How I transformed overwhelming data and operational tasks into a sleek, user-friendly tool for RockX’s museum admin.
DATA DRIVEN ACTION: Orchestrating Success!
THE CHALLENGE
Design an enterprise web solution for the Rock X admin to ensure she looks like an operational rock star!
Product type:
Enterprise, Dashboards, Data Visualization
My Role:
UX Lead, Product research, deriving user requirements, concept building, prototyping.
Project Goals:
Design a system that simplifies RockX's admin's day to day tasks so she can manage her time more effectively and reduce stress.
Generate insights that help her understand complex data at a glance, enabling her to make quick, informed decisions about the exhibits and programs.
Duration: 6 weeks
Toolkit: Axure RP, FigJam, Zoom, GSuite
SNEAK PEEK
Curious about what I made? Here’s a quick peek before we dive into the details.
EMPathizing with dana
This project was my first foray into designing an enterprise software. Due to my unfamiliarity with this type of product my biggest challenge for this project was to better understand what kind of information and overview does a museum admin need to run an operation of this scale smoothly. We were provided a design brief that helped outline some of the persona’s needs-
Name: Dana
Age: 27
Occupation: RockX Admin
Empathetic Need: Competency, wants to feel like an museum operations rockstar
Needs a system that simplifies her day to day tasks so she can manage her time more effectively and reduce stress.
Needs insights that help her understand complex data at a glance, enabling her to make quick, informed decisions about the exhibits and programs.
Conceptualizing the solution
Research and Discovery
My journey began with a deep dive into understanding the intricacies of running a museum from an admin’s perspective. I started with a design brief provided by my instructor, which outlined the museum's operational context and highlighted the daily tasks and challenges faced by the admin. This brief was instrumental in setting the stage, as it detailed the key areas of focus—managing exhibits, organizing events, tracking web analytics, and handling specific assets like guitars.
To broaden my understanding, I extended my research to real-world examples by studying established museum webpages, such as those of The MET. I analyzed how these institutions present their information, navigate user interactions, and tackle operational complexities through their digital interfaces. Observing these platforms helped me identify common patterns, intuitive layouts, and innovative ways to display large amounts of data without overwhelming the user.
Additionally, to inject a more personalized perspective into the research, I leveraged ChatGPT to simulate the role of a museum admin. By "pretending" to be a museum administrator, I could ask targeted questions and uncover nuanced details about the day-to-day workflow that might not be immediately evident from the design brief alone. This conversational exploration provided me with fresh insights, allowing me to empathize with the user and understand the critical balance between operational efficiency and data clarity.
Conceptual model development
By synthesizing the information gathered from the design brief, competitive analysis of museums like The MET, and the simulated admin interactions via ChatGPT, I was able to create a journey map and translate multifaceted user stories into tangible design components. This conceptual model served as the backbone of the dashboard design, guiding the subsequent steps in the development process and ensuring that every feature addressed a real user need.
Armed with these insights, I moved on to conceptualize the solution by mapping out the key elements that the dashboard must accommodate. I began by breaking down the user’s tasks into fundamental components:
Objects: Exhibits, events, guitars, (AR) tours, members and the financial aspect of the museum i.e money.
Actions: Manage i.e CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) and track operations performed on these objects.
The power of a priority matrix
Distilling critical tasks
Once the foundational elements of the user’s tasks were mapped out, the next critical step was to sort through these elements to identify what truly mattered most to the museum admin. To achieve this, I developed a Priority Matrix—a tool that helped distill the diverse user requirements into a focused, actionable framework.
From my research and conceptual mapping, several key tasks emerged that the museum admin needed to perform daily:
Managing Events: Keeping the museum’s calendar and events updated requires quick access to scheduling and editing tools.
Handling Specific Assets: Tasks like managing the museum’s collection of guitars and overseeing specialized features (such as AR tours) demanded dedicated space in the system.
Monitoring Web Analytics and AR Tour Usage: Insightful analytics were essential for making informed decisions that drive both operational efficiency and business success.
These tasks, initially appearing as distinct pieces of the puzzle, had to be carefully prioritized to ensure that the final dashboard wasn’t overwhelmed with information yet remained comprehensive in delivering critical data.
Before diving into design, I revisited the user research and the prioritized tasks identified earlier. Dana, the museum admin, needed immediate insights into. By aligning these data points with her day-to-day needs, I mapped out which datasets were critical for strategic decision-making and which could be summarized at a glance. Here are some examples of my approach
Time-Series Data:
Usage: Tracking AR tour usage and web analytics over days, weeks, or months.
Visualization: I chose line charts that clearly depict trends and patterns over time, allowing Dana to see both short-term spikes and long-term trends at a glance.
Comparative Analytics:
Usage: Comparing performance across different exhibits or events.
Visualization: Bar charts and column charts were ideal for side-by-side comparisons. Their simplicity helped highlight differences in performance without overwhelming details.
Data visualization to the rescue
Aggregated Metrics:
Usage: Summarizing key performance indicators (KPIs) like total visitors, event engagement, or asset usage. Additionally adding AI summaries to make sense of complex data at a glance.
Visualization: I implemented KPI cards and donut charts for a quick view of percentages. These elements acted as visual anchors on the dashboard, communicating high-impact data points instantly.
WHY IT WORKS
WHY IT WORKS
So did we rock the stage or fade away?
When I first started this project, I was a little concerned about how I would get to the finish line. Enterprise products were a new beast to tackle but, after a productive, persistent and consistent 6 week period I arrived at a result I was truly proud of.
Here’s what my professor Daniel Rosenberg (adjunct prof., SJSU /former SVP-Head of Global UX, SAP) had to say at my final design critique-
“Excellent project deliverable from both the UX perspective and covering the full brief. You clearly have a future in enterprise UX and data visualization design if you choose to follow this path.”
Sometimes you’re a duck
Reflecting on my process of working on this project reminds me a lot of a duck swimming. Calm on the outside but furiously paddling under the surface. So is there a lesson here? Of course there is:
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A Dashboard when designed well can empower a user with all they need to know to make informed decisions. Choosing the right data and choosing how to best present it is the key to a dashboard's success.
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By anticipating user needs and providing clear pathways, we can create experiences that empower users to navigate and understand complex data with confidence. For a product like this, a well defined Information Architecture is crucial!
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I've learned that understanding the business objectives behind the product is crucial. By aligning the design with these goals, we can create products that not only serve user needs but also drive strategic value for the organization. Whether it be collecting the coolest guitars for your collection to drive up foot traffic or improving operational efficiency, a good design puts the user first while also being cognizant of what's good for the business.
That’s a wrap on this project but don’t worry there’s lot more cool stuff to check out here.