Noel Holmes & User Experience (Portfolio 1 of 2) Noel Holmes – User Experience Last update: 3/2//2009 Noel Holmes • User Experience noel.s.holmes@gmail.com • 512.484.4195 A grate user experience ?

The trick is… getting the experience right. Magic Slide Why is great design like a good magic trick?

Case Study: Leisureplanet Position: Director – Executive Producer When: Jul 1999 – Aug 2000 Visual Design Front-End Development Information Architecture Content Production Managing across roles, offices, countries and cultures The Trick is…

Leisureplanet - Before Know the Goals Make Leisureplanet THE travel site in Europe Launch localized sites for 20 countries – ALL AT ONCE Tap into travel aspirations – “ From the Dream to the Memory” Getting agreement on the goals and sharing the vision The Trick is…

Know the Goals

Make Leisureplanet THE travel site in Europe

Launch localized sites for 20 countries – ALL AT ONCE

Tap into travel aspirations –

“ From the Dream

to the Memory”

Leisureplanet - After The Trick is… Know the Roles Headquarters in Belgium Technology group in South Africa Front-end Dev in Amsterdam Translation providers in U.K. Know (and love) the technology group

Know the Roles

Headquarters in Belgium

Technology group in South Africa

Front-end Dev in Amsterdam

Translation providers in U.K.

Leisureplanet - Evolved The Trick is… Know the users Localizing site meant understanding needs (including rules and regulations) AND culture Hired producers native to each country’s site Hire the right people and research the users!

Know the users

Localizing site meant understanding needs (including rules and regulations) AND culture

Hired producers native to each country’s site

Guiding the Focus Focus? Experience Merchandising the Experience

Translation Strategy Set up processes to ease flow and accelerate production The Trick is… Translation Service Tier 3 Tier 2 Business Logic User Interface Front End com object com object Site Server .com .de .fr .uk ... GDS Danish Dutch English Finnish German IBE Italian Norwegian Portuguese Spanish Swedish Tier 1 Business Logic SQL 80 Guides 102 Others en +5 + CT en +10 Flight Rules Website Content Travel Guides CT Translators FIGS Hotel Data CT DB Team CT Edit Team 1 2 3 4

Dream & Experience Know and convey the brand essence The Trick is…

Online identity guidelines Non-clichéd presentation Direct address to users Strong titles born to be Wilde Wayne’s dream is… To visit the favorite watering holes of Dublin's greatest writers. Magazine-like features Photos of people, not simple postcard shots Yet colour photos where best - hotel slides, travel guides Geometric frame provides coherence, echo of logo, and increased flexibility for photo selection Photos should: Prioritize the following keywords - emotions, vacation, experience, the senses, pan-ethnicity, pan-generational… Get the foundation right before extending too far The Trick is… Pyramid writing… nutshell intros, hyperlinks, FAQ, etc.

No “leisure” in leisureplanet In 12 months… Launched Sites in 12 Countries Six Languages Designed Sites for Multiple Cultures Hired producers native to each country’s site Managed Teams in Five Countries Belgium (HQ), South Africa (Dev), U.K. (Translation), U.S. (WebSphere), and Holland (Vignette) Met Needs of Multiple Partners CNN, Y! France & Y! Germany, Infospace and Lycos

In 12 months…

Launched Sites in 12 Countries

Six Languages

Designed Sites for Multiple Cultures

Hired producers native to each country’s site

Managed Teams in Five Countries

Belgium (HQ), South Africa (Dev), U.K. (Translation), U.S. (WebSphere), and Holland (Vignette)

Met Needs of Multiple Partners

CNN, Y! France & Y! Germany, Infospace and Lycos

Case Study: Prodigy Position: Director - User Interface Design When: Jan, 2001 – Mar, 2002 User Research Visual Design Information Architecture Accessibility Creating a brand new application and a web site to match… in 7 months The Trick is…

Project Leapfrog Building the New Prodigy

Introducing Leapfrog… The Problem… Prodigy had lost market and mindshare to competitors as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The Solution… Build a product that would integrate Prodigy’s applications in a revolutionary way that had not been done in the market; one that would position Prodigy as the product-leading ISP.

The Problem…

Prodigy had lost market and mindshare to competitors as an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The Solution…

Build a product that would integrate Prodigy’s applications in a revolutionary way that had not been done in the market; one that would position Prodigy as the product-leading ISP.

The Goals What were the goals for Project Leapfrog? Replace old/incompatible software Three major operating systems had been released since Prodigy’s last major software release Build an Integrated Application Put all current and future applications into one seamless environment Build a Framework for the Future Build a solution that would accurately reflect Prodigy’s brand Build a Real-world Solution Build a software utility that would solve real needs for real people

What were the goals for Project Leapfrog?

Replace old/incompatible software

Three major operating systems had been released since Prodigy’s last major software release

Build an Integrated Application

Put all current and future applications into one seamless environment

Build a Framework for the Future

Build a solution that would accurately reflect Prodigy’s brand

Build a Real-world Solution

Build a software utility that would solve real needs for real people

Our Considerations Short Time Frame (6 months) Minimized Staff Improve Existing or Build New

Short Time Frame (6 months)

Minimized Staff

Improve Existing or Build New

Our Approach With very little time to conceive, design, implement, test and launch several major applications, we knew we had to… Get Skilled People Contract a Design Company Staff Up Internal User Experience Team Put a Solid Process In Place Make Vision Clear Do Everything at Once

With very little time to conceive, design, implement, test and launch several major applications, we knew we had to…

Get Skilled People

Contract a Design Company

Staff Up Internal User Experience Team

Put a Solid Process In Place

Make Vision Clear

Do Everything at Once

The Product Prodigy 7.0 was composed of the Connection Manager the Console and six applications. Connection Manager “ The Console” E-mail Calendar Contacts Messenger Media Player Browser

Prodigy 7.0 was composed of the Connection Manager the Console and six applications.

The User Experience In line with the overall company direction, Prodigy 7.0 took major steps forward in improving the User Experience PDA Metaphor Tactile Garden with a Gate Unified Look & Feel Web to Console Web Application to Client Application Application to Application Broadband “Always On”

In line with the overall company direction, Prodigy 7.0 took major steps forward in improving the User Experience

PDA Metaphor

Tactile

Garden with a Gate

Unified Look & Feel

Web to Console

Web Application to Client Application

Application to Application

Broadband “Always On”

The Process Text HTML Core Team Flows & Wireframes Visual & Sound Design UI team & frog, Visual Comps WebOps Coding Dev Testing QA Requirements Existing Apps User Research

User Research Lilly’s buddy categories are ‘Best Buds’, ‘Acquaintances’, and ‘Guys’. Her family members aren’t on her list. “ My Dad tried it for a while, to be cool, but I think he gave up.” Lilly likes IM because you can do other things at the same time—go eat, talk with someone else, do homework, etc. She also likes it better because she feels she can express herself more easily there. “ It’s easier to ask someone out on a date on IM than on the phone. It’s easier to take a ‘no’. You feel more detached… [And] It’s easier to tell someone you don’t like them—you don’t have to see their face.” People vary in their choice of Internet ‘habitat’. Some favor email. Others use IM, an equal balance of IM and email, or chat. Study Example IM Email 66% 17% Teens Adults 33% 17%

User Research People want to handle interruptions gracefully, at the time they occur. Comfort level with interruptions varies. Recommendations: 1) Give users control (in settings) over the handling of messages that come in while they are on another IM; 2) Offer a message handler that shows a summary of active and waiting IMs. Many teens like IM because they can use it to talk to several people at one time, or do other things. One adult described using an IM as like using the phone. He feels it is rude to leave one IM to respond to another (he dislikes call waiting for this reason). He feels conflicted when an IM arrives and he is already on another IM. Maximum # of IMs active at one time Average for teens: 4.5 Average for adults: 1.6 Results and Recommendations Example Teens Adults Total % Of conversation that are serial and discrete (one at a time) 39 72 55.5 % Of multi-tasked, intermittent conversations 61 28 44.5

The Requirements

The Flows

The Wireframes

The Visual Comps

The HTML

The Testing

The Interfaces

Internet Console: Browsing the Web A new managed web browser, makes browsing easier

A new managed web browser, makes browsing easier

Internet Console: Multi-tab Browsing Multiple tab browsing without losing your place Introduced multi-tab pre-Firefox and 5 years before IE multi-tab

Multiple tab browsing without losing your place

Internet Console: Client Email Integrated mail client, to make browsing– emailing a snap

Integrated mail client, to make browsing– emailing a snap

Internet Console: Instant Messenger New look for PIM brings the Console and IM together

New look for PIM brings the Console and IM together

Internet Console: Lock-out Window Lock-out Window with screen saver

Lock-out Window with screen saver

Internet Console: Integrated Media Player Listen to music while you browse or email.

Internet Console: Project Malibu Web and Desktop integration, creates seemless experience

Portals - from 3 to 1 dial.net dsl.net .com

styleguide

Accessibility Creative Alt Tags Logical Tabbing

Accessibility 90% Compliance for web portal, 70% compliance for client kit Percent Compliant with Priority One

Accessibility Highest accessibility ranking compared to other ISPs Percent Compliance on Priority One

Teams & Leadership Listening Motivating Collaborating Inspiring Recognizing Hire the best and brightest and help them continue to be. The Trick is…

UI Team = Thought Leaders “ We are ze monkeys” Noel Holmes – User Experience YouTube clip. My Hands Are Bananas

“ We are ze monkeys”

Building the UX Team @ Travelocity Broken process Visual Designers w/ HTML was the only role Added User Research Gained trust Evangelized Information Architecture then Added Role Gained trust, Integrated into Process Added Front-End Technologists Gained trust, Integrated into Process Built Dependencies

Broken process

Visual Designers w/ HTML was the only role

Added User Research

Gained trust

Evangelized Information Architecture then Added Role

Gained trust, Integrated into Process

Added Front-End Technologists

Gained trust, Integrated into Process

Built Dependencies

Leadership / Teams Noel Holmes – User Experience Credit: Richard Sweeney, NJIT Motivating Millennials Principled / Values More Friends More Diverse Respect Intelligence Optimistic / Positive Internet Natives More Choices Format Agnostic Balanced Lives Adaptive / Flexible Civic Minded High Expectations Collaborative Nomadic Gamers Experiential Independent Confident Direct More Liberal Multi-taskers Inclusive Patriotic Entrepreneurial Healthy Lifestyle Family Oriented Graphical Achievement Oriented

What this means for you… Noel Holmes brings you… Experienced leadership for growing rockstar teams A practiced user experience evangelist/salesperson Strong inter-office Coordination Broad range of hands-on product design across multiple channels Engaging public speaker/presenter

Noel Holmes brings you…

Experienced leadership for growing rockstar teams

A practiced user experience evangelist/salesperson

Strong inter-office Coordination

Broad range of hands-on product design across multiple channels

Engaging public speaker/presenter

The trick is… getting the experience right. Magic Slide

Noel Holmes 512 x 484 - 4195 - cell [email_address]