I spent the summer of 2019 at Zynga as a UX design intern on Words with Friends 2 (WWF2), where I set brand guidelines, designed new graphics, and led an internal Hackathon design team. I also re-worked a complex flow to make starting new games more intuitive.
Problem: Users are encouraged to share the recipes they created to the public, but doing so requires too much time and effort.
Solution: I re-designed the flow making recipe-sharing much easier. Improvements to the old flow include: previews so that users can visualize exactly what the information they input will be used for, better page hierarchy, and a faster input process.
Problem: Alloy is a powerful tool with many capabilities, and can be overwhelming to new users.
Solution: I designed a tutorial that walks users through making their first recipe. It also introduces users to Alloy-specific terminology, including action blocks, triggers, etc.
Problem: Recipes can become complex, involving while loops, if conditions and multi-step actions. Command-Z could bring users several steps back, but some users wanted to refer back to the recipe they made days ago.
Solution: I designed version control to allow users to save backups whenever they wanted to and enable auto-saving.
Problem: Users want to see trends regarding their businesses.
Solution: With the user's permission, Alloy can collect data on its user's businesses. I designed a flow that allows users to choose which metrics they want to see, graph them, and analyze trends.
Problem: Sometimes, a user might want to see not just one value graphed versus time, but a mathematical formula graphed versus time.
Solution: I developed the metric builder for users who want to create and save their own formulas specific to their business. The user could combine data and mathematical operations to create their own equations.
For our hackathon, we created a new game mode called Word Crush. We got our inspiration from Candy Crush, where users level up by reaching increasingly difficult target scores. Word Crush is for users who want to challenge themselves to play high-scoring words during the later levels. I created the background art, some level platforms, and mini-boss designs.
Basic concepts:
Chronic digestive disorders are one of the most common reasons for patients readmitted within 30 days. UPMC Passavant aims to reduce the readmission rate of patients diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, short for IBS. Reducing hospital readmissions represents an opportunity to lower health care costs, improve quality, and increase patient satisfaction all at once.
My goal in this project is to reduce the IBS readmission rate at UPMC Passavant. I hope to accomplish this goal by creating a learning experience for newly diagnosed patients.
I came up with storyboards, each representing a different learning experience for patients. Then, I presented these storyboards to my interviewees. Learning why some methods would not be as effective helped inform my design decisions.
During ramp-up, new designers critique WWF2 and provide suggestions on how to make it better. For my game report, I looked for times when the user flow is frustrating and time-consuming.
I’ve learned that there is no one list of foods to avoid for everyone diagnosed with IBS. It is a great challenge to figure out which foods trigger their symptoms. I decided to develop a food tracker + visual symptom analysis app to help patients discover how their body react to different foods. IBS sufferers can analyze their own symptom trend reports. This differentiates TrackMe from normal diet tracking apps.
I reconnected with my interviewees to test my idea. First, I created paper prototypes and jotted down notes after watching patients run through the user flow. After reviewing the confusion points in the low fi wireframes, I created these mid fidelity wireframes. Then, I worked in Figma & Illustrator to create a design system and style. To learn more about my process in detail, please email me!
This friction could cause new users to leave the Game. Create Game is the most important flow in WWF2 to gaining new users. My main goal in re-working the information architecture was to improve conversion.
Consolidating the game modes into one section reduces ambiguity and streamlines the task flow. KPI Metrics that improve as a result of this change include Retention, New Users, and K-Factor.
It was a welcome challenge to work with a style and brand that differed from my own. WWF2 visuals included fun gradients and highly saturated colors, which I often used subtly in my personal projects. This internship gave me the confidence to quickly pick up different styles of design and illustration and apply them when necessary on a project-to-project basis based on visual direction. Overall, I really appreciated the opportunity to work with my mentors during this internship.
