DINGO Web App
Streamlining the Workflow Process of the VADOC K9 Unit.
Focus *User Research *Information Architecture * Branding *Wireframing *Prototyping *User Testing
Collaborators *Users *Stakeholders * Project Manager *Developers *Executive Staff
The Challenge
The K9 Unit at the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) had been using an antiquated internal system web application that was hard to use, not intuitive, and time consuming. K9 handlers at VADOC needed a mobile-friendly application as the handlers spent most of their time in the field with access to mobile only. My role was to bring a user-centric, design-thinking approach, and my strong background in visual design to the project.
Previous Dingo Web App
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My Approach
01 Understand
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Through stakeholder/user interviews, I gathered critical information to guide my design decisions.
02 Define
Using the gathered information and research, I was able to create user personas, empathy maps, information architecture maps, card sorting documentation, content outlines, and site maps. This allowed me to understand the users as well as keep the business incentives in the forefront during the creation process.
03 Reframe
While referring to the UX artifacts created in the previous phase, I moved into the ideation stage of my process where the team could explore iterative designs with solutions based on user and stakeholder feedback.
To understand the user's needs, I held multiple user interviews with a diverse group of users (K9 Handler, Patrol, Detection, Supervisor, and Administrative Lead). Interviewees answered questions surrounding the current web application, their pain points, and their workflow process. Amongst other important information, what I found most important was that 85% of users were in the field, on their mobile devices, and typically only carried out the same 4-5 tasks in their daily workflow.
Understand
Using the information gathered from the user research, I was then able to create user personas, journey maps, information architecture maps, site maps, and empathy mapping.
Define
Using the artifacts crafted in the previous stage, I moved into the ideate stage where I worked through low, medium, and high fidelity wireframes in an iterative process. I constantly gathered feedback from users/stakeholders to ensure the team would be making mistakes early and often. This ensured identifying as many issues before entering the development stage where mistakes would be much more costly.
Reframe
Wireframing
Using my strong background in visual design, I provided branding which included typography, color pallet, and logo design for the web application. I also created a UI kit for streamlining the wireframing process.
Branding
Impact
1-Hour Savings Per User, Per Day
The K9 handlers, the main users of the application, were able to streamline their workflow process and move through their most common tasks in the field, on mobile devices. This saved each user large amounts of time each day.
