Portfolio

Pictures of web pages for products and services only tell a tiny part of the story of user experience design. For each portfolio piece I intend to spend time unpacking the process, roles, responsibilities, objectives and how the end result met the needs and expectations of users.

Featured portfolio piece

Help Centre home page.

If you're looking for the best place to start then take a look at this piece on The Open University Help Centre. Here you'll find out all about the product and my role in leading, designing and developing the site.

At The Open University (2002-2021)

I was often the sole UX designer working on a number of high profile digital assets and websites across the Open University.

Help Centre - Lead UX designer, merging many student support websites and unwieldy FAQs into a single knowledge base. Introduced highly accessible, inclusive user centred design, feedback widgets, behavioural analytics, continuous improvements and operational procedures.
Tutorial booking system - Lead design, running agile UX sprints to deliver regular incremental value to students. Included conceptualising user experience for waiting lists, cancelation, venue location and facilities and a backup system for Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) layer failure.
StudentHome - Sole designer for the 2009 redesign (still active today!) of the bespoke portal to OU online study and administration. Complete overhaul, introducing user-centred design, web standards, high accessibility, responsive layout. Used by over 200,000 students per year.
TutorHome - Sole UX designer creating HTML, CSS, JS, graphics, running collaborative design and ideation workshops with Associate Lecturers (AL) and staff tutors. Consulting with the AL Executive, involving key stakeholders and users in every step of the development.
OUICE design component library framework - Conceptualised, designed and developed a CSS framework for rapid delivery of accessible, brand-compliant OU websites.
Countdown to study - Led the UX design of an interactive tool to help new and reuturning students know what to do and buy when before starting their studies. Included a mechanism to 'tick' items as done. For example, having applied for student loan, disability support allowance, pre-module induction an so on.
Complaints and appeals - Lead designer, working with external consultants to research, evaluate, design and test a service the better served both customers and the back-office processing student complaints and appeals against their grades.
MyStuff ePortfolio - Sole UX designer working with a team of Learning Design developers, translating abstract concepts into tangible and usable interfaces to match student mental models.
Module chooser - Lead designer, original conceptual design, HTML, CSS, content for the service that all OU students use to register and enroll on their modules.
Careers Advisory Service - Complete overhaul of the digital service taking a needs-base approach to content organisation.
Services for disabled students - Implemented 'practice what you preach' accessibility for all regardless of disability. Praised for high accessibility for blind/partially sighted students, students with manual dexterity issues and cognitive issues. Approach subsequently rolled out to websites across the organisation.
Skills for OU Study - Led the design and development of the study skills website, bringing together help and support from a number of different websites into a single cohesive experience.
Study with the OU - Lead designer on the OU online prospectus. Overhauled the course descriptions to better meet enquirer and student needs and expectations.
Student profile - Sole designer, overhauling the front-end design acting as a gateway and masking ancient technical systems.
Staff profiles (People Profiles) - Sole designer, front-end design, HTML and CSS using the OUICE framework.

Additional services I have worked on as a service designer include

Request for disability support
Request for special circumstances to be taken into account with regard to the final overall assessment calculation
Request to take a break from study
Request to withdraw from study
Request careers and employability guidance from an adviser
Request additional study support
Request a reference from the OU
Request extra support at a residential school
Request to take an exam at home

At Johnston Press / Central Counties Newspapers (2000-2002)

I was the Senior Web Designer working across nine local newspapers

Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser
Brackley Review
Brackley and Towcester Advertiser
Daventry Express
Hemel Gazette
Rugby Advertiser
Leamington Courier
Bucks Herald
Banbury Guardian

I was responsible for leading the overall digital design of the newspapers as well as creating bespoke advertisements and brochure websites for customers.

As a freelancer (1999-current)