Consulting

With 9 years of professional experience in User Experience and Interaction Design, I provide a range of services to help my clients develop technologies which not only meet, but exceed the needs of users.

All contracting and short-term work is subject to availability with other projects and roles I’m involved in. Please get in touch, and we’ll discuss your project’s needs. I’ll help identify what’s likely a combination of research and design methods needed to achieve success on our project. These could include the following:

Services:

Interaction and User Experience Design. As my core skill, I can provide user experience design from the very first conceptual stages of an idea to the final interface users interact with. While sub-components and custom work is common, my preferred start-to-finish design process consists of:

1. Scenario Design and Task Analysis. This is the start of the process: the specification of what needs a solution, and who should benefit from it. With a company or project, this usually begins with stakeholder interviews, user research, market research, current task analysis, and brainstorming.

2. Prototype Creation. With the problem, users, and space identified, the next phase is to begin designing a solution. I usually work first by sketching interaction flows and wireframes, then by building and testing paper prototypes, and then by building testable prototypes that can be tested with users.

3. Concept Testing. With prototypes in hand, I don’t move forward without some user testing. The method of testing ranges from as simple as taking users through a think-aloud task to as robust as deployment or focus-group research.

4. Iterative Design. Concept created and testing completed, the design direction and problem space are now identified. Iteration and development of the design is now needed, including collaboration with designers and developers and specification of technologies involved. This process, with testing utilized when needed, becomes the final product that is released to users.

Information and Interaction Architecture. For existing feature and data sets, often the barrier to a great experience for users is a thorough design of the path taken through the fog. I can create the structural and organizational design of your product, artifact, or system such that users can find and use the value you create. Note: this nearly always involves a component of user testing.

Heuristic Evaluation. Identification of current usability problems and opportunities for improvement in an existing product or prototype. I offer this sans user testing as a shorter-term inspection method that can advise your team on where to direct their efforts and future developments to improve usability.

Usability Testing. Whether you have an a full product, a prototype, or merely an idea, I can bring your concept to the end-users you’re targeting to achieve data-driven feedback on performance, breakdowns, and overall reception to your product for its intended use cases. Testing with users can include think-aloud protocols, focus groups, co-design sessions, and automated testing. The method will depend on the nature of the problems you need solved.

Field and Market Research. Often, developing a technology is only the beginning of creating a successful solution for users. Without an understanding of the landscape and user needs you’re addressing, a technology cannot meet the needs of users. I can help you to bring insight and data to your problem: what the market needs, what can work and what cannot, and what user needs you’re best equipped to tackle.

Data Analysis. If you’ve been logging and gathering data, you’ve taken the first important step in understanding users. However, it’s analysis of that data that can improve your product. Clicks, taps, and mouse interactions don’t necessarily mean users are having a good experience. I can help you go from reams of logged data to actionable insights on the experience of your users.