IBM RPA
The ask
Bluewashing
When we acquired RPA, the product was functionally sound, but required a lot of tweaking to be usable. IBM sets a high standard for usability and accessibility, and the software needed to be completely redesigned (or ‘bluewashed’) to meet these standards.
A new installer
The installer experience of the acquired product was poor, with many users deciding to quit halfway through install. Most of the open support tickets were related to the installer. I was also asked to propose a trial experience.
A delightful experience
The installer experience of the acquired product was poor, with many users deciding to quit halfway through install. Most of the open support tickets were related to the installer. I was also asked to propose a trial experience.
The EDT approach
We made sure that we followed an Enterprise Design Thinking approach- hosting multiple design thinking workshops in order to better understand our users, their journeys, and what big ideas we could generate for future iterations of the product.
Consistent playbacks
Throughout the design process, I constantly played back ideas to the team. A dedicated weekly slot for collaboration between the product management team, research, design and development was set up, as well as a regular 3-in-a-box call and ad-hoc formal presentations.
User testing
I put together prototypes of the final design and pushed these for user testing. We got some really valuable feedback that allowed the team to make key changes to the functionality of the product, and helped to validate design decisions that had been made.
Illustration & animation
I created a set of robot helpers that would accompany a user along their RPA journey and provide contextual help when needed in the product.
The redesigned experience
Loading screens
The loading screens would appear when IBM RPA is taking time to complete an action or a process. The redesigned experience would comprise of a robot illustration and a pun, to make the waiting experience more fun!
Error 404 screens
The error screens would show when IBM RPA has failed on an action, or if a task performed by a user was incorrect.