Axure Software Solutions > Case Studies > Transitioning a Design Team to Interactive Prototyping: A Case Study at Harvard Business Review

Transitioning a Design Team to Interactive Prototyping: A Case Study at Harvard Business Review

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection

Applicable Industries

Education
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Visual Quality Detection

Services

Hardware Design & Engineering Services
Training

About The Customer

The customer in this case study is the Harvard Business Review (HBR), a leading global publication in the field of business and management. HBR provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead their organizations more effectively. The design team at HBR was primarily focused on creating static mockups for large screens. However, with the increasing importance of mobile-first design and the need for more efficient and effective communication between the design and development teams, there was a need for a transition to interactive prototyping. This transition was led by Dani Nordin, a UX expert with extensive experience in introducing user-centered design practices.

The Challenge

Dani Nordin, UX Director at Pegasystems, was tasked with transitioning the design team at Harvard Business Review (HBR) from creating static mockups for large screens to interactive mobile-first prototypes using Axure. The challenge arose from a disconnect between the design team's creation of documentation for the development team and the way the development team built things. The design team was primarily focused on the larger screen experience and presented their work in static comps due to short timelines and an impression that stakeholders couldn’t “think in mobile”. This resulted in an inconsistent experience across devices as the front-end team had to interpret how the designs would adapt to smaller screens. This led to communication breakdowns and frustration across the team. Nordin's key recommendation was to shift from static comps to interactive, adaptive Axure prototypes.

The Solution

The solution involved two major steps. The first was to get the leadership in Design and Product on board with the transition by demonstrating the advantages of prototypes in terms of clarity and responsiveness. This led to sufficient buy-in to send the designers for training on how to use the tool. The second step was to show the Design team how prototypes could be used on a project. This was done through two major projects: a redesign of the Webinar section of the website and a redesign of My Library, a set of internal features for readers. Despite initial resistance from the Design team, who felt the need for higher visual fidelity, the team eventually grew more confident in creating higher-fidelity prototypes that could serve as primary design documentation. The team also started to incorporate a mobile-first approach earlier in the design process and to use annotations to support the developers.

Operational Impact

The transition to an Axure-based workflow led to significant improvements in the overall design and interaction within the site. The Design team was able to envision and get stakeholder buy-in on the complete experience, rather than asking them to imagine how a design would adapt to different screen sizes. For key interactions within My Library, the team was able to demonstrate complete interactions for the tech team, helping them understand intended behavior as well as visual design. The process also led to a shift in expectations from static comps towards interactive prototypes, making the process more efficient. The transition also led to a more collaborative environment, with the Design team actively working with the tech team and a shift in Nordin's role to one that is focused more on advising and guiding the UX.