Highlights and Examples
Please Note:
• The best way to review
these examples is with a personal guided tour. Anyone interested in learning
about my background, skills, and experience should contact me directly. I will be happy to explain
these examples and much more. Email me: bob@nendza.com
• For a variety of reasons the work described here is only a tiny fraction of the work I have done.
• Some of the examples are dated and not entirely indicative of my current skill or experience.
The Foundation For a Better Life
and The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
This privately-funded non-profit group is on a mission to promote positive values and acts of kindness in the entire World. They are the people behind the immensely popular "Pass It On" TV and billboard campaigns. I was hired to help with their Web and social presence efforts. To date I have redesigned several existing sections of their websites, developed strategies and plans for both user experience and technology, developed social media strategies, and participated in joint program development with top leadership at Nokia.
Values.com Landing
Pages |
The Values landing pages on www.values.com acted as an index page with no actual content and a clumsey navigation scheme. I used basic analytics to determine that most people visited these pages early in the day, spent an inordinate amout of time on these contentless pages and most often abandoned the site while viewing them. I redesigned the pages to accommodate the apparent need for a quick morning info boost. Abandonment decreased by 40% and time on page doubled.
Click here to view a screenshot of the original page
Click here to view a screenshot of the page after redesign and the new values menu
Click here to view the developer notes |
Acts of Kindness
Overhaul |
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation needed a robust magazine-style site to act as "the premier hub of kindness". The dynamic nature of the site also demands a robust but easy-to-use CMS and powerful social functionality. I chose Joomla! as a platform that would deliver a lot of the needed functionality and supported custom development and extension via open source tools. The new site is currently under development.
Click here to view sitemap and wireframes |
Servo
Servo technology enables users to discover mobile content that their friends are using on their phones, ensures safe sharing of paid and unpaid mobile content, and establishes a useful and fun social search network. They are based in China and have offices in San Francisco. I did the front-end work on their website and app and their mobile app.
| Servo.net |
Click here to view the website
Click here to view the mobile site
NOTE: they've made some changes since I delivered the site that are currently causing some display issues. |
Enformed
Enformed is a start-up concept focused on eliminating paper store coupons in favor of automatic store and manufacturer rebates credited directly to your credit cards. I worked with the founder to develop a set of interactive wireframe/comps that were to be used in fundrasing and sales efforts.
Interactive Wireframes
and Comps |
The wireframes underwent about dozen iterations over a period of about three weeks. Normally there wouldn't be this many revisions but this was very early in concept development and extremely agile. NOTE: The emphasis was on flow and functionality, not branding and design.
Click here to view an early intermediate version
Click here to view the last version |
| Mobile |
A mobile version was mocked up to indicate the intention to build mobile platform-specific apps - a key component of the proposed user expereince. NOTE: These comps are not designed for native device interactivity, only basic application flow.
Click here to view mobile wireframe comps |
Ultimate Movie Site
Ultimate Movie Site is a brand new start-up aiming to become the leading destination for movie information and movie-oriented social interaction. I got involved with the founders shortly after release of their beta offering. My charge was to refocus the product on its primary users, reorganize the content for improved functionality and usability, and design a highly functional social community. Work is still very much in-progress (May 2009) but significant improvements have already been made.
| Movie Detail Page |
One of the most important pages on the site, this was an early target for a complete overhaul. The overhaul included a rework of the layout as well as editable member ratings, comments, and reviews. Also new was local theater information and linkage to Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon.
Click here to view a screenshot |
| Movie List Page |
Next on the list for an overhaul was the Movie List page.
Click here to view a screenshot of the page before I redesigned it
Click here to view a screenshot of the new page with "Quick Links" pop-up |
| Member Pages |
My idea here was to leverage the UMS movie credits database to create an instant community of nearly one million members. Then provide those members and new members with robust functionality to build, contribute, interact, communicate, store/save, and personalize the site.
View screenshots of a few of the high-level interactive wireframe concept pages:
My Page, Edit My Page, My Stuff |
| Media Player |
The original media player was a very simple pop-up video player. The new design is a larger full featured player designed for maximum stickiness and cross-navigation.
Click here to view a screenshot
Watch some clips at www.ultimatemoviesite.com click on a clip in the media carousel to launch the media player |
Box Office Quest
Game |
Box Office Quest is a Flash-based word search game. Version 1.0 had been launched prior to my involvement. I made a number of usability and gameplay improvements for the version 2.0 release. Play the game
View some screenshots: Start Page, Movie Page, Game Page |
NetSuite
NetSuite is a full-featured on-demand (SaaS) accounting/ERP, CRM, inventory and ecommerce system currently used by over 6,500 customers. It is available in multiple language, currency, and market versions and is supported by a broad network of value added resellers and third-party developers and integrators. The NetSuite user experience does not receive high marks from its customers. It is an aging UI with many inconsistencies and workflow flaws. I was tasked to address the high level issues and to reorganize the UE team. However, I was only there a short time before my manager (SVP) resigned and the executive team decided to abandon its plans for a large-scale update. These are a few of my accomplishments during my eight month term.
Application Inventory
and Assessment |
I worked with the UE team to organize and catalog the entire NetSUite UI in order to identify high-level navigational and workflow issues. One of the major outputs was a site-map diagram listing all of the "pages" in the system. The output measured nearly ten feet wide by five feet tall listing hundreds of pages. I created, summarized and prioritized a UE roadmap. I also created video demonstrations of some of the more glarring workflow flaws. |
| CRM Overhaul |
We targeted the NetSuite CRM functionality as a way to design and test an entirely new look and feel for a portion of the whole application. The CRM workflows were modeled and redesigned from the ground up based on feedback from customers, competitive analysis, and the availability of modern Web 2.0/Ajax UI frameworks. One notable improvement was the overall support for non-linear workflows including persistent tools, multi-session support, and streamlined search capabilities. |
CRM Mobile
for iPhone |
This was NetSuite's first forray into an application designed specifically for a mobile device. The CRM functionality was chosen because of its highly mobile user base and the iPhone was chosen for its popularity and robust APIs. Specific features including dashboards, KPIs and customer summaries were selected from the full app and were redesigned for the iPhone UI. |
| NetSuite for Outlook |
NetSuite has its own calendar, contact and scheduling functionality. NetSuite for Outlook allowed users to sync the two systems in both directions. The new functionality included a much more seamless installation and more robust conflict resolution. Ironically, one of the primary goals of this project was to make the user experience as invisible as possible. |
UE and Agile
Process Integration |
Prior to my engagement the UE team at NetSuite was much more involved in fixing poorly designed functionality than in creating good user experiences. One of my early accomplishments was to turn that around and focus on design and planning rather than triage. Shortly after I was hired, the development team decided to begin practicing Agile/Scrum methods. I worked closely with one of the development managers to draft a new company-wide process that integrated Prouct Management, User Experience, Development, and QA into a modified Agile/Scrum model. |
SharpShooter Imaging
As Director of Product Development my role included both traditional
Product Management and Software Development. I formed and managed a team
of five software developers (.NET and PHP), a Content Manager, and a Graphic
Designer. During my two years there I defined and directed the creation
of three "first-of-their-kind" stand-alone photo applications
and a full-featured ecommerce website with a sophisticated content management
system. The system has been subsequently deployed at over thirty host
venues and over three million photos have been tagged and uploaded as of Feb 2008.
| SS Capture |
A stand-alone touch-screen application that runs on a hand-held computer
that is tethered to a digital camera. It allows visitor information
to be "tagged" to their photos.
Click here to view a screen shot
Click here to view a
high-level process flow document |
| SS Import |
Another stand-alone application that allows visitor
information to be "tagged" to photos, but this one utilizes
state-of-the-art 2D barcode recognition software and does not require
a tethered computer.
Click here to view a sample of
the 2D barcode on a photocard |
| Website |
There are many websites that afford guests the opportunity
to view photos taken during their visit. SharpShooter's site is
one of the first to provide a direct search mechanism that features
privacy and immediate access to their individual photos.The site
also allows guests to assemble their photos, edit captions, create
web albums and share their experiences with friends and family in
several interactive formats.
Click here to view the home page, a product page, an editable album, a flipbook album, a checkout page |
| Kiosk |
Some of SharpShooter's host partners wish to provide
their guests with the ability to view and purchase their photos
on-site via kiosks. I led the development of a streamlined web-based
kiosk application for this purpose. |
WVR Group
I came to WVR as the 7th employee. They had just been generously funded
by Austin Ventures and had purchased five of the leading vacation rental
sites. My job, among others, was to consolidate the features, functionality,
look and feel of four of the five sites. Then, to define and design a
"master site" that would serve the advertisers and visitors
of all five sites. I led a team of two interaction designers, a UI programmer
and a graphic designer. HomeAway.com became the master site.
LowerMyBills
I was brought into LowerMyBills during a time of extreme growth. My mission
was to start up a new department called the Consumer Experience Team.
I formed a team that consisted of one analyst, one project coordinator,
one interaction designer, and one graphic designer. When I arrived at
the company it was valued at about $60 Million. Shortly after I left the
company it was sold to Experian for over $300 Million.
| Optimization |
My primary charge was to develop and test conversion
optimization enhancements. I participated in the definition of a
custom in-house multivariate testing system and also implemented
a third-party system (Omniture).
Click here to view a sample weekly schedule |
| Analysis |
Optimization tests averaged 5-7 new tests per week.
Many of the tests ran for more than a month. The analysis of winning
and loosing test tests was a complex daily task. During high impact
advertising campaigns traffic routing adjustments were made several
times per day to leverage our real-time data.
Click here to view a sample weekly conversion test summary and report |
| Usability Lab |
The Customer Service Director and I were in charge
of the on-site testing facility where we conducted ongoing market
research and usability testing. We used TechSmith Morae software
to view and record sessions. I scripted and conducted most of the
sessions and presented our findings to the senior management team
regularly. |
| Technical Documentation |
The LMB system was very poorly documented from the start and
as the hundreds of optimization enhancements were made it became
difficult to keep track of the baseline functionality of the site.
I was tasked with documenting and maintaining the baseline functionality
of the site. It resulted in a 160 page document that was used
by the Development and QA teams.
This document can be reviewed in-person
Click here to view a "mini PRD" typical of what I used to communicate requirements for small projects.
|
| Process Management |
LMB had no Consumer Experience team prior to my joining. They also had very poor practices for issue resolution and product enhancement. I led the charge to reinvent all of the process and prioritization methods.
Click here to view a process flow diagram |
Array Design
I formed Array Design as an Interactive Design/Brand Agency with a secondary
mission to create a new breed of semi-packaged content management software.
The company was successful on both fronts to some degree. We had offices
in Denver and Santa Monica. We attracted and won nationally recognized
accounts and we sold the innovative software framework profitably for
several years before I turned the business over to my partner and opted
for positions at several "hot start-ups".
| Orbitz |
Array worked with Orbitz primarily in an "R&D"
capacity. We did much problem solving, prototyping, and testing
of UIs, work flows, and conversion optimization. We did many small
projects and several larger ones that provided a foundation for
Orbitz to become the leading site that it is today.
Pre-Purchase Air/Hotel Booking Path Options
Click here to view
a flow model document
Dynamic Packaging
Click here to view
a functional requirements document including flow diagrams and
comps
Post-Purchase Cross Sell (Hotel and Car)
Alternate Home Page “Engagement” Options
Orbitz Community
Click here to view a
high-level discovery document
NEAT Travel and NLG Integration
Click here to
view a comparative analysis document
Travelwatch
Seat Maps
Click to
view an interactive prototype used for focus group testing.
Click here to
view the click sequence for the demonstration. |
| Yamaha |
Yamaha's challenge was formidable - unite eight separate
divisions around a singular vision for the Yamaha online brand while
allowing enough flexibility for each division to market their products
to their extremely diverse customer bases. The project was perhaps
as much about diplomacy and education as it was about interactive
design.
Click here for to view
a detailed set of html wireframes (The html and javascript was
used in the final production system.)
Click here to view
the interactive production guidelines
Click here to view design comps 1 2 3 4 |
| Edmunds |
Edmunds had some new product ideas that needed fleshed out and tested. Array was hired to refine the product concepts for a set of new features that would allow its members to create and store a variety of content including: cars, trade-ins, finance options, deal sheets, and more. We then developed prototype models and administered focus group testing.
Click here to view concept comps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| Blue Cross/ Blue Shield |
Array helped Blue Cross Blue Shield solve the problems
they were having with dense information and a site whose standards
had slipped over the years.
Click to view comps showing improved information architecture 1 2 |
| Intuit |
Intuit needed to revisit the usability of their online
check customization application.
Click here to view
an "old vs. new" flow diagram
Click here to view a set of
wireframe layouts |
| XO Base |
XO Base or the Array Web Application Suite was an ambitious project
to create an application framework in the open source PHP that
addresses the rapid development needs of marketing departments
and small businesses. The framework currently runs the entire
SharpShooter Imaging website and HomeAway's Owner Community features.The application has been recently updated with a new UI framework including in-line editing, editable grids, master/detail, tabs, trees, and accordion UI widgets.
Click here to read a product
description document
Click here to view a content browser, a content editor, an ecommerce order list, an order detail
A more detailed presentation can be given in-person
|
Promptu
Promptu was a spin-off from another company that did custom web design
and development. I was a founding partner in both companies. Promptu focused
on a single product that I had originally designed and built for Apple
Computer as an interactive system for distributing marketing materials
to various sales channels. Promptu's eMarketing application was released
at the height of the dot com boom - we raised over $25 Million, grew the
staff to over 120 people, and attracted many of the most visible clients
of the time but the bubble burst and our company (funding) along with
it.
| eMarketing |
Read the press releases about eMarketing and some
of our high-profile clients 1 2 3
4
eMarketing Version 2.0 was a major release with numerous new features.
By this release I had see the product through three full cycles,
the first of which I designed and built myself.
Click here to view the Version
2.0 MRD (Marketing Requirements Document) |
| eMarketing Prototypes |
I created about a half dozen completely clickable
prototypes that were customized specifically for important sales pitches.
These prototypes were extremely helpful in landing many of our major
clients. I participated in most of the major account sales in the
role of Technical Sales. |
|