UX Designer| Technical Writer
UX & Design Research Artifacts
"An Analysis of the English Department Website: A Short Paper on a User Experience Case Study"
This artifact analyzes users’ experiences with navigating the ‘Undergraduate Course Offerings’ page on the English Department website. To create this artifact, I designed a UX test method for successful remote UX testing (thanks to COVID-19), after conducting a site visit, and producing a paper prototype to guide my research and testing design, with the ultimate results of the study providing insights and suggestions for the upcoming re-designed version of the department website and better iterations for any future designs. Here is also a link for the corresponding PowerPoint presentation that went along with this UX report.
"Alexa Auto: Satisfying Drivers' Needs with IVISs"
Produced in collaboration with two of my peers and Kerstan Cole of Amazon Alexa Automotive, this white paper details a report for remote UX research and UX Design recommendations for user input preferences, auditory and haptic feedback options, and spatial proximity and stimuli characteristics. These recommendations are meant to maximize the efficiency and enjoyment of the Amazon Alexa Automotive product while mitigating potential driver distraction, ultimately increasing the product's safety. Here is also a link to the corresponding PowerPoint presentation for this white paper.
“How Long is Too Long?: Excessive Pause Duration in Voice User Interfaces”
Produced in collaboration with a partner and Mark Smolensky of AT&T, this white paper details a report in average pause durations in human to human conversations, and then uses that knowledge to suggest design improvements to voice user-interfaces by suggesting average pause times in conversations. The revisions to this document include revisions based on feedback from our readers; the document was originally un-friendly for busy industry folk who would have wanted to quickly find the articles referenced. Here is a link to the corresponding PowerPoint presentation for this white paper.
“Certificate for Teaching Technical Communication:" A Usability Test Report
To create this artifact, I worked with Claire Oldham and Taryn Seidler to create a usability test for the ‘Certificate for Teaching Technical Communication’ page on the English Department website. During the project, I observed and recorded users’ actions and utterances as they engaged in the ‘think-aloud protocol’ while performing tasks, as well as recorded which cards users picked as they engaged in after-task card sorting. This test report lays forth initial research materials (initial heuristic analyses), the test plan our team used (which includes materials such as the user contracts and script), the testing results, and implications for better iterations of the webpage. Here is also a link to the corresponding PowerPoint presentation.
“Freiburg Universität Website Glocalization: Global Technical Communication Analysis"
This artifact analyzes the success that the University of Freiburg’s website would have in reaching desired, global target audiences. To produce this artifact, I examined the website for the University of Freiburg, analyzing its context and components, and ultimately suggested design improvements in order for the site to reach more global, culturally diverse audiences.
"Design Conventions of COVID-19 Vaccine Infographics: Federal versus State"
Designed in my Document Design course, this artifact is a poster that presents an overview of a study I conducted to examine design conventions of state and federal-level infographics about the COVID-19 vaccine. In conjunction with this research poster, a data set is also provided along with a report further detailing my findings.
Design Artifacts
“Die Fernweh Bilder: A Travel Narrative and Photography Site"
This artifact shares my travel narratives and potential advice and guidance to other travelers. To produce this artifact, I first examined several other websites of a similar genre, noting how each site was designed. I then structured my site with not only the goal of sharing travel experiences, but also as an interactive community where people may share experiences and culture with one another.
“Billboard Redesign: Save the Seals or SOS?”
This artifact shares my redesign of a Billboard that promotes saving baby seals from overhunting in Canada. The billboard’s original design concentrated on a woman wearing a seal shirt and provided too much information for a user to be able to view while driving by in a car. Using Adobe InDesign, I redesigned the billboard by making new choices regarding the image, typography, and rhetoric to make the billboard more relevant to the cause it promotes, and hopefully friendlier and less distracting for users operating a vehicle.