Typical solutions follow a logical flow from an engineering and data perspective: a structure designed to facilitate every possible function while isolating individual steps branching out along the way. It's a matter of efficiency; build one app that can do it all and you're done. However, this architecture may do nothing to actually assist the end user in achieving their goal. Think about your experience moving through an average telephone menuing system. Too many layers of nested options create a maze in which it's nearly impossible to maintain a sense of context. In order to make decisions within this structure, the user must draw comparisons between their intent and the possibilities they can assess from what the structure reveals to them...

What are we really trying to achieve here? Do the options and architecture reflect this system's primary use-case? Is there a better way to help someone get to what they need, quickly, happily... More than likely there is, with clarity, focus, simplicity. Create a design that helps the user in their task.

Here are a couple of case-studies as examples of this thinking: our internal A/V system and people-finding map.

All features exposed at all times is contrary to actually assisting a user to achieve a specific task. The 'before' version the A/V platform installed at Macromedia required someone who simply wanted to host a conference call to think like an A/V engineer... one who knew the idosyncrasities of this particular tool. Many decisions had to be made simultaneously and out of any kind of cognitive order. Who is the application for? The application does nothing to help get a call through.

Figure 1.1 Existing workflow

The final version begins with three pre-configured paths and a free-form option. Of all possible uses of the A/V system, we assessed the few key uses and facilitated these with a single button press to set up the systems as needed.

Figure 1.2 Final implementation

Confounding content has the same effect as overwhelming interface. Our current method of finding the location of a colleague's desk requires drilling through myriad systems while filtering out intensive ancillary information, and finally arriving at a relatively cryptic visualization of their whereabouts.

Figure 2.1 Existing workflow

True, this process facilitates many other functions along the way – getting a phone number or supervisor information – and each step leverages a robust system, but is it the best way to simply find where someone sits? By focusing on the intended task (finding a location) and simplifying the presentation to only content related to the resolution of that task, a huge portion of the 'unneccessary' information is hidden... unless needed. (A rare look at a work in progress)

Figure 2.2 New map

Figure 2.3 Finding a conference room

by Ryan Hicks
Senior Visual Designer, XD team