Ways I can help your organization make an impact

Design research planning & execution

The key to getting to promising new opportunities and ideas is to start with carefull observation. By understanding the people that will be using the product, service or software you intend to bring to market, you can begin to identify and understand their unmet needs and desires.

Scope can range from designing and executing national or international studies to spending a couple of days going deep with a handful of thoughtfully selected users.

Activities often include:

  • Define what we want to learn

  • Decide who we will learn from, and what methods we will use

  • Develop recruiting screener describing the participants we want to recruit

  • Create a plan for transfer of existing client knowledge, and for tapping into inspiration from parallel spaces

  • Coordinate efforts of regional recruiting agencies to line up research participants

  • Develop a discussion guide to provoke inspiring conversations

  • Conduct user observation/interview sessions, gather learnings 

  • If desired, photograph and/or film sessions for later use in communication deliverables

Strategy & early ideation

I have always been interested in making information actionable, and have worked extensively on developing methods and tools for making this process transparent, collaborative, and highly effective. This phase often involves some close client collaboration, often in the form of a one to two-day synthesis and initial ideation workshop, and can also be done independently.

Activities often include:

  • Synthesize observations/learnings (also integrating existing client research) into design opportunities and topics for ideation — can be highly collaborative with client if desired

  • Initial ideation — can be highly collaborative with client if desired

  • Develop communication piece communicating opportunities, insights and initial ideas

Protyping & storytelling, detailed UX design

Ideas often live or die by the strength of the stories surrounding them. At this stage, strategy is brought to life with tangible images, storyboards, and/or films depicting key moments in the potential future user experience. These visualizations are invaluable for internal communication, sharing with partners, and for obtaining user feedback.

Example prototyping/storytelling approaches can include:

  • Rapidly generated user scenario storyboards

  • Rapid screen-based prototypes, which can be immediately shown to internal stakeholders and/or users for feedback and testing to inform iteration. Sophistication can range from simple and quick to a full simulation of intended functionality.

  • One or more fully-produced short films that simulate the future user experiences we are envisioning. These can be produced surprisingly efficiently and their impact is stunning. I have produced short films for clients including Instagram, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, City of Santa Monica and more.

Small film production capabilities include:

  • Script and storyboard development

  • Casting

  • Custom prop/practical effects development

  • Location scouting and access

  • Panasonic GH5 camera with V-Log

  • Various camera motion control equipment (gimbals, stabilizers, dollies, etc)

  • 1080p or 4k workflow/deliverables

  • Full editing and color grading capabilities

  • Access to additional resources as needed (additional writers, producers, crew, 3D modelling/animation, motion graphics, etc)

Detailed UX design deliverables can include:

  • Detailed looks-like/works-like prototypes

  • User testing

  • Assistance accessing technology partners and technical resources

  • Design specification documentation

  • Collaboration/consultation with engineering team during implementation

  • Design reviews as offering is implemented