The Dream Project

about the project

It was winter, nearly the end of the year, and we had just signed a large deal with a new customer. The largest deal to date, at the time. But their needs were very complex and required a number of enhancements to be made to the core product. They also needed to have a custom portal built just for them. Due to the magnitude of the project and our sincere desire for their success, I was sent as part of a team to work with them on-site for a week. In Australia.

I had always dreamed of visiting Australia one day, and I was very excited to be able to meet and work with a customer there. While on-site, we listened and learned about their current processes and needs from us. I spent the first night poring over their current workflows, figuring out how to improve the experience in a way that also fit into our product. By the next morning, I had wireframes to present to them. Throughout the week, we iterated on them until we had a design to take back to development.

While there, I also assisted our custom solutions team with designs for their portal. I listened intently while the consultant/developer interviewed and gathered requirements. As ideas started flowing, I started whiteboarding. By the end of the week, we had wireframes and some very excited customers.

My Role

- UX Designer

Skills Used

- Interviewing
- Rapid Prototyping
- Requirements Gathering
- Collaboration
- Presentation

WHat I learned

This project taught me so many things. Not only professionally, but personally as well. A few things I took away from the experience:

  • Make as many connections as you can, both internally and customers. That week I got a chance to learn from and get to know some fellow employees I’d never worked with before. And the customer’s employees treated us like family by the time we left. Each one brought their own knowledge, concerns, perspective, and personality. It was the perfect experience of what a customer relationship should be like.

  • As professionals, we often hear that what the customer asks for isn’t what they want. This project was a prime example of that. Their old process was cumbersome, but they were used to it and somewhat cautious about changing it. The time I spent analyzing what they were really trying to do with that process, and then reworking it, paid off for us all.

  • On a personal note, this trip inspired me to travel more. This was only the second time I’d flown, and the first time internationally. To say I was anxious is an understatement. My Product Manager was traveling with me and helped me navigate it all. At the end of the week, I ventured into the city on my own to do a little exploring and soak in their culture. It was liberating. Since then, I’ve made the trip solo and plan to do more in the future.

Project outcome

Although I’d already been promoted to senior level a few years prior to this trip, I feel like this was the project that made me really step into that role. Projects like this are not common in our company, and I was trusted with it. The customer was and continues to be happy with the solutions we provided, and they have been a huge benefit to other customers as well.