2018-2020
DX: Surfacing information for directors of service
Problem: Directors of service need to easily find information quickly, but it comes from lots of different sources and they’re also working from the road most of the time.
How could we bring them what they need, in an easy-to-use a mobile format?
Research: To understand how directors of service worked, I shadowed a number of different directors throughout the US.
With each, I spent 2 or 3 days riding along as they met with customers in person, juggled multiple demands from customers and team members while on the road, and met with direct reports for team meetings. I came home with a much clearer sense of their work and challenges than I had before.
Later in the design phase, I also conducted regular design feedback sessions with directors of service as I began producing designs.
Design: This was the first tool I’d designed completely from scratch, and I went through many iterations of navigation and information architecture before finally settling on a logical arrangement.
Due to the mobile nature of their work, I designed the entire tool to be used through a web browser on a smart phone.
The DX tool was built over the course of one year, and I supported development with features and improvements after the initial product was created. Later, users requested a desktop breakpoint too, so I produced mockups for this as well.
Outcomes: In the years that followed its implementation, directors of service have continued to use the tool to find their team’s important information. Though it was only funded for development for one year, periodically I was contacted to design minor updates to help keep it current with the needs of users.