Using technology to inspire happiness in the lives of those affected by rare skin disease

The Project

MY ROLE

Lead Product Designer
Brand Designer
Illustrator
Animator

Duration

6 months

TOOLS USED

Sketch
Invision
Principle
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Lottie

hand holding a jar decorated with pretty lights

THE CLIENT

Creating a digital version of the Happiness Jar

The client, a pharmaceutical company, had a patient advocacy group that aimed to make their patients happy. They created stationary for their patients to take a note of something positive each day. The patients wrote down one positive thing each day and put it in a mason jar.

Once the mason jar was full, the patients spilled out the notes and read the good things that happened to them. This lifted their moods and maintained positivity.

Rare skin disease affects a wide range of people.

A major challenge I faced was designing a single product that appealed to a lot of different people. I also had to consider immobility caused by various skin diseases.

I faced this challenge by narrowing my focus to boosting positivity in the lives of our users. I studied various psychology resources, journaling apps, meditation apps, and habit-forming UX patterns. This coupled with preliminary user interviews created a strong foundation to begin ideation.

THE CHALLENGE

two people sharing a moment staring up at the sky

We used habit-forming UX patterns for good

I created wireframes and a clickable prototype for the team and the client to review. I collaborated with the team to finish the wireframes and the client recruited core users to begin usability testing. I made changes based on feedback from users and the development team. I then began brand identity design, high fidelity mockups, and motion prototyping.

wireframes are all the rage but no fun to see

User writes positive daily entry

User attaches photo or video to daily entry

User adds daily entry to private feed

the results

I created an animated prototypes in Principle to show the client and development team the proposed functionality. The app was presented at a conference help by the patient advocacy group. We used the conference as a chance to conduct more usability tests.

We implemented feedback from the tests and began implementation. I collaborated with development through implementation and made tweaks as needed to make sure all assets and features worked within the chosen framework.

a huge gif showing off my animation skills

I created onboarding illustrations and used After Effects and Lottie to bring them to life in the app.

New post

Camera roll

My Stuff feed

Using brand-building exercises to make web design decisions

The Project

MY ROLE

Brand Designer
Web Designer

duration

3 months

Tools USED

Figma
Sketch App
Slack
Google Meet

Companies are passionate about their brand identity, especially when there is none

I was tasked with updating the images for the internal company website. I took one look at the website and decided that replacing the images wouldn't cut it. The website lacked consistency in its design, looked outdated and uninspired, and was the product of a missing brand identity. What started as a simple request turned into a total brand refresh.

The team knew how to ship stellar products for clients but didn't understand the value of applying that same process to an internal project. We had a constraint to forego our usual design research and planning for the sake of time. I came up with various strategies to maneuver around this constraint so that I could do my best work.

The Challenge

Visual style before the refresh

Taking a look at the competition

We began the project with competitor analysis. It was important to asses where we stood in the market and where we wanted to be. We chose companies we looked up to and those that we wanted to differentiate ourselves from. We were better equipped to discuss what we liked and didn't like about our own brand.

Competitor brand snapshots

Competitor analysis example

The key to success is alignment

Once we discussed the results of the competitor analysis, I created an internal brand exercise to align the team. We defined the target audience, assessed the tone and visual language of our current brand, and used that same exercise to identify the desired tone and visual language for our future brand.

Brand exercise results

I used the results of the brand exercise to create mood boards. Once the team selected a direction for the visual design, I explored layouts and treatments. I collaborated with copywriters to create wireframes of the new page layouts then explored colors, patterns, textures and type treatments.

Final mood board

Final wireframe

The Result

Bringing it all together

I used the findings from the competitor analysis, brand exercises, and final mood board as a guide for all of my design decisions. This resulted in a visual style that reflected the goals of our company and evolved our brand identity.

Visual style after the refresh

Designing the touch interface for a modern electric vehicle

The Project

MY ROLE

Product Designer

duration

10 hours

tools used

Figma
Sketch
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator

The Process

The Scientific Method

UX design (and design in general) can be buzzword-y and transient. I am more grounded when I seek conceptual inspiration outside of the discipline. For this project I used the scientific method as a guideline for the design process.

The CHALLENGE

Getting to know the subject through competitor analysis and user research

I thought this would be a case where I would have to “design for everyone” but the data shows a pretty specific market. I considered a trip to the Tesla store to do some user interviews and observation but I saved some time and found a with some good info. It outlined the needs and behavior of two key user types—commute drivers and meeting drivers.

I looked up photos of analog and electric car interiors to get an idea of basic vehicle controls. I thought it was important to look at analog vehicles to get an idea of the most important features.

Analog car center console

Modern electric vehicle car center console

Using research and brainstorming to come up with useful solutions

I analyzed my research, created user stories, prioritized the stories based on user needs. I then created solutions that reflected those priorities. I created an experimental, modern layout to appeal to the senses of the tech-savvy, affluent user base.

Commute drivers need to be able to access entertainment and set their destination to navigate to and from work on time.

Meeting drivers need to know their charge level as they drive to many meetings throughout the day. They also need to know where they can charge to avoid outage.

This layout directly reflects the user needs based on the data I collected. GPS/navigation is most important, followed by entertainment, battery, and A/C.

Usability testing (lite)

I had a few friends in town and passed the design around to get some feedback. Everyone had a pretty good idea of what the interface was for without me telling them! I also observed some common questions and made a few tweaks to the final design based on the feedback.

THE RESULT

Hifi Mockup

Using technology to inspire happiness in the lives of those affected by rare skin disease

My roles during this project included lead product and brand designer, illustrator, and animator

The Project

Creating a digital version of the Happiness Jar

The client, a pharmaceutical company, had a patient advocacy group that aimed to make their patients happy. They created stationary for their patients to take a note of something positive each day. The patients were encouraged to write down one positive thing each day and put it in a mason jar.

Once the mason jar was full, the patients would spill out its contents and read all of the good things that happened to them. This was thought to lift their moods and maintain positivity.

Rare skin disease affects a wide range of people.

One challenge I faced was designing a single product that appealed to children, the elderly, and everyone in between. I also had to consider immobility caused by various skin diseases.

I faced this challenge by narrowing my focus to the overall objective of boosting positivity. I studied various psychology resources, journaling apps, meditation apps, and habit-forming UX patterns.

The Process

After research and brainstorming, I created wireframes and a clickable prototype for the team and the client to review. I collaborated with the project manager, developers, and the client to finalize the wireframes and begin usability testing.

I made changes based on the feedback we received and began brand identity work, high fidelity mockups, and motion prototyping.

I created animated prototypes in Principle to show the developers and the client proposed functionality. Once the prototyped was approved, the team showed the app to a focus group and conducted usability tests.

Once we implemented the feedback from the tests, we were ready to launch. I closely collaborated with development throughout implementation.

Using technology to inpsire happiness in the lives of those affected by rare skin disease

My roles during this project included lead product and brand designer, illustrator, and animator

The Project

Creating a digital version of the Happiness Jar

The client, a pharmaceutical company, had a patient advocacy group that aimed to make their patients happy. They created stationary for their patients to take a note of something positive each day. The patients were encouraged to write down one positive thing each day and put it in a mason jar.

Once the mason jar was full, the patients would spill out its contents and read all of the good things that happened to them. This was thought to lift their moods and maintain positivity.

Rare skin disease affects a wide range of people.

One challenge I faced was designing a single product that appealed to children, the elderly, and everyone in between. I also had to consider immobility caused by various skin diseases.

I faced this challenge by narrowing my focus to the overall objective of boosting positivity. I studied various psychology resources, journaling apps, meditation apps, and habit-forming UX patterns.

The Process

I made changes based on the feedback we received and began brand identity work, high fidelity mockups, and motion prototyping.

Once we implemented the feedback from the tests, we were ready to launch. I closely collaborated with development throughout implementation.

Strategic, user-centric product designer with a penchant for solving business needs

San Francisco, CA

PROCESS

Every project is different but the product design process is made of a few key ingredients

Research

I always begin the design process with research. It is important for me to understand the subject matter and identify the goals of the project.  I also complete a thorough competitor analysis and seek to understand the needs of the users.

Brainstorming

This is the fun part where I pull out the ol’ sketchbook and write down all my thoughts and ideas. This process of thinking on paper helps me solidify and organize my thoughts. I analyze my research, create user stories based on the user needs, and explore solutions.

Testing

Once I come up with a few solutions, I collaborate with developers to assess the feasibility. I also create animated prototypes and return to the user base and gather feedback through user testing. I use that feedback to solidify the solutions and begin visual design.

Design

I create high-fidelity mockups that appeal to the senses of the demographic and match the desired tone of the brand. I also follow or create brand guidelines depending on the needs of the project. I collaborate with development through and beyond implementation.

About me

Hello, my name is
Janiece Allison

I am a senior product designer, animator and illustrator with 8 years of professional experience. I enjoy working in a field that allows me to put my passions to work daily. My long history of self-teaching and working in a wide variety of work environments has made me an adaptable designer.

I can come into any workplace and adapt and succeed. But, I am not looking for any workplace. I am looking for a workplace that values design and values every employee. Where everyone works towards a common goal rather than individual agendas.

Janiece Allison rocking hipster glasses and a dad hat

contact me

Let's get to work

Thanks for taking the time to check out my portfolio. Feel free to hit me up if you are interested in working together. I am also willing to meet and grab coffee if you’re located in or around the Bay Area.

Email Me

Using technology to inspire happiness in the lives of those affected by rare skin disease

Creating a digital version of the Happiness Jar

Rare skin disease affects a wide range of people.

Using brand-building exercises to make web design decisions

Companies are passionate about their brand identity, especially when there is none

Taking a look at the competition

The key to success is alignment

Bringing it all together

Designing the touch interface for a modern electric vehicle

The Scientific Method

Getting to know the subject through competitor analysis and user research

Using research and brainstorming to come up with useful solutions

Usability testing (lite)

Using technology to inspire happiness in the lives of those affected by rare skin disease

Creating a digital version of the Happiness Jar

Rare skin disease affects a wide range of people.

Using technology to inpsire happiness in the lives of those affected by rare skin disease

Creating a digital version of the Happiness Jar

Rare skin disease affects a wide range of people.

Strategic, user-centric product designer with a penchant for solving business needs

Every project is different but the product design process is made of a few key ingredients

Research

Brainstorming

Testing

Design

Hello, my name is Janiece Allison

Let's get to work

Hello, my name is
Janiece Allison