background
one team is responsible for design quality for projects worldwide
The power users of the platform, they run the review process by creating a risk-based plan for audits, assigning reviews to SMEs and coordinating with the project teams to ensure design integrity.
personal contribution
lead product designer
I owned design deliverables, orchestrating delivery between myself and a junior designer.
problem
design review cannot be scaled
Design engineers loose time tracking down statuses of various projects between emails, message apps, spreadsheets and cloud storage.
goal
release a functional MVP that enables the design review process on a single tool
A successful MVP means all required features for design review are functional This means the design process - initiation, observation and completion - for design engineers, SMEs and project contacts.
users
design engineers
The power users of the platform, they run the review process by creating a risk-based plan for audits, assigning reviews to SMEs and coordinating with the project teams to ensure design integrity.
subject matter experts
When assigned to a project by a design engineer, SMEs must review design competence and issue observations if standards are not being met or potential risks are identified
project contacts
Project contacts correspond with the design assurance process, upload project documentation and are responsible for providing proof that changes have been made in accordance to the audit process
planning
user journey map
I joined the team six months into the project. The team lacked a single vision of the design review process. Working with the PM and dev. lead, I drafted a journey map, which was then vetted by design engineers - the owners of the process.
Our map captures the interactions between all three user groups over the course of the sequence of steps. There are five decision points, spread across all three users. The functionality depends on each user making a decision, which enables the following user to take action.
For example, design engineers must add deliverables to a workplan. Project contacts then need to assign a document to each deliverable, or prove it redundant, If a document is assigned by the project contact, the SME can review and issue observations if needed.
Visualizing this process allowed the UX team to write agile stories for features in sequence, with confidence that the rendered product will function as intended.
design
an integration of email, chat, cloud storage & spreadsheets
homepage
The homepage view gives a summary of in-progress projects, organized by phase, with pending work alerts.
project dashboard
The project dashboard is split between deliverables and observations. Items are displayed by progress (no documents assigned, working, complete) with pending work alerts when needed.
deliverables
Assigned documents by project contacts are visible - no need to leave the app.
Reviewing SME disciplines are listed as filter chips, putting a quick progress within a click.
Observations that are awaiting action to be taken are sorted to the top of the list.
observations
Observations account for 80% of the workflow & utilize all current tools we aim to replace.
Design engineers regulate the progression of the document as it moves through a review. In the past, this was done by email for 100's of observations at a time.
direct messages means you can get work done right here, right now. No need to leave the app for Teams or check emails, while tracking down the observation form in SharePoint.
observations that create trust
A successful observation means people did what they said they were going to do: a project contact provides documentation that addresses the concern raised by the SME.
If design engineers attempt to close an observation without provided documentation they are pushes back, preventing loose ends. Once a document is provided, the observation can be marked 'complete'. This function is essential for the tool's trustworthiness. If a record needs to be revisited, each 'complete' observation will have a resolution on hand.
homepage
project dashboard
deliverable
observation
outcome
after multiple unsuccessful attempts over the past five years, our team deployed the MVP to four active projects with resounding success
Taking our stakeholders on the design journey paid off in validation testing. All five participants were able to compete an observation, clearing the way for us to deploy the MVP to active projects.
This tool facilitates a complex process with many moving parts, at scale. As users have grown more familiar with the interface, their trust and satisfaction has increased.
The ability to scale out deign reviews on a single platform means reduced reconstruction costs, prevention of on-site malfunctions, reduced personal injury, fatality, and/or environmental destruction.