The Brief
Dolby wanted to take a proof-of-concept (PoC) audio production tool, the DP590, and turn it into a fully-formed product. I was tasked to lead the redesign.
My Role
I was a full-stack designer, leading the research, interaction design, prototyping, usability testing, visual design and asset production of the DP590 redesign. I worked closely with the Product Manager, Engineering Lead and development team to define requirements and specifications.
The Work
I started, as I do on every project, with a listening tour of stakeholders. This initial research uncovered some major challenges:
USER UNKNOWN. The PoC was built around the underlying technology, not the needs of any particular user. I would need to figure out who would use this product, and how.
USABILITY. The DP590 would be used for live TV. There’s no room for error, no second chances. I would have to make sure it worked seamlessly first time or it would be a failure.
SCOPE. The initial scope was assumed to be a simple makeover of the PoC’s existing UI. The challenges above required much more work to solve than the team originally anticipated.
PROCESS. UX design is new to Dolby. Not everyone is familiar with the design process or how it fits into product development. I would need to bring the team along if I wanted their help in making the product a success.
“This is the sort of thing where, if you don’t get it absolutely right, people will say “I won’t use this.””
Research
Stakeholders interviews
Competitive and complementary product reviews
User research and contextual inquiry
Problem and vision statements
Personas
Storyboarding
High-level requirements
Design and Test
Information architecture
Team design charrettes
Lo-fi design, sketches, storyboards (paper)
Lo-fi wireframes, prototypes (Balsamiq)
Hi-fi design, wireframes (Sketch)
Hi-fi prototypes (Framer)
Visual design (Sketch)
Usability testing throughout
“Thanks for including me in the usability test. It’s nice to know that my feedback is being incorporated!”
Build
Detailed UI and functional requirements, backlog building (Confluence)
Epics, user stories, acceptance criteria (Jira)
Assets, layout and styling (Zeplin)
Interaction videos and walkthroughs (Quicktime)
“Stewart created great design for the DP590 UI. The mockups in Zeplin and Framer allowed us to quickly and accurately implement his ideas.”
Results
USABILITY. Qualitative results from usability testing show that user satisfaction is much higher than with the original proof-of- concept. Users are keen to move from the old UI to the new one.
TEAM ENGAGEMENT. The product team is excited by the design and enjoys being involved in the design process.
DESIGN ADOPTION. Based on the feedback and questions I receive from stakeholders the understanding and appreciation of design thinking has grown within the organization.
Real-world testing with the UI in context
“Stew has done a great job defining the UX for the DP590, as we can hear in feedback from the field.”
“This is amazing! I’m SO GLAD this work is being done. When can I have this?!”