Here's a few stories from the trenches.

First Run, Show Don't Tell

Challenge

Consumer video editing product had users stuck after initial installation, on how to use the product. 

Story, Strategy, and Solution

My client, developing a consumer software product where users could create short videos from images, music, and video clips. I was actually hired to create the help copy for this application (you know, press F1 and read context-sensitive help).

The software was basically a list of asset items loaded into the application, that you could add to an editing area, and also to a simple movie timeline.

During beta testing research, we found after installing the software, people got stuck, not knowing how to add assets, that would load into a list, and be available for the editor, and then the timeline.

I suggested to the team, that we add a "first-run" mode to the software experience. I created a working prototype of this scenario, and showed it to the product lead. She loved the idea demonstrated in the prototype. We tested the prototype with the next group of users. Users were guided from simple prompts to load their first assets into the software, which loaded into the editor, and were automatically placed in the timeline. Showing the product workflow in one simple step. The "first-run" was added to the product immediately after user research was completed.

Presentation Improvisation

Challenge

iPad eDetail software the sales team had was cumbersome, and on most sales calls, was not used.

Story, Strategy, And Solution

During multiple work sessions with the sales team, we reviewed the existing content, and learned about the problems with the existing presentation. The one-size fits all approach, simply does not work in the various contexts when a sales person is detailing a physician about a drug product.  The assumption was a long controlled presentation to the physician with no time constraints. Not the reality of the real sales call. The sales interaction could be as short as 30 seconds (one slide), 2 minutes (3 or 4 slides), 5 minutes, or a 25-minute lunch and learn session with the staff. This presentation needed to support all of those different contexts, on the fly.

First, after much arm wrestling with the legal team, we culled any content that was not related to the core claims and fair balance, and streamlined the content on how to administer the product safely and effectively.

We modified the navigation to provide visual cues on where you where in the presentation (context), and created a quick table of contents overlay for two-taps to anywhere in the presentation (improvisation).

We presented detailed working prototypes that got quick buy-in from the sales and legal teams. The presentation was updated based on the recommendations for the next release.

Kicking and Screaming into Digital

Challenge

Project and Creative teams with deep experience in paper-based projects, having difficulty in transitioning to digital projects.

Story, Strategy, And Solution

The agency had a strong legacy in print materials, with a matching production process and mindset.

The was a general discomfort among the team members in working with digital delivery for web sites and mobile applications. Most of the deliverables from the design team were static comps (although beautifully done) that did not capture the interaction details or the user experience. These deliverables, presented to client elicited more questions from clients instead of providing a clear strategy and story about the digital end-product.

I suggested to management, that I put together a one-hour digital prototyping bootcamp, that would show how the digital process works, and how it's different from the traditional print production process.

In the class, we worked on a simple app for the iPhone, from a conceptual design done on paper, to a working interactive prototype on the iPhone using simple presentation software (Keynote or Powerpoint).

For many students in the class, it was an eye opener to the digital process, and the hidden complexity and problems you need to solve, even for the simplest of experiences. Some student even made their own prototype for client presentation that same week.

Short Bio