Case Studies
Product design summaries and results from nine selected projects spanning 2012 - 2022.
Artzy™
Create anywhere.
June - October 2021
The Artzy™ product requirements, case study, roadmap, interactive analytics and instructional design process were a June 2021 project proposal submission for the Innovations and Product Management program at Cornell University's Samuel Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Additional Case Studies:
Chatham Sailing Club
Manzama LLC
Synopsis of previous case studies 2010-2017:
USAA
DESIGNING FOR THE NEXT-GEN
CUSTOMER FUNNEL
2016-2017
THE CHALLENGE
When member-based insurance provider USAA began creating its 3-year mobile and customer retention strategy around servicing a newer, evolving customer base, we began a process of research and cross-team efforts for developing mobile banking ads and personalization. In my role as
Creative Producer, Enterprise
UX I had full transparency with the product owner, development and marketing analytics teams.
RESEARCH
Metrics revealed that while 92% of USAA members (active duty armed forces, veterans and their families) retain brand loyalty for life, a newer persona demographic aged 17-24 was overtaking the established customer base of 35-75 year olds mostly comprised of Gulf War, Vietnam, Korean War veterans, and a very scant remainder of WWII veterans. Consumer research projected fundamental changes to the customer funnel and a new market segment growth of 60% over the next ten years.
METRICS & ANALYTICS
We gathered key performance metrics, pursued daily feedback from the marketing team and data analysts, re-defined the new customer personas and explored and A/B tested various new paid and owned digital media channels. To gain a wider understanding and unbiased view on the product users, we measured both the quantitative and quality of experience. The combined methodologies are cyclical and iterative, so with Agile approach for example, we ran hypothesis testing, S&G and design validation phase concurrently with metrics reporting to gain a full picture.
SOLUTION
We combined metrics with revised user personas, prioritized issues and fed these reports into the next iterations or releases. We also applied updated technologies to the marketing teams data analytics applications.
RESULTS
Newer data analytics gave us a clearer picture of this segment, it’s customer journey, KPIs and behavioral metrics. Through owned media, SEO, contextual ads and personalization, program marketing, and by creating a sense of tribal culture and customer feedback through social media – all contributed to growth and retention of the newer customer base. The mobile banking services were successfully converted to a simpler, one-step product-services search. Additionally we implemented personalized contextual ads within the mobile banking app, resulting in increased mobile usage and reduced calls to customer service by 35% in the first few months.
SHARK DIVER
ZERO COST DIGITAL MARKETING FOR SB
2015
THE CHALLENGE
Shark Diver LLC, a small specialty SCUBA dive operation wanted to minimize its digital marketing budget. The operation hosts a limited number of boat cabin spots for 1-5 days to and from various dive sites for eight weeks on the Mexico coast, six weeks in the Caribbean and 4 weeks in the Fiji Islands.
Role: Contract UX & Digital Marketing Specialist
NEW PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS
The current campaign was not filling the open spots quickly enough to justify advanced seasonal costs of operations; however the bigger challenges were: limited marketing budget during the operation’s early stages of growth; inability to secure full commitments in advance at cost of around $3,000 for a 5-day trip; and maintain the no-refund policy.
RESEARCH
Research findings redefined the major goals as three-fold:
To maintain cost-per-acquisition at almost-zero, maintain cost-per sustained customer at almost zero and to build a trusted brand around it’s fundamental mission of marine life conservation.
HYPOTHESIS
Build trust and authenticity by rebranding the experiences to an a alternative scuba diving expedition, less about diving and more relevant in contributing to conservation efforts.
THE SOLUTION
We created a digital marketing plan for maintaining almost-zero-cost marketing through content driven marketing, social media, through partnerships with other dive operators and two hi-visibility marine life conservation programs; a new mobile app for checking availability and booking spots up to a year in advance; SEO/SEM, profiling the company’s core mission through stories, conservation blogs, and partnerships with other eco-tour and adventure diving operations.
RESULTS
For some market segments, the ‘tribal’ or emotional connection, convenience, the customer’s likelihood to commit to terms, and their ease of use/experience, often turn out to be the most effective draw for new customers. Instead of selling people on a dive trip, we connected with them through community -- sharing imagery, videos, and meaningful stories, as well as Increased exposure to a wider audience of scuba divers and those with a passion for endangered species and marine life conservation, since this was the true and sustainable market and the core mission of the company.
NMETRIC
OPTIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY & DELIVERY TIME
THROUGH MANUFACTURING & SCHEDULING SYSTEMS
2014 - 2015
ROLE: UX Design Lead
THE CHALLENGE
nMetric, going on its fifth year as a start-up was challenged with identifying and responding effectively to high-complexity product requirements, diversity of user roles, co-facilitation, production scheduling, and customer order tracking for its manufacturing industry clients.
PRODUCT GOALS
-
Tools which enable manufacturer floor managers and operational staff to make intelligent scheduling decisions and empower production management with with accuracy and predictability.
-
Increase the transparency of primary actions and complexity of the scheduling decisions and functions.
-
Created and implemented new foundation design based on newly defined specs, user stories, personas, wireframes
-
New branding, style guide, component libraries and responsive framework.
DISCOVERY
In my role as UX designer, I spearheaded the heuristic analysis of the current product, with focus on the increasing transparency of primary actions, breaking down complexity of the scheduling decision, managing risk and uncertainty, and the ability of the scheduler to directly control the schedule.
DESIGN
Additional sales analytics lead to extending product usage perimeters to a wider set of personas, and validating a shift in application archetype from a simple timeline to a resources management and productivity focused workflow model,
RESULTS
Greater clarity of product and objectives and the consumer requirements, improved cross-team collaboration, a fresh visual design; commitment to design and style standards, new responsive-mobile framework, cyclical process to enable ongoing evolution and validation of the design; and extension of user personas from the one-dimensional shop floor manager to the plant managers, parts, procurement and order tracking, sales, customer service and strategic planning.
SHARK DIVER
ZERO COST DIGITAL MARKETING FOR SB
2015
THE CHALLENGE
Shark Diver LLC, a small specialty SCUBA dive operation wanted to minimize its digital marketing budget. The operation hosts a limited number of boat cabin spots for 1-5 days to and from various dive sites for eight weeks on the Mexico coast, six weeks in the Caribbean and 4 weeks in the Fiji Islands.
Role: Contract UX & Digital Marketing Specialist
NEW PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS
The current campaign was not filling the open spots quickly enough to justify advanced seasonal costs of operations; however the bigger challenges were: limited marketing budget during the operation’s early stages of growth; inability to secure full commitments in advance at cost of around $3,000 for a 5-day trip; and maintain the no-refund policy.
RESEARCH
Research findings redefined the major goals as three-fold:
To maintain cost-per-acquisition at almost-zero, maintain cost-per sustained customer at almost zero and to build a trusted brand around it’s fundamental mission of marine life conservation.
HYPOTHESIS
Build trust and authenticity by rebranding the experiences to an a alternative scuba diving expedition, less about diving and more relevant in contributing to conservation efforts.
THE SOLUTION
We created a digital marketing plan for maintaining almost-zero-cost marketing through content driven marketing, social media, through partnerships with other dive operators and two hi-visibility marine life conservation programs; a new mobile app for checking availability and booking spots up to a year in advance; SEO/SEM, profiling the company’s core mission through stories, conservation blogs, and partnerships with other eco-tour and adventure diving operations.
RESULTS
For some market segments, the ‘tribal’ or emotional connection, convenience, the customer’s likelihood to commit to terms, and their ease of use/experience, often turn out to be the most effective draw for new customers. Instead of selling people on a dive trip, we connected with them through community -- sharing imagery, videos, and meaningful stories, as well as Increased exposure to a wider audience of scuba divers and those with a passion for endangered species and marine life conservation, since this was the true and sustainable market and the core mission of the company.
MANZAMA
DATA SYSTEMS &
UX DESIGN CONVERSION
2014
ROLE: LEAD UX DESIGNER
THE CHALLENGE
Oregon-based start-up Manzama LLC sought to enhance it’s new product performance and ease of use. The product enabled the ability to query data points or search by keyboard across high density data, trade publications, relative cases, product defects and recalls, product studies, and professional journals.
DISCOVERY
We applied user-centered design principles and expertise to evaluate the customer journey, run usability testing; re-face / re-architect the primary user interactions.
We conducted user research and initiated a new round of user stories around redesigning the flow for categorizing, querying, and creating customized page views. She also redesigned the content organization for ease of use, to enable simplicity in displaying query results, improved readability and discoverability.
PRODUCT HYPOTHESIS
Product users want to quickly target and access research information quickly, easily and with greater accuracy.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Created new technical specs, product requirements and user stories around redesigning the flow for categorizing, querying, and creating customized page views.
KEY UX OBJECTIVES
Re-design content organization for ease of use, improved hierarchy and simplicity in displaying query results, improved readability and discoverability.
RESULTS
Vastly improved user flow, new responsive framework, new design system for maintaining continuity and brand, and greater ease of use in gathering, viewing and categorizing complex research data. The subscription-based model was released within a year of completing 100% of user-centered design requirements.
GOLD'SGYM
INTERNATIONAL
OPTIMIZING INTERNAL PORTAL AND FRANCHISE OPERATIONS
RECRUITMENT
2007
THE CHALLENGE
When Gold’s Gym International Franchising Inc. desired to expand globally and educate franchisees in how to acquire and operate a health and fitness franchise facility, they engaged Carol to create a paperless solution for streamlining the new franchise application process and also reduce the high call volume of new applicants.
ROLE
Role: UX Designer collaborative effort with the Marketing and Franchise development teams.
RESEARCH
First we conducted interviews with the brand manager, franchise operations managers, general managers, and fitness consultants from better-performing Gold’s Gym facilities. These interviews established a basis for the franchisee onboarding experience and outlined the procedures ranging from club operations, to sales, to back office and hiring practices, to setting up fitness programs, marketing campaigns and retaining members.
ROLE: UX Designer, Content Creative Producer
SOLUTION
A new self-guided portal site for potential new franchisees and owners, designed for scaleability. Initially it began as a secure online application wizard where those seeking a franchise could apply and submit relevant background and financial information. Later the site expanded to full-service space for all franchises and owners to access digital guides and manuals, operations standards and procedures, brand materials, annual conference info, and implement training programs through Gold’s Gym University.
RESULTS
The new intranet portal reduced the flood of calls to the operations group and became the benchmark of the organization’s franchise recruitment, resources and training programs, resulting in an extended pipeline of over three hundred new gym franchise facilities worldwide.
Note: this was a flagship internal project and has been iterated, updated and renovated several times since 2007. The current solution may be viewed here.
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