Universal Directory

Designed a scalable navigation system for the Apollo platform. Launched in two months, increasing satisfaction by 10% and retention.

Role
Role

• Lead the E2E designs • Lead research and strategy

• Lead the E2E designs • Lead research and strategy
Timeline
Timeline

2 months

2 months
Team
Team

• Product design lead (me) • Director of Product Management • Engineering team (4) • Staff Researcher

• Product design lead (me) • Director of Product Management • Engineering team (4) • Staff Researcher

Problem

Users
  • App is hard to navigate

  • Lack of hierarchy

Business
  • UX issues represent over 100K in revenue from lost deals and churned customers

  • Apollo being “too complex” has the 4th highest impact score among complaints -> ultimately reducing user retention and GRR

Solution

A new information architecture that aligns with the user's mental model. Making it easy to use and familiar.


Research

I conducted a comprehensive study on the current navigation.

The methodologies included discovery research and Information Architecture card sorting/tree testing.

Goals

  • Understand our users’ mental models and current workflows in Apollo

  • Understand the terminology that aligns with user expectations

Summary

1. Poor delineation between navigation and page content
2. 3+ levels of tabs is overwhelming
3. Repeated labels and icons cause confusion
4. Poor wayfinding with inconsistent breadcrumbs

Research

I conducted a comprehensive study on the current navigation.

The methodologies included discovery research and Information Architecture card sorting/tree testing.

Goals

  • Understand our users’ mental models and current workflows in Apollo

  • Understand the terminology that aligns with user expectations

Summary

1. Poor delineation between navigation and page content
2. 3+ levels of tabs is overwhelming
3. Repeated labels and icons cause confusion
4. Poor wayfinding with inconsistent breadcrumbs

a cell phone on a bench
a cell phone on a bench
a cell phone on a bench
a cell phone on a ledge
a cell phone on a ledge
a cell phone on a ledge

Tree test

Worked with a researcher on the tree test. The researcher put together some proposals based on the patterns that we captured during the tree test. The tree test was reorganizing the current elements in the navigation but it wasn't really double-clicking on why we need to include these items. I met with the Product leads from each area to get more context on the navigation items.

Object Oriented UX workshop

It was evident that there wasn't a system in place and PMs added features to the nav to increase visibility and improve their metrics.
As the design lead, I need to understand the system better, so I ran a OOUX workshop with the product and design leads to understand the objects in the system, the relationships and the capabilities.
This initial work helped guide the new information architecture but also other future work streams, entity pages, CRM platform...

Outcomes

The redesigned fitness tracker app received overwhelmingly positive feedback from users, who praised its improved usability, engaging design, and motivational features. The project was a significant learning opportunity, enhancing my understanding of user-centric design principles and the impact of design on user behavior and app retention.