CASE STUDY #1
Maps + Apps at Esri
As a member of the Maps + Apps team at Esri, I consulted for national and international clients creating custom solutions across public and private industries. My colleagues and I worked on multidisciplinary teams with cartographers, engineers, data scientists, and other experts in the GIS space.
Product + UX Design
Overview
Over the last 3 years, I typically worked on a combination of one product and 4+ projects at the same time. The product was a web app that we supplied to utility clients to manage their utility data. The projects ranged from 3--300 hours and working alone to teams of 20+ often including specialists of the client. The primary focus was GIS desktop applications for national and international governments, utilities, environmental companies, NGOs. In particular, I focused on GeoEquity and storytelling.
While there was no one “typical project”, I had to be an autonomous master of the entire design process and choose from a variety of tools depending on the project. This included:
Discovery meetings with clients covering problem statement, user needs, business requirements, existing solution, tech stack, accessibility, brand and photo assets, screen sizes.
Conducting interviews and building personas
Wireframing and prototyping
Meeting accessibility requirements for different countries
Brand definition and continuity
Engineering constraints
Front-end development with HTML and CSS
LRS
I was the design lead for a group of web apps used by utility companies for data that is shown in a linear referencing format. Over the course of 2 years, I worked daily with the engineering, product, and executive teams to define, ideate, and engineer these web apps. We created flexible widgets that varying utility industries and personas.
Learning about linear referencing systems and the many use cases for this data type and the industries it serves, as well as the tools currently available
Over 50 user interviews from 5 city and state governments
I vetted the design systems and products we were building these widgets on for engineering and design constraints, and developed components. I did design testing with the engineers and defended my decisions with the product owners.
The team worked hard and we made incredible advancements in the ways in which our clients can visualize, review and edit their spatial data.
Images blurred for confidentiality.
Spatial Storytelling
I'm passionate about data journalism and the power of digital storytelling. We have this great tool at Esri called StoryMaps, and I became the de facto StoryMaps expert on the Maps + Apps team. Here are some of my favorite projects that I led using this tool:
Child Opportunity Index
Children's National, a hospital serving the greater D.C. and Prince George’s County areas, wanted to display their annual research about child opportunity using spatial views that would connect with residents and increase engagement.
We created a theme matching their branding, maps to visualize the data, and an outline for the story content. The Children’s National team filled out the StoryMap, with regular meetings with us to advise on styling and cartography as they focused on producing the copy. The output was one that they can edit over time and produce again when the next research results are released.
Spavinaw Pipeline to Tulsa
To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the completion of the Spavinaw pipeline in Oklahoma, the City of Tulsa commissioned us to create a site detailing the rich history of the pipeline. They had a wealth of photos, diagrams, and videos related to the pipeline. This project was a joy to work on because of the surplus of media I had available and the full creative freedom they handed me.
To make this StoryMap most engaging for residents on Tulsa, I focused on the profound impact the pipeline had on Tulsa’s population growth and economy. Tulsa city as is stands today would not have been possible without this pipeline. I utilized Adobe Photoshop to add visual interest and consistency to the media supplied, and Adobe Illustrator to create custom illustrations and dividers that match the points of interest in the dynamic story of the the pipeline — including the final paycheck to the architect being delivered in a bottle sent down the pipeline itself!
Team + Company Initiatives
There were many opportunities at Esri for system improvements, teaching colleagues, and breaking down silos. For both the UX/UI/Carto team and the larger teams within which we were nested, I created sites to represent our work and provide career path guidance to colleagues.
Team
Figma Training
I led trainings for the Maps + Apps team focused on using Figma features to automate component updates and maintain design systems. With an emphasis on variables, variants, and nested auto-layout, I prepared my team to go forth and prosper consistently.
Team Website
The Maps + Apps team is unique at Esri. We are UX researchers and designers, UI engineers, and cartographers. We were a broken record explaining why UX would increase customer satisfaction and improve deliverables, so we made a website instead. I interviewed 8 product and engineering leads to see how they viewed us and what needed to change.
The output was an internal site that shows our colleagues what UX experts can do to improve client success .
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems” - James Clear
Esri
Project Manager Site
The Project Manager team needed an easier way to show it’s members what their career options were and how to get there. We designed an internal hub for exploring those options and then viewing the requirements. I learned a lot more HTML and CSS creating nested accordions, tables, and modals.
Company Values
The C-team needed a new company page to display the branches of Esri and the responsibilities they fulfill. I created illustrations and implemented the site in HMTL, CSS, and JavaScript.