Thoughtful, strategically executed design.

Challenged with analyzing the user experience of a notable player in clean design, Google’s gmail, to improve the design

from great to superb.

CURRENT USERE EXPERIENCE Analysis of regular user tasks, current system delights and challengers was performed in order to properly asses goals between system experience and user goals. The need to quickly comprehend an inbox hierarchy was identified.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Identification of main visual barriers related to cognitive processing of current design layout and association revealed an opportunity to better integrate a main feature, “Circles”, into the overall user experience of Gmail. Basic cognitive processing and system features were not currently optimized.

CIRCLES INTEGRATION The current Circles design does not fully integrate into the organization of incoming mail. The redesign proposal focused on allowing user to visually associate and group circles members through a designated colour.

VISUAL CATEGORIZATION Users can visually prioritize and associate with incoming mail based on their defined Circles groups. Parents can quickly respond to family communications as it is displayed in their colour of choice, amongst a swarm of incoming mail.

A government service sector requiring a usability assessment on their web based services for foreign workers and their

employers.

USER INTERVIEWS Communication with a variety of users were conducted by phone to better understand their current frustrations, motivations and needs. Questions were drafted and provided to participants 12 - 24 hours in advance.

USER PROFILES Data collected from user interviews was categorized and visually displayed in a comprehensive and appealing format.

MOBILE MOCKUPS A mobile adaptation of the web based service was designed to address the multi-lingual barriers, need for quick navigation, searchable content and large tap buttons for on the go access. The mobile mock-ups were designed to align with the company’s current brand image and web design.

WEB USABILITY ANALYSIS The website was analyzed based on design, heuristic and accessibility principles. Screen shots with identification of problem areas were described in depth.

REDESIGN Design recommendations were created given the scope of the project to improve the usability, brand perception and navigation.

A leading provider of ergonomically designed products required a usability analysis of online modules aligned to help users

understand initial setup and product use.

HEURISTIC EVALUATION A Heuristic evaluation based upon Jakob Nielson’s design & usability principles was conducted to analyze the overall usability of the learning module.

NAVIGATION ANALYSIS The module navigation was analyzed using design, accessibility and usability principles. Primary problems were identified in detail.

REDESIGN The module was simplified to include intuitive labels, navigation that allowed users to proceed in a paved pathway or individual exploration and progress bar for feedback on module completion.

Challenged with designing a digital system that would benefit the City of Stratford, a mobile application was designed to assist elderly users in finding and reviewing the culinary experience that the city

prides itself on.

USER INQUIRY Interview procedure materials, protocol and question were prepared to address the target market; elderly user of mobile applications.

USE ASSESSMENT The inquiries were translated into quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. Trends and variances were identified to direct design requirements.

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MOBILE MOCKUPS The system was designed to accommodate prominent user needs and trends for elderly consumers. Some design requirements included need for intuitive icons, large tap buttons with tactile feedback and profile personalization to assist with system recall.

The University of Waterloo requested a redesign of their current online resources in order to convey the library as a “cool” place. After in depth research and analysis, it was identified that the

online resources and library space should be separated to maximize student use, streamline navigation and optimize long

term site efficiency.

USER PERSONAS Personas were created to embody the student demographic and direct design recommendations.

ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE Students were surveyed online to understand their current use of the site, personal preferences and lifestyle.

WES REDESIGN Based on the usability challenges identified, long term solutions were outlined and designed to showcase design potential to stakeholders.

MOBILE MOCKUPS Mobile mock-ups were designed to address a growing student need to book library rooms for study, group collaboration and project work on the go.

Challenged with analyzing the online social media presence of a large company using Sysemos analytics and translating the data

into infographics.

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN Using the information collected through Sysemos, the data was categorized and related back to marketing theories of perception, persuasion and social validation. This was translated into infographics using graphic design theory and principles.

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