Survey editor design is a challenge that is easy to understand, but also complex due to the depth of survey design and creation.
Largest product release, remote user research & testing, web application design
The first big task I took on at Adobe was to redesign the survey editor in the Adobe Survey product. Create, edit and deploy survey is among the key functionalities of a survey application, which is easy to understand yet very complex in its rich interactivity. It includes but not limited to: editing questions, organize pages, edit page flow and branching logics, configure launch conditions and visual styles, etc.. The ties between Adobe Survey and the larger whole marketing suite add another layer of complexity, and so do limited information about users and the complex technical constraints.
The design of survey editor needs to be based on the understanding of how survey is used as a research methodology by our main personas – web analysts & researchers. Unfortunately, there was little insight about it in the team at the beginning. As the primary designer, I initiated, organized, and lead telephone meetings with users, through which some crucial insights were discovered. This also set up communication channels with users, and streamlined later feedback and testing sessions.
Aside from users’ input, another important source of input was the engineering team’s tacit knowledge and insights about the product. I tried to construct a collaborative design environment where I facilitated collaborative design effort and communication, not to dictate what the design should be.
We together had various brainstorms, design reviews, as well as user feedback sessions and testing. The design evolved and matured through sketches, wireframes, discussions, prototyping, testing, and iterations.
Colloborators:survey engineering team, Ryan Cobourn(UX), Harrison Jenkins(PM)
Methods & Tools: User Interview, Sketching, wireframing, prototyping, Remote Usability Testing, Sketchbook Pro, Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks
