https://www.rodriguezml.com/home daily 1.0 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609284425312-1XDNHYDR5GO5GWJ2PXZ2/Bumble_Mobile-Skins_4.png Home - Date Idea Generator: Added Feature for Bumble An Exploratory Exercise in Design Thinking https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609280720231-JCB78I2MPY247L0J8TU8/P%26R+Laptop_4.png Home - The Art of Scaling Down Scope and Clearing Up Ambiguity Content Redesign for the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s Website Homepage https://www.rodriguezml.com/about daily 0.75 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609605892681-9HPVHJUAE1KLG5X84IO5/Rodriguez_M_HS_2.jpg About - About me I am a thoughtful and resilient UX Designer and Researcher who collaborates well with others. I believe in a communicative and collaborative work environment so that team members can remain aligned despite the challenges and obstacles that arise. I believe in asking pertinent questions to capture the most reliable insights in order to produce the best design solutions. I also believe that business goals are best met when users’ experiences remain in focus throughout. I currently reside in San Diego, CA with my wife and three cats. https://www.rodriguezml.com/work daily 0.75 2021-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609345299711-X8ISJULPAX1XN8PO0C9H/Bumble_Mobile-Skins_4.jpg work. - Date Idea Generator: Added Feature for Bumble An Exploratory Exercise in Design Thinking https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609345395643-VQC3ITPS0O88ZLLJVB8U/P%2526R%2BLaptop_4.jpg work. - The Art of Scaling Down Scope and Clearing Up Ambiguity Content Redesign for the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s Website Homepage https://www.rodriguezml.com/content-redesign daily 0.75 2021-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609349097756-F86RKYPXQWITF3GCPX26/P%26R_home_redesign.png content redesign Click on the image to view our content redesign of the “above the fold” section of the City of Boston’s Parks and Recreation homepage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609706878186-HR05FDV4OFG7Y4L1IAMZ/Jpeg_SF+Comparative+Analysis+%26+Results+.jpg content redesign - Comparative Analysis I conducted the comparative analysis on the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department website homepage. I took inventory of the features and elements to discover what the department homepage offered to their users. My results revealed that having content organized according to a navigation system makes for effortless discoverability and easy information retrievability. In addition, I also conducted a task analysis to determine the steps a user would have to take in order to discover how to contract with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department. I thought this was necessary because our client was also asking us to help them communicate their active procurements process to their users. My results for the task analysis once again revealed the importance of having a clear and prominent navigation menu so that the user can locate information in a succinct manner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609707194952-6TFBUNB626RSU1I7SHIU/Jpeg_Stakeholder_insights.jpg content redesign - Stakeholder Insights We wanted to know what success would look like for our clients and stakeholders. We spoke to project managers, directors, and other stakeholders to gain insights into what we could and could not feasibly do for them. These included “giving [users] the info they need and that it’s readily accessible,” as well as making sure information is “front and center” when users try “to navigate the website.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609645257155-627A44WZZVH3OB1CV66E/P%252526R%252BUser%252BInsights.jpg content redesign - User Insights Analyzing the underlying themes, we were able to recognize that users were looking for very particular information on the Parks and Recreation department website and they were looking for it by category. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609644683299-GV7EDV588WT1VWX4ZZXC/P%26R_Affinity+Map_edited.png content redesign - Affinity Mapping We received as many insights as we could from our user interviews and used a research technique known as affinity mapping to uncover all of their underlying themes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609359580107-4P42JPN5Z9LL7001CKCI/Hawa_persona.png content redesign https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609359538556-E1KBG2YSCSETL49OCU2C/Jenny_persona.png content redesign https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609359610279-UR2VL261A2TYCOCHGQ7U/Sam_persona.png content redesign https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1610645479364-4PP13P9D25VSZJK3D612/User+Flows+-+Reorganized+State.png content redesign - User Flows Using our personas and our preliminary research, we arrived at a user problem to help guide us to a possible solution. That solution then needed to be mapped out in user flows. I wrote the user flows to illustrate how one would navigate to find pertinent information on the homepage. These were later translated into artifacts to be shared across the team as well as with stakeholders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1610645647226-2I3S412RHE6GOOLW7O5P/Final+Site+Map.png content redesign - Sitemap We produced a sitemap to understand how the Parks and Recreation department’s website was already organized and to gain insights for how our redesign might affect this already existing organization. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609365536813-L6RP4OV006BHBA7B6TOK/Jpeg_P%26R_Card+Sort+Report.jpg content redesign - Card Sort Report I produced a report with the following recommendations based on the results: Use similarly grouped cards to inform related topics on the website Use categories with most cross over among users to inform the overall structure of the website Perform future card sorts to discover how users categorize information; perhaps, in-depth sorts for highly used categories *Full report withheld due to client privacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609365490125-KKS4RLHWJVFH0EB6INSG/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-12-10%2Bat%2B9.18.09%2BAM.jpg content redesign - Card Sort I conducted a Hybrid Card Sort using the Optimal Sort software using 61 phrases pulled from the existing Parks and Recreation Homepage along with 8 categories in which to possibly place them. The results showed that users could benefit from a reduction in displayed information. For my team, this once again pointed us into possible navigation redesign. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609646793536-S7VUTGA1H6CWU5SAJCK7/Jpeg_P%26R_Usability+Test+Report.jpg content redesign - Usability Test Results The test results demonstrated that users of the Parks and Recreation website homepage needed clear, distinct navigation categories presented in a prominent manner for users to be able to find the information they need with less confusion and more efficiency. Recommendations included: Produce anchor links with more prominence Reduce categories on homepage for more efficient discovery by users Compile similar webpage information together in sections or, if possible, linked pages https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609646736055-LT70ADIK6L11N1TZWSPF/Jpeg_P%26R_Usability+Test+Plan.jpg content redesign - Usability Test Plan The plan I created included a clearly stated purpose, goals in the form of three tasks for users to complete, as well as a script for the test giver to follow in order to conduct the test. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609367998756-U1UW361ZVKCGVVA1PZ3O/Jpeg_P%26R_Next+Steps.jpg content redesign https://www.rodriguezml.com/date-idea-generator daily 0.75 2021-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609457139568-QGYWELSEAVDBJRN004GA/Bumble_Feature_Screens_CUs_3.jpg date idea generator Click on image to view screenshots from our final prototype of the Date Idea Generator feature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1610654044778-DMG9GR1KPQMOXUMVJGK7/Bumble+Mood+Board.jpg date idea generator https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1610656507722-DP1XY23N16ZE8VFG7LY0/Bumble+User+Int+Questions.png date idea generator - User Interviews Bridging from our initial research, I conducted user interviews with people who used dating apps in general, and Bumble in particular. The interviews provided us with insights that began to point us in the direction of why a date idea generator feature would be valuable for Bumble’s users as well as the problem our team was looking to solve for them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609648651392-G3DJSC7HKPZPOCLC4B5L/Bumble+Affinity+Mapping.jpg date idea generator - Affinity Mapping We received as much data as we could from our user interviews and used a research technique known as affinity mapping to bring forth all of the underlying themes. From this activity, we uncovered user insights to aid us in our persona creation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609445793380-UMQYXJ17SWHCN89IIDPF/User+Persona-Bumble+%231.jpg date idea generator - Persona Creation I produced a primary persona that would guide us throughout the development phase. Carrie is a Bumble user that goes on frequent dates and needs a way to generate first date ideas to keep dating fresh and exciting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609446158431-WBVV7786MPKS635D9D1W/User+Flows_Bumble.png date idea generator - User Flows I produced two user flows to illustrate how our user goes about interacting with the Bumble application in order to reach the goal of going out on a date--one without the Date Idea Generator feature and one with. The user flows provided us with the ability to envision where the Date Idea Generator feature would best fit into the overall dating app user experience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1610654706874-C1AAPM0ONWL8XWY413C4/User_Survey_Date_Ideas.png date idea generator - User Survey It dawned on us that there could be numerous possibilities for first date ideas. Therefore, we also conducted a user survey to discover what date ideas users might want to see when using a date idea generating feature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1610654517159-PBH66TLEHQDIFZ4ZZNYP/sketches.jpg date idea generator - Design Studio We conducted a Design Studio to get all of our design ideas on paper. We were adamant about keeping our user persona’s needs in mind as we went about generating the feature’s visual appearance as well as its functionality. We, then, synthesized our initial sketches into low-fidelity wireframes. Using Figma, a digital design software, we eventually produced a high-fidelity prototype. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609459146935-38WTD37L1KIX2OK2NXDS/Bumble_Feature_iterations_CUs.jpg date idea generator - Prototype Iterations We produced several iterations of clickable prototypes combined with two rounds of usability tests. While the feature proved to be highly usable and an enjoyable experience overall, the usability test results demonstrated that users needed an alert icon to be able to discover the “Call to Action” button that would then usher them to the Date Idea Generator. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/1609449869300-YNTH2UHTPOADALV1B9SI/Usability+Test+Plan_Bumble.jpg date idea generator - Usability Test Plan I wrote the Usability Test Plan to determine if the added Date Idea Generator feature could provide the user with an efficient manner in which to produce date ideas while interacting with the person they matched with in conversation mode. https://www.rodriguezml.com/resume daily 0.75 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe0edd87370d0501c04c0f9/b2c6ef83-bafe-410e-85a2-f80b50d3b29b/Michael_L_Rodriguez_Resume_No_Contact_Info.jpg resume. https://www.rodriguezml.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-01-01