Services

Customer experience workshop

Get your project off to a running start. Working with you, your team, and key stakeholders, I help you to focus on the key goals. Using a set of clear but provocative frameworks we chart your target users and their needs, a clear set of business goals, and a concise map of your brand and its values. We create a decision matrix that defines success and guides the entire design process. With everyone on the same page, the design moves faster and produces better results.

High-level design
Wireframes and conceptual map

Translate your idea into a product design. A conceptual map shows how users will understand the design. Wireframes of the key parts of the experience let you see the product or service take shape. It’s often a good idea to evaluate several approaches against your goals. With decades of experience, I’m usually able to solve even the toughest design problems very quickly – always with an emphasis on keeping it simple for users and straightforward for the developers.

Detailed design
Specification-level wireframes

While the high-level design addresses what 80% of users will do 80% of the time, the detailed design specifies all the cases. Getting all the details right makes the difference between a successful product and one that causes problems for customers. The result is that users are less likely to give up, or to demand expensive support. I work with developers to create a spec that meets their needs for clarity and completeness.

Customer needs analysis

User-centered design means truly understanding your customers. I build upon any market research you may already have done to help you map your target and figure out on whom to focus. The customer map is used to write customer task models for each of the key personas (customer profiles), based on in-depth interviews whenever possible. While I do not conduct market research, I can help you find a great research partner – I’ve worked with some of the best in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Organizational design

Because of my track record at successfully building design teams, I often am asked to analyze and improve process within organizations. I focus on your specific culture and needs, working onsite to interview key members of your team and then producing both formal process documentation and informal coaching. The goal always is to challenge conventional wisdom while at the same time building the confidence and motivation of your staff.

Expert analysis

Often called heuristic analysis, I apply my years of experience with usability research and methods to assess the design or product you already have. I prioritize issues that will have the most impact on customer satisfaction – rather than providing a nit-picking laundry list. Then I work with you to figure out the most efficient way to solve the problems.

Customer research plan

No one (including me) is smart enough to get everything just right without customer research. Doing the right research at the right time saves money by avoiding mistakes that will be far more expensive to fix after launch. Though I have extensive experience with usability research in particular and customer research in general and have built and managed a number of usability labs, I usually do not conduct research on my own designs. I can help you create an effective and affordable research plan and then find great specialists to get the job done.