Bloom is a flexible, reliable, and customisable e-learning solution developed by the Software Services team at the University of London (UoL). It is used by 3 million users in more than 90 colleges, universities, and education/training institutions across the United Kingdom.

In March 2016, I began working on a project to research and redesign the user experience and user interface. The goal of the project is to create an "out-of-the-box" service offering that meets the needs of all users - from students and lecturers to learning technologists and admin staff.

As the co-lead researcher, I used a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods - including competitor analysis, one-to-one interviews, focus groups, and surveys - to better understand how users are currently using Bloom and other virtual learning environments. I transcribed and analysed the research to generate insights that were used by Petya Stoyanova, the team's Graphic/Interaction Designer, to create various research outputs, including:

• Personas for student, lecturer, and learning technologist users

• User journeys for both mobile and desktop/laptop experiences

• Low-fidelity mockups for user interfaces and dashboards

In addition, I repurposed the research outputs for content marketing purposes and authored a white paper, Top 5 Research Findings: The Student Experience With Moodle and a magazine article for Education Technology.

In January and February 2016, the University of London (UoL) undertook a five-week discovery project to explore user needs around a maintenance-reporting app for one the UK's leading providers of student accommodation. As the lead researcher, I ran a series of one-to-one interviews and focus groups, collected and analyzed 200+ survey responses, and conducted site visits to understand the needs of students and staff who would be using the app.

My research found that while residents would like to submit maintenance requests through a mobile app, they also want the app to deal with various wellbeing and welfare issues (e.g. noise complaints; referrals for medical/dental services; delivery/mail pickup). However, existing issues with back-end processes and systems used by the client would result in lower download, use, and adoption rates amongst student residents. For example, residents wanted the app to provide details on when they could expect someone to fix their issue and they wanted notifications when someone visited their residence and the work that was completed. After conducting a site visit, I concluded that these needs could not be met because the current system used by the client requires repetitive manual data entry and results in complex, paper-based processes (e.g. staff have limited access to technology and they use paper receipts from a carbon-copy receipt book; completed job sheets are manually filled in, scanned, and saved as non-searchable PDFs).

Therefore, I recommended that the client improve their back-end systems and processes with new software and focus on quick-wins - specifically, creating a mobile-optimized website, introducting live chat functionality, and focusing on student well-being and welfare services.

Note: unfortunately, due to a strict non-disclosure agreement, I cannot make research outputs for this project publicly available. However, I do have permission to share - in a private, one-on-one discussion - the presentation I gave to the company's C-level executives.

Currently, Transport for London (TfL) is undergoing a large-scale and aggressive digital transformation. Designed to streamline and improve customer service and operations, the project team is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying a full suite of mobile applications for use on TfL-issued smartphones and tablets.

As one of the contract UX Designers, I was responsible for creating test scenarios based on existing user journeys and conducting user testing with various TfL staff. I collected and analyzed the feedback and presented it to the larger project group using printed screenshots with colour-coded annotations. Using the insights I generated from my research activities, I collaborated with internal stakeholders and external service providers and contractors to redesign and improve the user experience of both the single-sign on and fault reporting applications.

With the single sign-on process, my findings directly contributed to the decision made by the project team leads to decouple the need to set password recovery options when a user initially signs in. For many users, this process took more than 15 minutes, was very frustrating and confusing, and was not optimized for the devices they used.

Similarily, with the fault reporting application, my research findings resulted in a new layout for the profile pop-up box and new location for the logout button. I also created a design pattern for connectivity notifications for both tablet and smartphone devices as users wanted consistency in how they were notified when their device had slow/no connectivity. For a more information on the development of the design pattern, please download the TfL Case Study.

Rewardr is a corporate rewards app built using Ruby on Rails, various gems, and HTML/CSS/jQuery on the front-end. It was built in collaboration with Stephen Giles, Tim Scully, and Fadie Hannona. A sample version of the app can be found on Heroku and the source code is available on GitHub.

Badgr is a mobile app built with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS that allows users to send badges to their friends. It was built in collaboration with Stephen Giles, Tim Scully, and Fadie Hannona. The source code is available on GitHub.

Pico Pico is a basic Twitter-like app created with PostgreSQL, Ruby, Sinatra, HTML, CSS, and jQuery. A sample version of the app can be found on Heroku and the source code is available on GitHub.

In mid-2015, London South Bank University (LSBU) commenced a project to overhaul their publications repository, LSBU Research Open. The project was designed to improve the repository and integrate a third-party research system in time for changes to open access rules in April 2016.

As the lead designer on the project, I was responsible for designing the user experience and user interface based on user needs. However, due to tight project deadlines, I was unable to complete a comprehensive and thorough user research phase. I shortened the research phase and relied on a small sample of users and various online resources and academic research on repository usage patterns and user expectations.

After analysing the research I gathered, I created a series of low-fidelity wireframes using Axure RP. These wireframes were shared with LSBU and amended to account for subsequent changes to their institutional branding and web standards. Once the wireframes were approved, they were given to a team of developers who reconfigured and redesigned the repository.

For a complete overview of the project, please download the LSBU Research Open Case Study.

In January 2017, senior management at an established European financial services and advisory firm began a review of the training programme that all new hires were to complete within the first two months of joining the company. While 100% of new hires for 2016 completed the training, more than 60% completed it just before the deadline. This presented a unique problem because new staff could not work on new or existing client accounts until the training was complete.

I was asked by the management team rethink the training experience and user interface. I began by reviewing existing employee data for trends and researched various staff development and training programs. I focused on programs offered on mobile devices because the firm was also considering a proposal to give each staff member a tablet for client work. To increase the value proposition for the tablet proposal, I recommended that the training be repurposed into a tablet app so as to offer users a more flexible, anywhere/anytime, tailored experience. To support my recommendation, I created high-fidelity mockups for a training module delivered on a mobile device.

For more information - including a project overview, research findings, and sample mockups - please download the Financial Services Training Case Study.

In March 2016, I was assigned a research and strategy project that involved working with one of the leading specialist training institutions in England. The institution wanted to replace an existing system that research staff used to submit manuscripts for internal review prior to submitting the manuscript for publication in a journal.

As the lead researcher, I conducted a series of interviews and focus groups, reviewed a previous report on replacing the system that was written in 2015, and researched the range of existing products already on the market. Based on my research, I recommended that the institution delay replacing the system and focus on developing policy to improve the submission rate - currently, only 30-40% of manuscripts are submitted for internal review. My recommendations were included in a 15 page summary report that also included:

• Personas for two research staff users

• Low-fidelity wireframes for the user dashboard and submission page

For more information - including a project overview, key research findings, personas, and wireframes - please download the Fast-Add Manuscript System (FAMS) Case Study.