Announcement Date: January 1, 2008
Process
Business Challenge
In 2004, when I was hired by Tektronix to be the UX Architect for the Logic Analyzer Product Line, I laid out my charter to the General Manager:
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Craft a new UX for a legacy instrument to make it competitive
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Change the way software is developed by ensuring UX is built into the development process
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Change the culture in the group so everything else will be sustained over time
My first challenge: create a UX Architecture for the TLA (Tektronix Logic Analyzer).
The only problem was, in 2004 there was nothing published or accepted as a “UX Architecture.”
Result



I created a four-volume 3-ring binder set laying out each of the components of the UX Architecture:
Volume 1: The UX Vision, comprising Personas, Context Scenarios, Experience Schematics, Wireframes, Key Path Scenarios and Work Models
Volume 2: Architecting The UX, comprising Strategy / Process, Schematics, Framework, Specifications and Prototypes
Volume 3: Design Principles and Patterns, comprising Quality Attributes, Design Principles and Use Patterns
Volume 4: UX Guidelines and Standards, comprising Style Guide and UI components
Process
Crafting a UX architecture takes time.
I began three tasks in parallel:
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a review of all customer research done to date
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a contextual inquiry process across multiple regions around the world.
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a technical deep dive into the TLA.
These activities helped establish credibility for the UX architecture.
Equally important, the product line understood the value of continuous customer/user feedback. This helped institutionalize user-centered-design into the development process.
My Contribution
I was responsible for all user experience activities within the product line for over seven years.
For the UX Architecture effort, I was responsible for:
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all research
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all content in the architecture volumes, all figures and graphics, with the exception of the cover and spines.
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For these, I worked with a graphic artist, providing creative direction.
I achieved nearly all of the elements in my charter:
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When I started the project, the instrument had over 250 screens. When I left, we had doubled the functionality and reduced the screens by 15%
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I introduced Agile/UX into the development process
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By the time I left the product line, UX was highly respected and considered essential.