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| Service Live Executive PowerPoint Analysis
As Information Architect for Sears Holdings ServiceLive.com, one of my key responsibilities
was performing continuing analysis to discover what the pain points and barriers to entry
were for potential customers of the website and to determine how to address them.
Working alongside another Information Architect, we performed statistical and heuristic analysis on the site
and its visitation statistics and identified five critical barriers to conversion.
We also identified five detailed strategic initiatives to address and correct the conversion issues.
I produced a 25 page document and presentation that described these items in detail and also provided
a step by step plan with next steps, proposed UX/UI tasks and recommendations.
This document provided a blueprint and timelines for a comprehensive overhaul of the site.
ServiceLive.com
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| Workflow Diagrams
Basic workflow diagrams are the backbone of any successful system. the first example
shows a basic workflow for a user interfacing with a graphic/video uploading promotional system for the store CLIENT WITHHELD.
The second examples at right show navigation variations for the ServiceLive Search and skill tree
selection from a simple viewpoint and through a more complicated transaction.
The revised navigation flow resulted in a more easy to follow process for the end consumer.
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| Whiteline and Code Diagrams
As a UX/IA Professional, there are many additional types of diagrams that help to communicate concepts.
The primary layout responsibility of an Information Architect is to make recommendations of
where items literally live on a web page in order to direct the user to the most needed elements.
A “low fidelity” grey-line (without the distraction of final graphical elements)
is the most effective way to communicate this layout to the development
and design team so they may create the final page with the correct placement key items.
For websites and web pages that are fairly complex in terms of behind the scenes coding,
a single page may be made up of literally hundreds of lines of code.
A code diagram helps to define those various pieces of code for development teams
and the other individuals that may interact with the code down the line.
Such knowledge management results in a well organized team that does not need to reinvent
the wheel or step on another developer’s toes.
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| Business Analysis - ServiceLive Use Case Actors and Use Case
In order to develop the most efficient user experience possible, it is imperative to
understand all the potential users of a site from the casual visitor, to the power user,
to external managers, to internal administrators. ServiceLive did not have any actors
defined in a formal way, so I created an overall viewpoint of all the actors that would
touch the site as well as rudimentary use cases that followed various paths that a potential user might follow.
Having this information available resulted in both the marketing and development
teams fully understand the current and future needs of the website.
It also facilitated more agile and rapid development.
ServiceLive required a promotional management tool for the internal business marketing users to
post upcoming specials and offers. After subject matter expert interviews and reviewing other related sites,
I designed the final promotional management tool including the analysis, use case document and final wireframes.
The result was a clean uncluttered interface that provided a promo management tool with easy-to-fill out
multi-choice forms and fields. The Use Case document also anticipated and provided details regarding future
potential expansion of the tool.
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| Requirements Gathering
I have other examples of requirements documents, but I showcase the ServiceLive Site Search project
here because it encompassed requirements and rules for technical, business and marketing,
as well as user experience and interface considerations. The document also included sequence diagrams,
high and low fidelity wireframes, and out-of scope considerations.
The document resulted in providing a complete roadmap for the agile development of Phase 1 and 2 of Site Search.
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IBM Global Business Services for XO Communications
In the case of the Nextlink Telecommunications B2B portal, there was no graphic designer on the team.
So I produced a series of detailed high fidelity wireframes and detailed user scenarios.
These fully articulated documents allow developers to quickly produce the final deliverables.
I was the senior Information Architect doing detailed wireframes, site maps
and workflows in Visio for major telecommunications portal business center. I oversaw an additional IA and
worked alongside 2 developers, 2 business analysts.
login screen
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DreamWorks Intranet
DreamWorks required a better online communication bridge between their Information
Technology/Information Services (IT/IS), Animation Production and Training departments.
While Working at DreamWorks as a Documentation Specialist, I performed extensive analysis on the
existing Intranet for the Feature Animation. The system was antiquated, disjointed,
and countless documents were hidden from view and/or out-of date.
This lack of proper Knowledge Management led to decreased productivity for both animators and developers.
I interviewed over forty Subject Matter Experts within the company and put together a comprehensive
thirty page executive level proposal to re-build the Intranet. The proposal featured software recommendations and ROI.
Although I had a great champion for this project, very few other key decision makers actually read the whole proposal.
This was a valuable lesson for me in ‘knowing your audience.’
My effort was not wasted, however, because I was able to use the knowledge collected and re-wrote the proposal
as a seven page comic strip! I utilized my skills as an illustrator and
even made Jeffrey Katzenburg look like Superman coming to the rescue of the Animation Division.
This second proposal was read and enthusiastically received. It resulted in the decision to rebuild and re-architect the Intranet.
I went on to be the Information Architect of the external consulting team that produced the renewed Intranet.
Later, as Information Architect of the DreamWorks Feature Animation Intranet for Xpedior,
I was responsible for Project Analysis document which defined project scope in terms of hundred foot and
ten foot views of the system’s design. This included high level diagrams of site organization and charts
which outlined the forms, documents and folders to be included and how those content types would be handled.
The result was a new and improved organized Lotus Notes based system that addressed the Animation division’s needs
and improved knowledge management and productivity of the entire movie production team.
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eAqui Website and Flash Presentation
This Latin ecommerce website required a Flash front end that would translate simplistic
concepts in 3 different languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese. I wrote
the Creative Strategy document for client sign-off and art directed and storyboarded
this piece. I also was the Information Architect on the Xpedior project team.
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Lotta Living Online Community
Lotta Living is an architectural advocacy site that includes Web 2.0 offerings with
a million plus hits and over 15k unique visitors per month. It also offers a
link database to MidMod related websites and locations, a picture galley and very active
social networking community message board. Site traffic is continually growing with nothing but grass
roots promotion.
Opposite are wires and plans for future upgrades to the community.
Lotta Living community
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Caskey Lee Website
Fine Arts Exhibition Managers required a website where they could update show information
into a self-managed database. I was both Information Architect, database designer and Producer
on this website.
home page (site has some alterations)
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E-Team Website
For eTeam emergency management, disaster recovery and contingency planning Software,
I was responsible for the Project Analysis document and leading the JAD (Joint Application Development)
sessions directly with the client. The resulting document provided a clear outline of the system technology,
and application overview, example workflows and project timeline.
It created a solid baseline from which easy and successful deployment of the final online software system was executed.
This Emergency Management System is used by the City of Los Angeles and others.
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Liquid Borders Website
I assisted the technical lead in analyzing and organizing the site
infrastructure for this rather complicated youth trend site and produced the final
Visio schematics.
link unavailable
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Dennis George Crow
Website includes an administrative backend that allows for flexible input of text and
scanned photos. I designed the database and user experience, art directed and co-produced
the final deliverable.
home page (site has some alterations)
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| CLIENT WITHHELD Single Page Shopping Cart
CLIENT WITHHELD was locked into an older multiple page - mutiple click paradigm in their shopping cart.
This often meant loss of sales. They requested a new streamlined version of their shopping cart,
often called a "single page" cart.
I researched numerous competitor and non-competitor sites to learn about the best of breed carts available
and then paper prototyped the result.
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| CLIENT WITHHELD Quick Wins re-UX
CLIENT WITHHELD required a quick redesign of their portal website. This meant a brief audit
and inventory of existing websites and assets and some heuristic recommendations
that could be executed with minimal design and development time.
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| CLIENT WITHHELD Concept Models
CLIENT WITHHELD proposed a not uncomon problem with today's portals. They are a successful company
that had purchased numerous companies over the past few years. This meant determining was
content was to be migrated and what was to remain legacy.
A Concept Model helps to communicate the intentions of a website without being locked
into a specific architectural model. It allows more blue sky thinking in terms of
how pieces of content might fit together from a user’s perspective.
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| CLIENT WITHHELD Architecture
I conducted whiteboard sessions with subject matter experts to determine the types of content
that were available and how they might be used.
This first diagram is a high level site map which was a first stab at the highest level of groupings of website contents.
The second diagram served to refine the high level architecture.
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| CLIENT WITHHELD Wireframes
The wireframes had to show the flow of a user's experience from a multi-language, multi-national entry.
The site was divided up into brochure pages with basic company and investor information, and product catalog pages.
To improve the user experience, the catalog pages were segmented into Conditions, Brands, Product and Service types.
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| Heuristic Evaluations
As a UX expert, I am often called upon to make snap judgments on opportunities for improvement
on various websites. Heuristics evaluations offer a quick, yet organized approach to discovering
where an online experience can change for the better.
The evaluation examples at left include PROJECT X for an internal promotion campaign website,
PROJECT X, an online textbook reseller and PROJECT X External Internet and Corporate Intranet.
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