Shortly after I joined Clark, the leadership team discovered Clark’s current product didn’t have a clear path to product/market fit, so we set out to understand: What is the most important thing that tutors need?
ROLE
Research, UX, UI, Visual, brand
DATE
2017-2018
TEAM
• Product VP
• 3 - 5 full stack engineers
• CEO / Sales
• Marketing Head
• CS Head
PLATFORM
Web
User Research
First thing’s first. We set out to uncover tutors’ needs and behaviors through shadowing and interviews. We distilled the information into useful artifacts (such as empathy maps, personas, journeys), and identified a problem area to focus on. For a deep-dive into the decision-making and rationale, check out my full presentation.
Validate Concepts
Now that we had a vague direction, I sketched rudimentary flows. To avoid investing too much time on what could possibly be the wrong direction, I collected feedback early. Using these artifacts to help drive the conversation, I interviewed users to evaluate high-level concepts and the overall value of the product.
Validate Flow and Information Hierarchy
Using wireframes, I asked users to evaluate:
- sequence of events
- taxonomy
- major pieces of functionality
Because this prototype was low-fidelity and static, it required me to moderate and guide users along in-person.
Usability testing
I conducted remote and unmoderated usability tests. Users (sourced by UserTesting) were prompted to complete a set of tasks in an interactive prototype (made in InVision) while thinking aloud. This helped me ensure designs were easy to use and self-explanatory.
Branding
A third-party agency established the first iteration of the brand in 2017. It was very playful and friendly. But I took the brand in a new direction to convey sophistication, trustworthiness, and pragmatism (since we were now processing payment).
Style Guide and Pattern Library
The new brand direction became the foundation of our design system, which I translated into reusable UI components and patterns.
Deliverables and Release
In addition to the Pattern Library, I also delivered the following:
User flow
Comprehensive designs with all states and edge cases (using Zeplin)
Marketing assets in preparation for an announcement
Assets for a How-To guide
JIRA tickets to log bugs and visual defects
Challenges
Controversial definition of MVP - minimal vs. viable
No established process or owner of QA
Jan 1 deadline was determined without estimating
Resources were spread thin across other marketing initiatives
Managing client expectations vs. reality