The one where the client invested in prototyping

Developed visual designs from wireframes, created a prototype for user testing, and built a design system for future projects.

Design System

Prototyping

Web Design

Agency

GALE Partners

Role

Senior Designer

The Challenge

Becker provides CPA prep and professional education for accounting and finance careers. The client needed to update the user journey for searching on their CPE Product page, with the added challenge of not having a design system to rely on.

The Solution

Using their provided brand guidelines to support the design direction, we also conducted an audit of their current website to establish a design system for the project.

Identifying what we have and what we need

To set the project up for success, we needed to audit what we had, identify what we needed, and determine how to address any gaps. After auditing the files and having conversations with the client, we pinpointed the key areas to focus on in order to make the necessary updates and build for future projects, as the client anticipates more future projects.

architecture

Develop a design system

This was crucial to ensure the visual designs aligned with the website, maintaining consistency in style and user experience.

trackpad_input

Design for prototyping

While working on the visual designs, we had to be mindful of preparing assets for prototyping, as the client requested several flows to be user-tested.

Collage of design system
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Build the foundation

Since the website was created by a different agency, I didn’t have the advantage of an existing design system, so I created one from scratch. I began by analyzing the website to identify the elements already in place, such as text styles, buttons, icons, and other components. From there, I established and built a solid foundational design system. Additionally, I imported relevant assets from a previous design system in Sketch and filled in any gaps as necessary.

Visual Designing

With the addition of the new design system and the client's brand guidelines, I was able to create visual designs based on the wireframes while collaborating with the UX Designer.

Additionally, the client requested that a few journeys be prototyped for focus group user testing. This was important to note because it allowed me to prepare visual designs in advance, streamlining the prototyping process. Some of the preparations included ensuring consistent layer names, as this was a key element for support. I also identified reusable components to prototype effectively during the design system audit.

Prototyping

During the prototyping phase, we were able to identify functionality issues that didn’t make sense in real-life situations. I collaborated with the UX Designer to update the wires accordingly.

After the journeys were completed by users in the focus groups, we received minor feedback, such as requests for larger buttons and colour swaps to make key elements more noticeable. It was beneficial to have this prototype, even before formal user testing, as it allowed us to work through the kinks using mock situations.

3 phones with website mock ups of check out experience on screen.

Add-ons

A few months later, the client requested further improvements to another aspect of their website: the checkout user journey. I was able to leverage the foundational design system and build upon it for this project, which proved the value of investing time in setting up a strong design system. This experience highlighted why doing the extra work upfront pays off in the long run.

Collage of design system
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Key findings and lessons from this project.

Designing is like a game of chess; you must anticipate all possible outcomes and plan accordingly.

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