Michael DeVries

Sr. User Experience Researcher and Analyst

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Wireframing
Leading User Experience through Functional Specification of an IT Trouble Ticket System

Overview
IT departments regularly track incoming problems from company employees and try to define them as accurately as possible so they can get it fixed in the easiest and quickest way. The systems for handling the data are quite complex, more so when an existing system, with enhancements, must be made transitioned onto a new platform. The goal of this project was to assist first in identifying the functional requirements for the user interface, and 2nd to create detailed design wireframes and resolve any task flow issues.


Design Work

Wire framing example
The key design activities that I engaged in as part of this project included:
  • Learn two new domains: ticketing and functional specifications
  • Attend functional reviews with system SMEs to identify changes needed to current functions as well as opportunities for new functions
  • Conduct task analysis to determine optimum flow efficiency
  • Evaluate system terminology, and make changes to the UI based upon user-centric needs, rather than back-end terms.
  • Design wireframes of approximately 75 portlets (individual portals within a single web page) and provide recommendations for the overall UI architecture.
  • Collaborate with a cross functional, international team to discuss interaction of functionality, review wireframe designs, and consult on a variety of UI issues.
  • Conduct cognitive walk-throughs with the ticketing agent SMEs to identify missing needs and optimize information displays and task paths.
  • Write and review functional specification documents


Accomplishments

My initial participation was supposed to be limited to sitting in for a designer that did not have the time to be engaged in the functional requirements. As I had been tracking the complexities of the system through wireframes, my role was expanded from user experience analyst to information architect. In the end, the wireframes, complete with terminology, function location, task paths, and dynamic portal elements were passed to the original designer who was able to transpose them easily into the parallel system he was working on.



Skills

  • Functional review
  • Cross-functional team collaboration
  • Task Analysis
  • Wire frames
  • Cognitive Walkthrough
  • Willingness to transition from analyst role into information architect role

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Copyright 2010 Michael DeVries