Comprehensive User-Centered Design
using the sketch book, easel pad, Axure RP Pro, Photoshop, WordPress
The user-centered design for a state-level non-profit organization described here improved organization technical capacity, content management capabilities, and produced a new organization website consisting of 158 pages and 283 posts (as of Aug. 1, 2011).
View Deliverable: Client WordPress Site
With primary activities that include advocacy, education, and professional collaboration oriented toward improving pediatric health care, this user center design process consisted of exploration, generation, refinement, and implementation phases.
[Exploration Phase] Requirements gathering was the primary goal of the exploration phase, which also included:
- Stakeholder interviews
- Participant observation
- Content audit
- Content mapping
- Content strategy meetings
- Context research/competitive analysis
- Scope clarification
- Identifying success metrics
- Identify functional requirements
[Generation Phase] Generating and visualizing ideas characterized the generation phase, which also included:
- Content mapping
- Content evaluation
- Preliminary information architecture design
- Preliminary interaction design
[Refinement Phase] Iterative design and evaluation with stakeholders involved:
- Information architecture design
- Interaction design
- Expert evaluation
- Low and medium fidelity prototyping
- User testing
[Implementation Phase]
Putting the system in place and customizing the installation included:
- Technical execution
- Scripting and coding for customization
- User testing
- Expanding functionality through plug-ins
- Iteration of exploration, generation, refinement, and implementation phases
- Training and documentation
Preliminary Meeting: May 2009
Final Documentation Submitted: July 2011
During the development cycle, I worked on-site in capacities that included web communications and content management consultant and project technologies consultant. A number of deliverables were produced in addition to those described above. I supported client implementation of web-based solutions for e-commerce, project management, event management, and membership management.
As a result, many aspects of interactions with membership have moved to the web interface. With expanded accessibility and convenience, the infrastructure developed in association with my consultancy has supported membership growth and logistical possibilities for the future.
References for this project can be provided upon request.
Project note:
“The Elements of User Experience” by Jesse James Garrett served as my primary UX project management guide for this user-centered design process. Garrett’s ‘elements’ conceptualize the user-centered design process (see below) in a way that puts the designer/design team in the position to design for the user at every step of a project, while laying out a thoughtful, organize, and professional preservation.
This foundational contribution to user-centered design literature continues to offer important insights in all of my projects, and has emerged as required reading upon the dawn of each new exploration phase.
