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Transforming Stories
Case Study
My Role: UX Designer
Timeline: Jun 2023-Aug 2023
Overview
Task: Revamp the Transforming Stories website, an online platform where faculty and students of MSU's Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, can share narrative writing pieces and poetry depicting their diverse experiences. This position was part of the MSU College of Arts and Letters Summer Internship Program and had a maximum timeline of about 30 days.
Within that timeframe, the position required weekly collaboration with the client and creator of Transforming Stories to produce an intuitive, engaging platform that resonated with community members and MSU participants.
Main Objective: The Transforming Stories site required a full overhaul to successfully build a more cohesive online presence, so a vast number of users could access the site to learn more about the project goals and enlist more participants to share their creative stories.
While working with the client on this project, my main goal was to create a consistent branding theme, update any recent information regarding site contributors or new writings, and create an organized platform where users could easily submit writing.
The Challenge
One main constraint I had throughout this project was the timeline. Since this was a short project, there was a small window of time to redesign a large majority of the site. Besides the strict timeline, there also were restrictions within the design management software that was being used to host Transforming Stories. The website, for the time being, needed to be hosted on Wix and could not be used on another platform, per the user’s requirements.
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Despite these challenges, I was able to learn quite a bit about the design process, have meaningful interactions with the client, and use key information from the client to help build the site to their preferences. This experience was extremely valuable to me as a student and future UX professional because it gave me a realistic timeline of how the design process works, what challenges can occur, and how to approach different design development stages.
Solution
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My findings and lessons of growth I gained from working on the web development of Transforming Stories were the implementation and evolution of creating a design strategy. More specifically, creating a process that works and makes sense for the client and their project timeline, which may differ from client to client.
For instance, this project had a rigid time constraint, so prioritizing a general redesign was more inclusive than instead a detailed, lengthy revamp that wouldn’t benefit the user's overall demands. Also, understanding that there are sometimes firm limitations within a design project and being able to problem-solve in different ways to complete the assignment that fits the user’s goals and needs is essential.
Process
Before Redesign:
After Redesign:
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Takeaways
The Transforming Stories project provided an invaluable opportunity to hone my UX design skills, teaching me critical lessons in adaptability, client collaboration, and creative problem-solving under real-world constraints. Some of the lessons I learned throughout the internship were:
1. Adaptability to Client Needs and Constraints:
Working on a tight timeline taught me to prioritize essential design elements to meet client requirements efficiently. Rather than attempting an exhaustive redesign, I focused on creating a cohesive brand presence that aligned with the client's immediate needs. This approach ensured that the site updates were impactful within the project’s time limitations.
2. Effective Communication and Collaboration:
Regular interaction with the client was essential in understanding and adapting to their vision. By aligning my design process with the client's expectations, I developed a workflow that was tailored to their objectives while also providing the flexibility to adapt as new priorities emerged.
3. Problem-Solving with Limitations:
Being limited to Wix required creative solutions within platform constraints, which pushed me to explore alternative design strategies that worked within these boundaries. This experience underscored the importance of adaptability and problem-solving in design work. Furthermore, building a strong relationship with the client allowed me to understand on a personal level what obstacles required more attention to detail than others.
Overall, this project enhanced my skills in responsive, client-centered design, effective project management under time constraints, and creative problem-solving—valuable lessons that I will carry forward into future UX roles.