An internal patent filing website where employees can submit their inventions for patent consideration. However, this system has not been updated since 2011 and has become a source of frustration for many employees due to its poor user experience. The main purpose is to recognize our great innovators at Fidelity and to protect Fidelity's valuable intellectual property.
In my design process, I prioritized establishing clear research goals before conducting user interviews. Using the empathize phase to validate, update, and expand on the user information in their project’s business requirements. This approach ensured the discussions remained focused on uncovering user needs directly relevant to the project.
How can we design an intuitive interface that simplifies complex patent information and processes for users with varying levels of experience?
How can we optimize the information architecture of the website to reduce visual clutter and improve focus, leading to fewer errors in form submissions?
How might we design a collaborative platform that facilitates effective communication between ideators and reviewers throughout the patent lifecycle?
What are the key pain points and bottlenecks in the current patent review and evaluation process, and how can we address them to improve efficiency and accuracy?
This survey aims to capture a mix of ideators and reviewers within the company, ensuring a diverse range of experiences with the patent filing process. These surveys are VIP pass to finding the perfect people for your user interviews.
Throughout the user interviews, I prioritized ethical principles to ensure a positive experience for everyone involved. I focused on understanding participant challenges without judgment, and obtained informed consent before proceeding.
Virtual meeting with Chethna, Head of Patent Strategy, discussing patent portfolio goals and legal requirements.
Ideators: Software Engineers, Data Scientists, Product Developers Reviewers: Patent Attorneys, R&D Managers, IP Specialists
After conducting user interviews, I found myself swimming in a sea of insights and quotes. I needed a way to synthesize the information and gain a deeper understanding of my users. That's when I turned to empathy mapping.
1. User story from Rohit’s persona
As a patent reviewer, I want to be able to quickly identify key information in patent applications so that I can make faster and more accurate decisions.
2. User story from Shabi’s persona
As an ideator, I want to easily assess the patentability of my innovative ideas and navigate the patent filing process so that I can contribute to the company's intellectual property portfolio.
Journey mapping was essential to understanding the complete user experience. It allowed me to step into my users' shoes, identifying pain points and opportunities at every touchpoint.
Translated findings into actionable insights that informed design decisions, prioritizing critical issues for effective solutions. By prioritizing the most critical issues, I ensured that design solutions addressed the core problems identified during the research phase.
Problem Statement 1
Shabi, a passionate software engineer, struggles to patent innovative ideas due to lack of internal support and patent expertise.
Problem Statement 2
Rohit, an overloaded patent reviewer, risks missing crucial details due to high application volume and limited time for thorough evaluations.
Goal Statement 1
Our product will empower engineers to confidently assess the patentability of their ideas and navigate the patent filing process, fostering a culture of innovation.
Goal Statement 2
Our system will equip patent reviewers with the ability to efficiently pinpoint crucial details, enabling accurate decisions, optimizing the review process.
empower Shabi Sarraf, a driven software engineer at Fidelity with 5 years of experience, to translate her innovative ideas into successful patent applications, despite her limited understanding of patentability and the filing process, and a lack of internal resources?
assist Rohit, an overwhelmed patent reviewer with 15 years of experience, in efficiently processing a high volume of applications without compromising thoroughness and accuracy, to ensure high-quality patent decisions?
Refining the user interface and workflow, we created prototypes for user testing to gather feedback and iterate on our design. Through usability testing, we validated our design decisions and ensured a seamless user experience.
As the Lead UX Designer, I was responsible for developing strategies and partnerships to standardize and improve the accessibility of components and patterns across mobile and web libraries.
I realized the importance of creating a style guide to ensure consistency and cohesion throughout the product. Without a unified design language, I risked creating a disjointed and confusing user experience.
The existing system was plagued by a cluttered interface, unintuitive navigation, and ineffective workflow, resulting in wasted time and frustration.
Through a user-centered design approach, I identified key pain points and developed a phased solution to address these issues. The resulting design improvements significantly enhanced the usability, streamlined the workflow, and provided effective feedback and support.
Key Takeaways
Design Decisions
Impact
Future Directions
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