and liberal learning institution.I was invited to lead the collaborative design process, which included interfacing with the College's President, Administration, PR and a wide array of students and other stakeholders.

Process

The challenge was much larger than the actual logo redesign. The brand-development process needed to be approached as a collaborative design process involving stakeholders across campus administration and the student body. It also had to lay the foundation for a 150-year celebration and capital campaign. And include a family of style guides that adapted the brand assets to two related for-profit entities-- a historic hotel and Berea College established craft enterprises with retail and online presence. My team and I gathered existing assets, then facilitated design-driven inquiries to understand values and the authenticity the brand needed to convey. We conducted workshops and tested no fewer than five design treatments throughout College communications, donor development and the student body. The final result clearly expresses the College’s mission and ‘openness’.

Client

F.A.H.E. is a mission-based, member-driven network spanning 4 states, with community-based members that employ more than 1,000 full-time workers, and contribute millions of dollars to local economies throughout Appalachia. In the past 27 years the network has helped more than 45,000 families secure a safe, decent home they can afford. The Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (F.A.H.E.), envisioned a loan product that would provide homebuyers with a low risk mortgage at market comparable rates. Rather than the profit or loan points going to a bank, the profits are re-invested to help fund low-income and affordable housing in their community. FAHE not only had to develop the mortgage product itself, but had to set up the system to allow all 60 organizations in five states represent and market the loan.

Process

FAHE members were well-versed in putting mortgage packages together, but this venture would require much more. FAHE had never aimed for market recognition, and this venture would require reaching out to an entirely new audience--spread across four states. What’s more all business decisions were driven by and had to support the nonprofit’s mission.
FAHE’s Marketing Director and I worked with the organization's president that branding and online access would be instrumental for the socially responsible business to succeed. What started as a modest $2,000 print ad budget soon became brand development, an employee training program and a website platform that enabled the organization to attract more than $250,000 dollars in foundation and grant awards. national foundation recognition and into into a we Developed brand identity and marketing strategy to launch one of the nation’s first socially responsible mortgages offered commercially by a nonprofit association of 60 member organizations.