User Interface and Experience Engineering
User Interface and Experience Engineering, as described in Wikipedia:
User interface design or user interface engineering is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user’s experience and interaction. Where traditional graphic design seeks to make the object or application physically attractive, the goal of user interface design is to make the user’s interaction as simple and efficient as possible, in terms of accomplishing user goals—what is often called user-centered design. Where good graphic/industrial design is bold and eye catching, good user interface design is to facilitate finishing the task at hand over drawing unnecessary attention to itself. Graphic design may be utilized to apply a theme or style to the interface without compromising its usability. The design process of an interface must balance the meaning of its visual elements that conform the mental model of operation, and the functionality from a technical engineering perspective, in order to create a system that is both usable and easy to adapt to the changing user needs.
Although I have come across many different definitions of a User Interface Designer or Experience Engineer, this is the one I pretty much stick with. My career as a user interface engineer has lead me on a path of providing easily consumable interface solutions to relatively complex functional requirements. My goal is and has always been, for basic business functions, the user task should be as simple as possible and not create unnecessary barriers or complex situations. The following are a few examples of interfaces I have created.
Note: There are projects listed here, and others that have been not, that I am unable to make publicly available due to NDA restrictions. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these projects in further detail in a closed, confidential discussion.
Dinner Helpers Meal Management Applications
Client:Dinner Helpers
Link:www.dinnerhelpers.com
Platform:Acumium CMS
This Dinner Helpers project was a great opportunity. There were some really exciting challenges that we needed to overcome in order to give the site users the best experience possible.
There were two main user groups that we needed to consider for the project. One being the store owners and site admin users and the other being the customers. The ‘brochure’ portion of the site was all to be managed by the Acumium Content Management Solution, so there was no work to be done there. But all the new tools for managing the business needed to be built from scratch.
Key obstacles to overcome in the project was the proper management of ingredients, meals, menus and schedules. We needed to come up with a solution that followed that thought process, was highly intuitive and easily adoptable within the business. Starting off with a list of meals and ending with schedules, we began to review each step in the process and come up with a plan to allow the admin user to enter key data along the way. In the end, the admin user was able to create a new meal, use existing ingredients (or add new ones) to build a meal, then apply those meals to menus, and finally menus could be assigned to a schedule.
From the customer perspective, there is a very simple process to go through. Simply find a scheduled session of which to register, select meals from the appropriate menu and finish the check out process. All the ingredient and meal information data entered by the admin automatically shows up to the customer as needed. In the 6 years that Dinner Helpers has been in business, they have experienced amazing growth and the tools we created for them have been key to their success.
Wisconsin Alumni ‘Games’ Manager
Client:University of Wisconsin Alumni Association
Link:www.uwalumni.com
Platform:Acumium CMS
Throughout the lifespan of the UW Alumni project, we have created a vast series of tools. Tools designed for admin and user alike. The deliverable for this project was to create a ‘game of the week.’
Each new game needed to have independent content, allow for ad space, always maintain the same URL regardless of the game content, restricted to registered users, allow for update at any time and export statistical data. Interesting set of requirements, but not unachievable.
The solution we executed placed all these complicated deliverables in a simple and easy to understand user interface. At any time an admin user may create a game to be used at a future date. Then when the times comes, the admin user can elect to ACTIVATE a game. At such time, the content on the Game Page will update with the new game content.
Pretty simple, pretty powerful.
Acumium CMS Next Generation Admin UI
Client:Acumium
Link:www.acumium.com
Platform:Acumium CMS
From concept to design, this was the opportunity to learn from years of developing upon and managing the original version of the Acumium Content Management Solution.
This time we were able to take full advantage of a new series of web 2.0 technologies, advanced JavaScript libraries, new opportunities in user interface design applications and years of web application development experience. We started from the ground up, using what we have learned about our users and how they want to interact with the application. We set a goal to deliver an interface that would fit seamlessly into the web site design. The content tools were also to fit seamlessly into the admin experience and while powerful in execution, they were to be simple to use and easy to learn.
The final design was to be simple, clean, expandable and module. In the initial design phase I worked with the development team to isolate a series of UI patterns that we could continue to build additional applications on. Breaking out secondary and tertiary activities into tabbed interfaces allowed us to combine a series of powerful activities without cluttering up the primary interface. Within each tab, grouped activities per item are displayed in a collective UI. This allows the user to see that there are more parts of a single activity while separate from others.
The overall admin interface, unlike other enterprise Content Management Solutions, we reduced the impact of the application to almost zero. The primary key that you are in admin mode is the unobtrusive toolbar at the head of the page. From this single toolbar, we gave the users all the access needed to get the job done. While, in the page itself, is a quick and easy solution to insert additional content modules as needed.
Acumium eCommerce Admin UI
Client:Acumium
Link:www.acumium.com
Platform:Next Generation Acumium CMS
Status: Prototype
Ok, nothing super amazing here, I realize that. But what is it that makes this so special that I wanted to put this in my portfolio? Simple really. User centric, contentious forward moving, user experience engineering. See, my primary goal when I designed the new ecommerce UI/UX was to remove the dependence on a START position to move forward.
I wanted to give my users the experience that from wherever they were in the application, they can accomplish the job that needed to be done. There is never the need to ‘go to the beginning’ and work your way forward. Any additional information that you would need about a customer or an order was only a click away.
Of course there are the traditional start areas and some features that are somewhat tunnel vision, but once you are inside the application, it is a free for all. Go where you want to do the job you need to do. The application may be minor, but the concepts transcend. Next generation application development is not about single processes or ‘wizards’ (always hated that), but fully thought out processes that allow users to maneuver as needed with the app in order to get the job done with the maximum efficiency. This is why I wanted to be a UI Engineer.