I’m a designer, music lover, and a total nature-nerd who is obsessed with creativity, experimentation, and functionality. Basically; I love making things that make life better and look or feel good while they do it.
At my day job I split my time between creating new UX solutions, facilitating workshops, and managing an awesome team of talented designers.
When I’m not making a mess on a whiteboard you can find me tinkering in my workshop, waxing poetic over a new band, or happily getting lost in the woods.
Project Details
Discovering our Who, Why, and What
This project had a very tight timeline, so we adopted a lean approach to prove potential business value. We spent a few days being debriefed on market and user research from our partners which allowed us to create the necessary assets for a one-day design workshop.
Understanding the needs, goals, and pain points of existing personas (not shown due to NDA) resulted in 92 "big ideas," some of which were obviously better than others.
These were narrowed down based on perceived desirability, viability, and feasibility. The group ultimately combined the best parts of three ideas and defined a minimum viable product (MVP) to be built in the following weeks.
I held white boarding sessions with our engineers to identify and work through tech constraints. I used the output of those meetings along with our workshop storyboards and user flows to come up with an initial set of sketches.
As we firmed up the scaffolding of our app I moved into mid-fidelity wireframes and basic clickable prototypes for further refinement. This provided more context of how users would interact with the app. It also helped inform how we would structure and package usage data for the utility companies.
The front-end developers built the UI with angular components and our design direction was based on Material Design guidelines. Both of these decisions helped speed up the process since we were using existing assets from massive libraries.
Sketches and Initial Wireframes
The MVP would be a customer-facing mobile app. This would serve as an energy dashboard allowing users to see their bill, current/monthly energy consumption, and control smart devices in their home. The app would also package the consumption data in a way that could be analyzed by utility companies for a better understanding of grid usage.
Since we were taking a lean approach and this would eventually be rebranded for other AWS partners, I prioritized focusing on functionality, usability, and rapid prototyping to validate assumptions rather than polishing a refined UI.
High(er) Fidelity Mockups
The final iteration gave users a universal smart home remote where they could control smart devices, set scenes by pairing multiple items, and view their overall usage.
Building a Complimentary Alexa Skill
Our team also built an Alexa Skill to complement the mobile app. While its functionality was basic, we felt that the inclusion of a voice component would give the solution a more holistic real-world feel and allow us to test even more assumptions.
Any changes to smart devices made via the skill were reflected in the mobile app and both pieces of tech were integrated into our model home prototype (more on that below).
One of the main project goals was to create something that could be used by various utility companies without the need to create a brand new system or hire a new team. By building a reusable framework, other entities could partner with AWS and quickly apply their branding or make minor adjustments for a speedy product release.
Our final hi-fi mockups used AWS logos and colors in order to remain company agnostic while still giving context around the solution's customizable nature.
Cedrus and Amazon Web Services have a close relationship as strategic partners. AWS had already been discussing a potential opportunity with a massive east coast energy company when they asked Cedrus to join. They had identified an opportunity around the lack of insight people have into their energy usage and billing which coincided with the potential benefits of that data for the utility provider. Our team at Cedrus was asked to define a potential solution and quickly build out a proof of concept.
My role on the project was to define and design the solution from a functionality and flow standpoint before creating a prototype.
**Important Note: Certain details such as names, project specifics, and detailed product images have been purposefully excluded, cropped, and blurred due to a strict NDA.
The Ask from AWS
I held white boarding sessions with our engineers to identify and work through tech constraints. I used the output of those meetings on those along with our workshop storyboards and user flows to come up with an initial set of sketches
The ask from AWS
**Important Note: Certain details such as names, project specifics, and detailed product images have been purposefully excluded, cropped, and blurred due to a strict NDA.
Discovering our who, why, and what
I held white boarding sessions with our engineers to identify and work through tech constraints. I used the output of those meetings on those along with our workshop storyboards and user flows to come up with an initial set of sketches.
The front-end developers built the app with angular components and our design direction was based on Material guidelines. Both of these decisions helped speed up the design and development process since we were using existing assets from massive libraries.
Our team also built an Alexa Skill to complement the mobile app. While it's functionality was basic, we felt that the inclusion of a voice component would give the solution a more holistic real-world feel and allow us to test even more assumptions.
Project Details
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
This project was on a very tight timeline, so we adapted a lean approach to prove out any potential business value. We spent a few days being debriefed on market and user research from our partners which allowed us to create the assets necessary for a one day design workshop.
Our Solution
We built Mercedes a responsive online portal which allows dealership employees to see inventory, activate products and set markup pricing based on account permissions. These changes are recorded in a log for transparency and reflected on the primary MBUSA website in real time.
Background and Problem
Mercedes Benz asked Cedrus to build an internal facing tool for dealerships to adjust and price insurance products for their primary consumer site.
Dealers have long relied on excel sheets, physical books, and IT admins in order set markup pricing ont he website. This process was clunky, inefficient, and often led to mistakes and frustrated employees.
The Outcome
The initial employee response was overwhelmingly positive. Testing of our prototype showed a 95.75% task completion rate and the entire markup and activation process was shorted from hours to less than 60 seconds. As of 2021 the first version of our portal will be shipped and is to be used by over 350 dealerships across the country.
Project Overview
My Responsibilities: UX Design, Usability Testing, Workshop Facilitation
See more of my past work
Timeframe
6 weeks
Our Team
-
1 UX Designer (me)
-
4 Developers
-
1 Lead Architect
-
1 Project Owner
Project Overview
Our Solution
We built a customizable framework consisting of a mobile app, Alexa Skill, and backend reporting system. Users can control smart devices, see electricity bills, and view usage statistics. The backend system packages that data for analysis by the utility companies.
The Outcome
Our app, the collected data, and the prototype were very well received by AWS. This led to internal demos at Amazon and joint trade show presentations to discuss the technology's potential. Ultimately, the framework became the basis for two other projects.
The problem and opportunity
A frequent issue between homeowners and utility providers is a lack of visibility into usage and billing cycles. Consumers are looking for control and insights to lower costs while utility companies want to increase grid efficiency.
Our Team
-
1 UX Designer
-
4 Developers
-
1 Lead Architect
-
1 Project Owner
Timeframe
6 weeks
Project Overview
The Outcome
Our app, the collected data, and the prototype were very well received by AWS. This led to internal demos at Amazon and joint trade show presentations to discuss the technology's potential. Ultimately, the framework became the basis for two other projects.
The Problem/Opportunity
A frequent issue between homeowners and utility providers is a lack of visibility into usage and billing cycles. Consumers are looking for control and insights to lower costs while utility companies want to increase grid efficiency.
Our Solution
We built a customizable framework consisting of a mobile app, Alexa Skill, and backend reporting system. Users can control smart devices, see electricity bills, and view usage statistics. The backend packages that data for analysis by the utility companies.
Project Overview
The Problem/Opportunity
A frequent issue between homeowners and utility providers is a lack of visibility into usage and billing cycles. Consumers are looking for control and insights to lower costs while utility companies want to increase grid efficiency
Our Solution
We built a customizable framework consisting of a mobile app, Alexa Skill, and backend reporting system. Users can control smart devices, see electricity bills, and view usage statistics. The backend packages that data for analysis by the utility companies.
The Outcome
Our app, the collected data, and the prototype were very well received by AWS. This led to internal demos at Amazon and joint trade show presentations to discuss the technology's potential. Ultimately, the framework became the basis for two other projects.
Amazon Web Services
UX Design, Workshop Facilitation, and a Model Home Build
Cedrus and Amazon Web Services (AWS) partnered to create a reusable and customizable smart home framework for utility companies. While this was an exploratory proof of concept, the resulting system and prototype were reused as the basis for other projects moving forward.
The Outcome
Our initial demos of the app, Alexa skill, usage data analysis, and model home excited both AWS and their engery partner. Although the energy partner decided not to continue on the project, we continued to work closely with AWS on presentations in multiple Amazon offices and two trade show appearances.
While the product itself did not ship, the concepts we proved out drummed up enough interest for the framework to be utilized on two subsequent products.
Lessons Learned
This project's tight timeline meant not spending as much time as we'd like on certain things. UI fidelity, proper iterations, and in-depth documentation of the process all took a back seat to rapid ideation and validating assumptions. While this was warranted and proved to be a good call, it highlighted shortcomings in our overall work process that needed attention.
From this, we set up a more consistent framework for design sessions learning from IDEO and our partners at IBM. I also focused much more on setting up UI libraries that I could pull from and took time to dive further into Material Design and iOS guidelines. Ultimately, there was a lot of time to be saved with better processes, organization, and a deeper understanding of our tools.
Building a House
As part of our final prototype, we were asked to create some sort of physical companion for the technology. In order to give the most context (and because I love making stuff) we built a fully functional model home which could be controlled by both our mobile app and Alexa Skill.
Any time we can bring people away from a screen and into something physical is a chance to connect on a deeper level. Simply put, making this thing was a blast.
Final Product
Final Product
Putting it All Together
The model home was wired with a smart light, smart thermostat, and a fan powered by a smart plug. All three could be adjusted by both the mobile app and Alexa in the same way a homeowner would ask to dim the lights, turn on the fan, or lower the temperature.
All of this data was recorded and then packaged in a way that could be analyzed by a utility company if permitted by the homeowner.
Building a house
As part of our final prototype, we were asked to create some type of physical companion for the technology. In order to give the most context (and because I love making stuff) we built a fully functional model home which could be controlled by both our mobile app and Alexa Skill.
Any time we can bring people away from a screen and into something physical is a chance to connect on a deeper level. Simply put, making this thing was a blast.
Project Details
**Important Note: Certain details such as names, project specifics, and detailed product images have been purposefully excluded, cropped, and blurred due to a strict NDA.
The ask from AWS
Cedrus and Amazon Web Services have a close relationship as strategic partners. AWS had already been discussing a potential opportunity with a massive east coast energy company when they asked Cedrus to join. They had identified an opportunity around the lack of insight people have into their energy usage and billing which coincided with the potential benefits of that data for the utility provider. Our team at Cedrus was asked to define a potential solution and quickly build out a proof of concept.
My role on the project was to define and design the solution from a functionality and flow standpoint before creating a prototype.
Discovering our who, why, and what
This project was on a very tight timeline, so we adapted a lean approach to prove out any potential business value. We spent a few days being debriefed on market and user research from our partners which allowed us to create the assets necessary for a one day design workshop.
Understanding the needs, goals, and pain points of existing personas (not shown due to NDA) resulted in 92 "big ideas," some of which were obviously better than others.
Ideas were narrowed down based on perceived desirability, viability, and feasibility. The group ultimately combined the best parts of three ideas and defined a minimum viable product (MVP) to be built in the following weeks.
The MVP would be a customer facing mobile app. This would serve as an energy dashboard allowing users to see their bill, current/monthly energy consumption, and remotely control smart devices in their home. The app would also package the consumption data in a way that could be analyzed by the utility companies for better understanding of grid usage.
Since we were taking a lean approach and this would eventually be rebranded for other AWS partners, I prioritized focusing on functionality, usability, and rapid prototyping to validate assumptions rather than polishing a refined UI.
Sketches and Initial Wireframes
I held white boarding sessions with our engineers to identify and work through tech constraints. I used the output of those meetings on those along with our workshop storyboards and user flows to come up with an initial set of sketches.
As we firmed up the scaffolding of our app I moved into mid-fidelity wireframes and basic clickable prototypes for further refinement. This provided more context of how users would interact with the app which also helped inform how we would structure and package usage data for the utility companies.
Our front-end developers built the app with angular components and our design direction was based on Material guidelines. Both of these decisions helped speed up the design and development process since we were using existing assets from massive libraries.
High(er) Fidelity Mockups
The final iteration essentially gave the user a universal smart home remote where they could control smart devices, set scenes by pairing multiple items, and view their overall usage.
One of the main project goals was to create something that could be used by various utility companies without the need to create a brand new system or hire a new team. By building a reusable framework other entities could partner with AWS and quickly apply their branding or make minor adjustments for a quick product release.
Our final hi-fi mockups used AWS logos and colors in order to remain company agnostic while still giving context around the solution's customizable nature.
Building a complimentary Alexa Skill
Our team also built an Alexa Skill to complement the mobile app. While it's functionality was basic, we felt that the inclusion of a voice component would give the solution a more holistic real-world feel and allow us to test even more assumptions.
The Final Product
Putting it all together
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.