Apple Inc.

Client

Apple

Year(s)

2010 – 2011

Goals

Design a new Content Management System for keeping global sales representatives informed and in sync

Overview

Apple needed to refresh a legacy content management system to deliver sales and product information to sales representatives around the globe. I was brought in to design the new user experience.

Business Analysis

I started by talking to regional and RTM (root-to-market) leads and collecting their top business priorities. I also evaluated the legacy product and interviewed stakeholders, content contributors and end-users to identify key drivers of product use. These interactions and evaluations helped us establish priorities and validate business scenarios with the users. With this insight, we established a clear set of goals that helped us stay on track as the project evolved and aided in focused discussions with stakeholders and representatives.

Interaction & Visual Design

Before designing the look-and-feel of the new product, I first established what content and features needed to be present. I created a click-through prototype to sort out the general organization of content, task flow, and a solid navigation model. Once that was pinned down, I based the new aesthetic on a recent redesign of the Apple.com site for a very simple and clean look that aligned with the business. One key focus in the design was a level of simplicity that required no training. The product is targeted at users who need to find and retrieve material quickly during intense work cycles, so I focused on designing features, models and visuals to support these goals.

Responsive Design

With a quickly growing number of mobile and tablet users, Apple wanted insure their sales force would be able access crucial data on the go. As a result, we designed the interface so that it would respond to a variety of devices.

Socialization

At various stages of the project, I presented design comps and rationale to various audiences. I led presentations for regional and RTM leads across the globe to help gain consensus. I also led presentations for financial stakeholders to keep them informed and maintain project support.

Change Management

We asked regional and RTM representatives to become intimately familiar with their content and rethink their content delivery strategy in preparation for the new system. We designed an on-boarding process to help representatives prepare for migration over a four-month span. This helped representatives develop a mental framework for presenting content in the new system, socialize the framework with their teams, and get all participants moving in unison toward the same goal. To support the on-boarding phase, I worked with representatives one-on-one to answer questions and address unique challenges that surfaced.