Overview -

Hewlett Packard Labs, in collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), focuses on innovations that drive significant growth opportunities for HPE, aiming for industry leadership and competitive advantage. Recognizing video as a major source of Big Analog Data, HPE tackles the inefficiencies in traditional video data management, which often involves high costs in bandwidth, retention, and storage due to cloud-based central analysis.

In my role, I contributed to leveraging HPE's Edgeline IoT systems, which enable efficient data analysis and processing at the source. This approach facilitates the creation of a distributed video analytics architecture, extending from the edge to the core, thereby reducing inefficiencies and enhancing processing capabilities.

My Role -

In my unique role at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Labs, I worked with Edge Analytics researchers to translate complex scientific research into user-friendly designs. Leveraging my scientific background, I navigated technical complexities to develop practical design solutions.

My responsibilities included User Research, Ideation, Wireframing, Visual Design, Prototyping, User Testing, and Design Quality Assurance. Additionally, I closely collaborated with the Engineering team for design mock transfers and conducted rigorous Design QA, ensuring the final product's fidelity to the envisioned design.

This role required me to seamlessly blend scientific concepts with user-centric design, contributing crucially to the project's success.

Research -

My approach to UX research involved a comprehensive examination of the ecosystem surrounding DAVE analytics, focusing on its end users and the service aspects of the DAVE analytics environment. Central to this research was the aim to deeply understand the people interacting within this space, adhering to the principles of user-centered design.

Key research methodologies included:

Competitive Analysis: I conducted a thorough analysis of our competitors, aiming to grasp how they addressed similar challenges. This step was crucial in benchmarking our solutions against existing market standards.

Comparative Analysis: I conducted comparative study to see how our design solutions stacked up against other analytics and data visualization tools. This helped us ensure alignment with industry best practices.

User Interviews and Ethnographic Studies: I engaged directly with potential users of the dashboard through interviews and ethnographic research. These interactions were invaluable for gaining insights into the users' environments, fostering empathy and understanding of their needs and challenges.

Stakeholder Interviews:  I conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, encompassing a diverse group of individuals invested in the project's success. These interviews were pivotal in clarifying and solidifying design requirements.

Surveys and Card Sorting: I used surveys and card sorting, followed by similarity matrix exercises, to visually map element relationships. This process refined our information architecture and journey mapping.

Each of these research components played a vital role in shaping our design process, allowing us to create a UX that is both effective and empathetic to the needs of our users and stakeholders.

Ideation -

The ideation phase was a rigorous, iterative process, shaped by ongoing discussions to crystallize unclear design requirements. Essential steps in this phase included:

User Flow Mapping: Detailed user flows for each persona were created to visualize their journey and critical touchpoints.

Sketching and Rapid Prototyping: Initial concepts were quickly brought to life through sketches and prototypes, allowing for swift iterations based on immediate feedback. This process was key in generating user-friendly and innovative design solutions.

Wireframing: Progressing to wireframes helped in assessing the design's hierarchy and layout, alongside continuous hypothesis testing.

Feedback Integration: Regular feedback was integral at every stage, particularly in refining wireframes, to ensure the design was both intuitive and aligned with user needs.

This approach facilitated the effective transformation of stakeholder insights and user feedback into a coherent and impactful UX design.

Visual Design, Prototype and Engineering Collaboration -

The transition from ideation to visual design and prototyping involved key steps:

High-Fidelity Design: I focused on creating detailed designs with an emphasis on aesthetic elements like color, typography, and interface components.

Interactive Prototyping: I transformed these designs into interactive prototypes to simulate interactions during the user testing.

Usability Testing: I conducted in-house user testing at both the ideation and post-development stages. Five in-house individuals matching our ideal user persona provided valuable feedback, enhancing usability across the platform. This feedback, along with additional features, will inform the next design phase. I also carried out guerrilla tests with various team members to gather informal feedback and did not use external services for usability testing.

Iterative Refinement: I used the feedback to refine and improve the designs, ensuring aesthetic appeal and user-centric functionality.

This process resulted in polished, functional prototypes that effectively bridged the gap between concept and user-friendly product.

In the following phase, I closely collaborated with the engineering team:

Asset Transfer and Development Support: I ensured a smooth transfer of design assets to the engineering team for developing the working dashboard, maintaining the integrity of the design in the final product.

Design Quality Assurance (QA): I conducted a thorough Design QA after development. This involved comparing the built dashboard against the original designs to identify deviations, ensuring the final product aligned with design specifications and upheld high usability and aesthetic standards.

This comprehensive approach, from initial design to engineering collaboration, ensured the final product was not only visually appealing but also functional and true to the envisioned user experience.

The outcome was the delivery of polished, functional prototypes, effectively bridging the gap between concept and user-friendly product.