Process

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  Product Vision

  When I first joined the Science Simulations (Sims) team at Amplify, there was little consistency between individual simulations and an overall lack of product definition. I worked with the Sims product owner and subject matter experts 
to help clarify our instructional and user goals.

  
  

  Collaborating with the product team early on in the process helped us create a shared vision and understanding of each other’s roles.

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  Interaction Models & Flows

  My team was challenged with creating
 a simple, consistent interaction model across all four Sims in the suite. While working with the different curriculum teams, we identified patterns in their instructional models. This helped us define the tools each student would interact with while running experiments in the Sims.

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  Adaptive Framework

  Amplify’s product leadership team mandated that the different components of the system must function as both native tablet applications and browser-based web apps. Drawing on my past experience in responsive and adaptive web design, I created a UI framework with a set of modules that scaled across different screen sizes.

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  Sketching & Prototyping

  By creating a unified interaction model for all
 four simulations, we were able to work with modular, reusable components across the suite. This standardized UI allowed students to become familiar with the interactions and controls, regardless of which application they were in.

  
  

  I also created a comprehensive series of flows and wireframes to define the functionality in all of the Sims. I met frequently with our curriculum writers, product owner, visual designers, and developers to ensure that the designs were feasible and appropriate to our goals.

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  Agile Development & Testing

  After completing the initial designs and validating them with my team, I began collaborating with our engineers in two-week Agile development sprints. I strove to keep us focused on a clear product vision while we incrementally built the product. We also had the opportunity to refine our concepts through frequent user testing with students in our target age group.