Timeline
3 months
Tools
Figma, Adobe Suite,
NotebookLM, Miro
My Role
User Research
Co-design
Product Design
My Role
User Research
Co-design
Product Design
Tools
Figma, Adobe Suite,
NotebookLM, Miro
Timeline
3 months
Team
Product Managers
Experience Designers
Product Designers (me)
Engineers
Team
Product Managers
Experience Designers
Product Designers (me)
Engineers
Problem
Frequent turnover, rapid company growth, and the shifting nature of consulting have created a fragmented knowledge landscape at Method. Employees often rely on time-consuming workarounds to find the information they need and have to sift through complex collections of stored data to understanding what's relevant to them.
Problem
Operating outside of formal banking institutions excludes people from access to credit, which impacts professional, housing, and savings opportunities.
Having a system to easily find company information can save up to 35% of employee time
Having a system to easily find company information can save up to 35% of employee time
SOLUTION
Creating an easily accessible shared source of truth
Creating an easily accessible shared source of truth
Creating an easily accessible shared source of truth
We developed NEXUS, a web app that serves as a centralized source of truth for all things Method, providing smart, customized filtering, AI-assisted uploads, a personalized experience.
We developed NEXUS, a web app that serves as a centralized source of truth for all things Method, providing smart, customized filtering, AI-assisted uploads, a personalized experience.
We developed NEXUS, a web app that serves as a centralized source of truth for all things Method, providing smart, customized filtering, AI-assisted uploads, a personalized experience.
Project timeline
Design process
Smart Uploads
Smart Uploads
Smart Uploads
Users can upload any kind of file (Google Drive, Figma, Miro, code bases) and label each file fast and accurately with the assistance of AI.
Users can upload any kind of file (Google Drive, Figma, Miro, code bases) and label each file fast and accurately with the assistance of AI.
Directed search,
smart search,
browsing
Directed search,
smart search,
browsing
Directed search,
smart search,
browsing
Users can search using specific file names (traditional search), conversing with AI (semantic search), or browsing the library of files available in NEXUS.
Users can search using specific file names (traditional search), conversing with AI (semantic search), or browsing the library of files available in NEXUS.
Standardized tags and filters
Standardized tags and filters
Standardized tags and filters
Users can filter search results based on Method-specific tags like content type, project phase, client, project name.
Users can filter search results based on Method-specific tags like content type, project phase, client, project name.
Customized experience
Customized experience
Customized experience
Methodites can specify their roles and their information needs when they join NEXUS. This results in otherwise empty states being populated with relevant and meaningful information.
Methodites can specify their roles and their information needs when they join NEXUS. This results in otherwise empty states being populated with relevant and meaningful information.
DISCOVERY AND USER RESEARCH
DISCOVERY AND USER RESEARCH
Understanding who we are designing for
Understanding who we are designing for
Understanding who we are designing for
Through our research we set to answer a number of questions, such as: who are Methodites? How are they currently storing, searching for, and sharing information? To get these answers we conducted 10 user interviews, 5 SME interviews, 2 surveys, a competitive analysis, and a literature review.
Through our research we set to answer a number of questions, such as: who are Methodites? How are they currently storing, searching for, and sharing information? To get these answers we conducted 10 user interviews, 5 SME interviews, 2 surveys, a competitive analysis, and a literature review.
Through our research we set to answer a number of questions, such as: who are Methodites? How are they currently storing, searching for, and sharing information? To get these answers we conducted 10 user interviews, 5 SME interviews, 2 surveys, a competitive analysis, and a literature review.
Project timeline
Design process
Design process
Currently, knowledge is fragmented and dispersed
Currently, knowledge is fragmented and dispersed
Observing people in real life allowed us to create hypotheses on their ingrained patterns, and generate two personas to represent our prospective customer base.
Observing people in real life allowed us to create hypotheses on their ingrained patterns, and generate two personas to represent our prospective customer base.
USER JOURNEY
USER JOURNEY
The lack of structure and inconsistencies in knowledge management across the organization result in Methodites relying on each other by default
The lack of structure and inconsistencies in knowledge management across the organization result in Methodites relying on each other by default
We conducted storytelling sessions of 2 hours with 10 individuals representing unbanked or underbanked Americans to understand their behaviors around finances and collocate them on the spectrum of behavioral dimensions relevant to this project.
We conducted storytelling sessions of 2 hours with 10 individuals representing unbanked or underbanked Americans to understand their behaviors around finances and collocate them on the spectrum of behavioral dimensions relevant to this project.
Organizing information varies on a person by person basis
Organizing information varies on a person by person basis
USER ARCHETYPES
USER ARCHETYPES
How might we help Method AGGREGATE, ORGANIZE, and ACCESS information?
How might we help Method AGGREGATE, ORGANIZE, and ACCESS information?
This is the question we set to answer before moving into ideation. In order to facilitate concept prioritization we used objective hermeneutics to extrapolate users' ingrained patterns and identify their core needs.
This is the question we set to answer before moving into ideation. In order to facilitate concept prioritization we used objective hermeneutics to extrapolate users' ingrained patterns and identify their core needs.
RESEARCH ANALYSIS & SYNTHESIS
RESEARCH ANALYSIS & SYNTHESIS
CO-DESIGN
CO-DESIGN
Making sure we are solving the right problem
Making sure we are solving the right problem
Making sure we are solving the right problem
Leveraging the user needs and opportunity areas identified in our research, we moved on to collectively brainstorming possible solutions bringing the client, end users, and the larger team in two workshops.
Leveraging the user needs and opportunity areas identified in our research, we moved on to collectively brainstorming possible solutions bringing the client, end users, and the larger team in two workshops.
Leveraging the user needs and opportunity areas identified in our research, we moved on to collectively brainstorming possible solutions bringing the client, end users, and the larger team in two workshops.
Project timeline
Design process
Project timeline
Design process
With 6 weeks left, we planned and facilitated 2 co-design workshops to bring client, the team, and end users together in the ideation space.
With 6 weeks left, we planned and facilitated 2 co-design workshops to bring client, the team, and end users together in the ideation space.
As we explored potential concepts, we focused on supporting loaning — the most common type of informal financial transfer. We mapped the solution to the user behavioral types we identified, and chose the one that better aligned with their needs.
As we explored potential concepts, we focused on supporting loaning — the most common type of informal financial transfer. We mapped the solution to the user behavioral types we identified, and chose the one that better aligned with their needs.
CO-DESIGN WORKSHOPS
CO-DESIGN WORKSHOPS
What is feasible now? How can we design a scalable MVP?
What is feasible now? How can we design a scalable MVP?
IMPACT-EFFORT MATRIX (PM+DESIGN)
IMPACT-EFFORT MATRIX (PM+DESIGN)
LOW FIDELITY CONCEPT TESTING (ENG+DESIGN)
LOW FIDELITY CONCEPT TESTING (ENG+DESIGN)
First, the design team collaborated closely with product management to map all prioritized concepts on an impact-effort matrix.
First, the design team collaborated closely with product management to map all prioritized concepts on an impact-effort matrix.
Then we all worked closely with engineers to explore the tech feasibility of different concepts at low fidelity to inform our MVP and future vision roadmap.
Then we all worked closely with engineers to explore the tech feasibility of different concepts at low fidelity to inform our MVP and future vision roadmap.
INTERACTION DESIGN
Designing AI-assisted workflows
Designing AI-assisted workflows
Designing AI-assisted workflows
Realizing the complexity related to standardizing information storage while allowing for anyone at Method to contribute to a shared knowledge base , we explored how to leverage AI to streamline uploads, preserve data integrity, and offer flexible ways of searching for information.
Realizing the complexity related to standardizing information storage while allowing for anyone at Method to contribute to a shared knowledge base , we explored how to leverage AI to streamline uploads, preserve data integrity, and offer flexible ways of searching for information.
Realizing the complexity related to standardizing information storage while allowing for anyone at Method to contribute to a shared knowledge base , we explored how to leverage AI to streamline uploads, preserve data integrity, and offer flexible ways of searching for information.
Project timeline
Design process
Project timeline
Design process
Balancing automation with user autonomy: keeping humans in the loop
Balancing automation with user autonomy: keeping humans in the loop
The team spent a long time thinking about how to incorporate AI in our product and the role it should serve for the user.
The team spent a long time thinking about how to incorporate AI in our product and the role it should serve for the user.
Data integrity, user autonomy, and consistency were key areas of focus at the stage where we focused on the WHAT before jumping to the HOW.
Data integrity, user autonomy, and consistency were key areas of focus at the stage where we focused on the WHAT before jumping to the HOW.
INTERACTION FLOWS
INTERACTION FLOWS
LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
Before moving to high fidelity prototypes, product designers used Method’s Paperkit to create low fidelity mockups to solicit feedback early and iterate quickly .
Before moving to high fidelity prototypes, product designers used Method’s Paperkit to create low fidelity mockups to solicit feedback early and iterate quickly .
What do 4 designers need to work as 1?
→ Alignment, frequent communication, and a design system
What do 4 designers need to work as 1?
→ Alignment, frequent communication, and a design system
DESIGN SYSTEM & REUSABLE COMPONENT SET
DESIGN SYSTEM & REUSABLE COMPONENT SET
HIH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES + ENGINEERING HANDOFF
HIH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES + ENGINEERING HANDOFF
As a product designer, my work did not end here: annotations, Jira tickets, bug fixes and user testing were highly collaborative efforts between designers and engineers.
As a product designer, my work did not end here: annotations, Jira tickets, bug fixes and user testing were highly collaborative efforts between designers and engineers.
Communicating frequently and clearly allowed the team to move quickly and develop an MVP within a 2-sprint cycle.
Communicating frequently and clearly allowed the team to move quickly and develop an MVP within a 2-sprint cycle.
