Phlux Industries Inc. - Los Angeles User Experience Architecture

Wireframes

phluxy — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:10:03 +0000

At this stage of concept development things can get a bit tricky. Usually there is a diverse group of stakeholders involved in the process; executives, strategists, designers, and developers. We need to engage each of these people comfortably into the architectural experience. Done well, wireframes can take a project from idea to development quickly and cost effectively.

Not all wireframes are the same. In fact, there are probably as many types of wireframes as there are people. It’s important to note that the wireframes alone, are not enough. They are just a small part of a much larger process. Every user experience professional has their own workflow, like any artist, they have tools and the way they use those tools creates their style. We’ve tried many different tools, and have created our own style. Our process is proprietary and extremely refined. Here is a small preview of some of our work.

The following are three basic wireframe examples.

Interactive Wireframe Example

Basic Wireframe Example

User Flows

phluxy — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:23:43 +0000

These are the nitty-gritty, down and dirty part of building the user experience. User-flows are the logic, they validate whether or not an interaction is complete. You’ve probably had that experience before, where you do something on a site, and you don’t know how to get back, or where to go, and it seems like the company built a room without a door.

The internet is a task-based environment, and we respect that. That is why we spend most of our time planning the user-flows, and testing them, before we start drawing up the wireframes.

The following are two simple examples of typical user-flows.

User-flow Example

Best Practices

phluxy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:23:26 +0000

One of our favorite things to do is research and define best practices. It helps us stay on top of user-interaction trends, and focus our work efforts to that end. It is also an exciting challenge for us, if we can define a best practice, then the next question is how can we improve it?

The following are some examples taken from pages of a best practices deliverable.

Adding Content to Social Networks

Featured Artist Page

Creating a Profile on a Social Network

Sitemaps

phluxy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:21:06 +0000

Where would we be without sitemaps? These provide the visual aide to quickly access content. But what you didn’t know about sitemaps, is in the process of creating them you determine what is actually important. We follow simple usability guidelines which allow us to fulfill on the needs of your core audience: Use simple language, follow the rule of 7 plus or minus 2, test the three-click rule.

We have many different styles of sitemaps, depending on the breadth and depth of your project. So as not to reveal our “secret recipe” we cannot divulge that information here. However, if you are interested in seeing more, just contact us and we would gladly show you more examples.

The following is an example of a basic sitemap for a section of a website.

Basic Sitemap Example

Recommendations

phluxy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:58:20 +0000

Amy Mew
Owner, Pepper Interactive

“I’ve had the good fortune of working with Heather on multiple projects with great success both at Siegel+Gale and Pepper Interactive. I would recommend Heather to anyone looking for someone who is fun, innovative, entrepreneurial minded, and passionate about compelling, useful, and dynamic user experiences. I truly value my relationship with Heather as a business partner, friend, and fellow user experience professional and recommend her without reservation.”

NOTABLE QUALITIES: Personable, High Integrity, Creative

Lorne Resnick
Professional Photographer, Lorne Resnick Photography

“Highly recommended. Did website development work for me. Great knowledge of the web and a great worker! Really can’t say enough good things about her. All of the top attributes apply to her.”

NOTABLE QUALITIES: Great Results, Personable, Good Value

Referrals

phluxy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:44:49 +0000

Amy Mew
Owner, Pepper Interactive

NOTABLE QUALITIES: Personable, High Integrity, Creative

Anthony Tanaka
Partner, O’connor & Tanaka

“Heather is not only quietly humble, but very active in project management, data modeling, and coordinating a perfect relationship between clients and her own team. She is excellent in solidifying and maintaining a social connection to her work and coworkers, and enjoys life as much as she works hard. A sculpted personality with along with her efficient work ethic, I am proud to say she has been a great colleague.”

Geoffrey Diaz
Applications Consultant, iConstituent

“Heather was a mentor to me when I first started with iConstituent. I had to learn a lot in a short period of time and she was always willing to help. Her work on websites was always high quality and more than satisfied our clients. If I needed a website built, I’m calling Heather.”

Keith Nesson
System Administrator\Assistant Engineer, iO Film

“I working with and supported Heather during the year I was at iO Film in 2003. My direct experience with Heather is that she had a perfect set of skills for the business of being a Producer at iO Film. Namely that she had an amazing work effort and put all her energy into the projects at hand, as well as a great passion for the artistic side of the business which I know her clients very much appreciated. I would happily worth with, and for, Heather if our careers once again put us together. I can heartily recommend Heather for her skills, work ethic, talent, and positive energies she brings to whatever task she focuses herself at.”

Christopher Dusendschön
Digital Imaging Supervisor, iO FILM

“Heather has the kind of drive and enthusiasm that it takes to complete a wide range of complex and demanding projects with dazzling results! I have seen the results of many of her past efforts and never fail to be impressed. She also completes her projects on time, and on budget. I highly recommend her as a great asset to any firm.”

Brent Koetter
Videographer, Producer, Writer, Director, Brent Koetter Productions

“Heather was very professional and extremely easy to work with. She knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish for the shoot and was able to communicate her vision to me superbly.”

Genworth® Financial

phluxy — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 04:00:01 +0000

Challenge: Genworth corporate partners needed a more user-friendly online application for their group sales site to increase. Simplify content for easier consumption, but also provide type “A” personalities with an educational component to satisfy their need for specific details. Make the registration process simple and intuitive.

Solution: Using Flash and DHTML relevant information is associated with the linear process of learning/applying. Integrating a dual pane navigation provides a tutorial-like learning section while also enabling users to be guided confidently through the application process. User persona’s, paper prototypes, and competitive analysis findings continually aided in architecture decisions.

View Wireframes (615k pdf)

Sony® Playstation®

phluxy — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 04:00:12 +0000

Challenge: Playstation is launching a new features of their network and needed to up-level the Playstation Network content, which is currently buried within the console sections, to create it’s own dedicated section on the same tier as the consoles.

Solution: Pull relevant content from console sections and create promotional elements within those sections to draw attention to the new features of the Playstation Network.

View Wireframes (373k pdf)

iContstituent

phluxy — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:09:19 +0000

Challenge: iConstituent provides a content management system for federal and state offices. They customize the look and feel of the website, but all content is created, managed and uploaded by the client. iConstituent needed support documentation to reduce the amount of time account representatives were spending educating their clients on the product.

Solution: We created simple support documentation which provided a smooth transition into the customization process. The federal and state office staff were able to quickly learn the fundamentals of website usability, which then translated into better content and overall experience for their users.

Landmark Education

phluxy — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 21:44:00 +0000

Challenge: Seminar participation relied heavily on the dynamic of a group structure. The seminar leader was responsible for 50 group leaders. The seminar body of 300 participants needed to be better supported and managed.

Solution: Researched group dynamics of powerful teams like S.W.A.T teams, football teams, and bombs squads. Developed communication strategy using already established group dynamics and reallocating tasks to the group leaders. Created a new leader body of head coaches to support smaller numbers of group leaders. Established recommended guidelines for managing group meetings and information dissemination.

View Wireframes (448k pdf)