Printer
Interface
Software design
Client
Hewlett-Packard
Involment
UI designer
Skills used
Wireframing
Interaction design
User interview
Tools used
Axure RP 9
Jira
Skills used
Prototyping – Wireframing
Interaction design – User interview
Tools used
Axure – Jira
Date
2019 – 2021
Context
When I joined HP, one of the projects I was assigned was large format printer interfaces. These devices are used in industrial environments because of their print volume and performance. This particular model, the HP Latex R2000, is 201 inches long and 143 inches wide and can print both flexible and rigid materials.
To manage the versatility and complexity of the product, the printer is equipped with specially designed software that is operated on a 15-inch screen. From here, the user can modify files, change printer settings, perform tests, activate flows and, of course, print.
In this context, being the only designer in charge, my main tasks were to design the experience of the new features and fix the current interface.
First steps
In order to get to know the product, it was important to have access to a test lab where the printers could be tested.
At the same time, it was key being able to hold meetings with different stakeholders and visit customers in their real working environment to get to know and understand them.
In the end, I was able to understand what was expected and needed from the product.
The team
The team was composed of a program manager, a development team with members in Barcelona and India, a customer experience lead, a visual designer, and an interaction designer (my role).
In parallel, a scrum master controlled the organization of the tasks and the customer experience team gave feedback on the different solution proposals.
Product status
Due to delivery deadlines, many functionalities were implemented differently than designed. As a result, additional complexity and time was added for the user to perform them.
Another issue was the consistency of the design across all products in terms of appearance and how similar situations were solved. A reason for this was the particular needs of these specific users and the wide variety of capabilities offered by this product.
Wireframe representation​
Adding a job to a queue flow / creating a queue
Design process
The Program Manager or Customer Experience Lead presented a task or problem to be solved to all stakeholders. Once understood and adequately described, a ticket was created in Jira. Following agile methodologies, a resolution time was assigned within the sprints. This was coordinated with the entire program to meet the deadline.
Once different possible solutions were thought of, iteration rounds were used with the Customer Experience team and the development team to get feedback and validate them. This ensured consistency across products and adjusted the proposal based on the development schedule. In some cases, the solution consisted of different phases of implementation, starting from an MVP to the desired experience.
Before going to market, the final solution was tested together with the Customer Experience Lead to ensure that the implemented solution conformed to the delivered specifications.
Deliverables
The specs were made in Axure RP 9 and saved as PDF documents. In order to design them, it was essential to think about all the possible scenarios that could occur.
Although the “happy path” is the first idea that comes to mind when looking for a solution, it was very important to dedicate the necessary time to design all the possible setbacks or “unhappyess”.
Because of this, fluid communication with the development team was essential.