additional Case Studies
Product design summaries and results from nine
selected projects spanning 2012 - 2019.
MOSAIC THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
THE CHALLENGE
Florida-based thought leadership was seeking a mobile
solution for direct engagement and retention.
RESEARCH
Metrics revealed that 80% of business clients use mobile devices for daily activities as well as to generate business and client contacts, collaborate, gather intel, strategize.In the last decade, use of mobile for process, crisis and high level management activity is also steadily increasing.
SOLUTION
Immediate accessibility, direct chat, and business blog with daily current topics of interest. KPIs included tracking readership, comms and chat activity.
RESULTS
A clearer picture of the right problem to be solved for increasing client-engagement, customer journey, motivations, strategic thinking and relationship-building, and behavioral metrics.
USAA
DESIGNING FOR THE NEXT-GEN
CUSTOMER FUNNEL
THE CHALLENGE
When member-based insurance provider USAA began creating its 3-year mobile and customer engagement strategy around servicing a newer, evolving customer base, we began the processes of research and cross-team efforts for developing mobile banking ads, 'new brand' 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 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;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.
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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.
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RESULTS
Newer data analytics gave us a clearer picture of this segment, it’s customer journey, KPIs and behavioral metrics. Leveraging 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 previous mobile banking services (hidden below the high visibility content) was 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.
USAA
INTERNAL TRAINING AND DATA ANALYTICS SITE DESIGNS
THE CHALLENGES
1. Creating, scheduling, and managing internal training with ease and efficiency.
2. Tracking consumer activity
and conversion rates.
RESEARCH
We researched sharable/collaboration solutions outside of the current tooling in Sharepoint but opted to keep the current model. Personalization and analytics teams were using multiple tools and communication channels and between product owners it was way less than favorable.
SOLUTIONS
We maintained use of Sharepoint for training but redesigned the pages for easy resource access, scheduling and additional features, such as partner training, forums, support
and community.
The marketing data analytics solution was the result of collaboration with the existing teams to create more user-friendly, efficient system. The resulting new application "Discovery Zone" met the teams needs for creating and tracking greater individualized analytic efforts across multiple products, including insurance, banking and personalization, with bulk activity and tracking all accessible within one convenient portal / dashboard. Individual tracking efforts could now be created, tracked and accountable to specific OKRs.
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USAA
INTERNAL ETHICS TRAINING
THE CHALLENGE
Re-facing organization Ethics Training for a fresher and more relatable design.
RESEARCH
Findings showed that employees expected to find these training modules within the internal Wiki resources site but we also aimed to share this training within context of related and ongoing resources.
SOLUTION
A series of 'guidelines' and
helpful updates on USAA Connect plus quick and easy to absorb training documentation.
TIDETURN
For a Bluer Tomorrow
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Connecting projects with people for ocean and marine life conservation. A 2015 solution, updated with more social and sharing features and all components updated for iOS 17 and iPhone 15.
NMETRIC LLC
OPTIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY & DELIVERY TIME
THROUGH MANUFACTURING & SCHEDULING SYSTEMS
(2014 - 2015)
ROLE: UX Design Lead / User Researcher
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
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Tools which enable manufacturer floor managers and operational staff to make intelligent scheduling decisions and empower production management with with accuracy and predictability.
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Increase the transparency of primary actions and complexity of the scheduling decisions and functions.
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Created and implemented new foundation design based on UI iterations and newly defined specs, user stories, personas and wireframes.
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New branding, style guide, component libraries and responsive framework.
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​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.
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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.
MANZAMA LLC
DATA SYSTEMS &
UX DESIGN CONVERSION
ROLE: LEAD UX DESIGNER
ROLE
UX Designer / Producer - Short term contract
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.
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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.
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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'S GYM
INTERNATIONAL
OPTIMIZING INTERNAL PORTAL AND FRANCHISE
OPERATIONS RECRUITMENT
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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.
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ROLE
Role: UX Designer in 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.
