HP
Image Zone
Overview
When HP was building a new version
of its flagship desktop photo and imaging product HP
Image Zone, it sought Rocket’s help to create
and produce a new visual language design to provide a unique
identity for the product as well as consistency for the overall
user experience. HP Image Zone is a suite of photo, imaging
and printing tools for consumers that make digital image
manipulation and printing easy to learn and efficient to
use.
The Rocket design team addressed the following product interface
components:
• User interface design
• Visual language design
• Icon design
• Screen layout
• GUI specifications and Visual Design Guidelines
Project Timeline
To meet critical code-freeze deadlines and launch dates, this
project was delivered within an aggressive 19 week schedule.
Challenges
The Rocket design team’s greatest challenge was to enhance the consistency
of the GUI within the product structures already well under development by
HP. While there was flexibility for making visual design changes for the product,
making changes to the user interface were limited. Further challenging
the
team was the need for efficient cross-team
and long-distance communication, because there were 14 different development
teams ( all located in different locations
across the U.S. ) working on 9 different product components.
1.
Establishing efficient communication, process and coordination
| • |
Collaborating with the
14 development teams to establish a common development process
that would integrate with their different stages of code
development, code freeze dates, and underlying code structure
for each of the product’s components, since the components
were built on as many as three different code bases (.NET,
MFC, and HTML) |
| • |
Establishing a technology bridge
between Rocket and HP to expedite asset review and transfer
to HP’s engineering for implementation in their code
(including QA assurance and strict adherence to pre-defined
asset management guidelines) |
| • |
Creating a naming convention for
graphic assets that would allow seamless delivery to the
HP CDP/CVS system (Collaborative Development Program / Concurrent
Version System), and ultimately the product code |
| • |
Creating a process for delivering
assets into the joint Rocket-HP Concurrent Version System
(CVS) to maximize development efficiencies in multiple parallel
efforts |
| • |
Coordination of effort and achievement
of design consensus across each of the nine component groups,
each having their own team of UI designers, engineers, and
project managers |
2. Developing
a friendly, consistent GUI and visual design
| • |
Rapidly comprehending
multiple product specifications, written in various formats
and levels of completion, to interpret features, functionality,
and the technical capabilities and constraints |
| • |
Rapidly interpreting the HP marketing
requirements associated with the brand message when presented
to pre-defined customer segments into Visual Language Design
guidelines that could direct the design of an aesthetically
inviting Graphical User Interface |
| • |
Design of a Visual Language that
was approachable and enticing to pre-defined corporate customer
segment groups while supporting the HP brand message |
| • |
Creating a seamless interaction
look and feel across nine of the most critical component
groups that each were in different stages of code development,
without creating a ripple effect that would jeopardize any
of the code freeze deadlines |
| • |
Creating a seamless user interaction
design across three disparate code bases |
Project Approach
The Rocket team used a modified verison of its LaunchPAD™ design process,
commening the project with a rapid assessment phase to thoroughly understand
HP stakeholder requirements, user needs, engineering requirements, scope of
desired product functionality, and the various underlying code infrastructures
of the product. Following the assessment phase, the Rocket design team and
the HP product team collaboratively prioritized requirements and once completed,
implemented an iterative design-review-modify process to create and produce
the final GUI designs for delivery to the HP engineering teams. Rocket also
established a direct connection to the HP engineering team to allow immediate
integration of the approved designs into the development code. This allowed
deliverables to be instantly included in the next available product build.
Key activities during this process included:
| • |
Expedient knowledge transfer of HP Image
Zone's features and functionalities, technical requirements,
business drivers, and user requirements from HP to the Rocket
design team |
| • |
Working with the engineering and subject matter experts to
determine the appropriate technical requirements that drove
visual and interface design decisions |
| • |
Creating the final visual language and producing the various
graphical assets and screen designs via rapid design and review
sessions |
| • |
Delivering all assets and source files directly to HP engineering
via a VPN to their CVS system. |
| • |
Developing comprehensive design guidelines to ensure GUI
consistency after Rocket delivery to engineering |
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Project Outcome
Judging the success of this project was quite simple: usability and visual
design goals were surpassed, the various HP Image Zone components operated
seamlessly to make image manipulation and printing easy to learn and efficient
to use, and client satisfaction of the final designs and process used was high
and widespread.
Other specific achievements included:
| • |
Unanimous HP Image Zone component team, executive
management and corporate marketing agreement on the final HP
Image Zone Visual Language Design |
| • |
Delivery of all graphic assets on-time (and some ahead of
schedule) for each of the nine code freeze deadlines |
| • |
Creation and implementation of a common look and feel across
the entire suite of HP Image Zone photo, imaging and printing
tools, including across the disparate code bases |
| • |
Efficient design, review, production and delivery of over
1170 assets to HP Image Zone engineering |
Client Testimonial
“Having been an HP employee for over 15 years, never have I seen such unanimous
praise and alignment in support of a deliverable as I have for the new HP Image
Zone graphics. HP is full of perfectionists and engineers who love to find the
slightest fault with just about anything. We expect alot from ourselves and from
anyone we work with. I have heard nothing but delight over the HP Image Zone
visual language from stakeholders across the company: brand management, usability,
program management, engineering, marketing, etc. It is unprecedented to have
such unanimous support from all parts of the company. Thank you for exceeding
our expectations beyond our wildest dreams!”
Tina Marie Leja, Usability Program Lead
HP, January 2003
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