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Streamlining data comparison and navigation

Empowering everyday New Yorkers with features that allow them to compare, analyze, and create narratives from accessible equity datasets.

What my role was: End-to-end UX/UI Designer

Who I worked with: 2 UX/UI Designers, 1 Product Manager, 3 Engineers, 1 QA Analyst, 1 Data Analytics Officer/Engineer

How long the project was: 3 Months (August - November 2022)

What I did: UX Research, UI Design

Reducing complexity through data visualizations

Redesigned a web application that provides NYC capital investments, housing, and facilities data to be easier to trust and use.

Project Overview

The Capital Planning Explorer (CPE) is a map-based web tool for planners to access the maps and data that they need in order to better plan for investments in neighborhoods and collaborate with one another. The CPE also provides transparency to the public on different investments going on in their neighborhood.

The tool contains different data points visualized on a map that can be expanded for more information. It also contains map layers that provide the user with context. This project was done as an exploration to better understand how we can improve the current application and effectively serve its users.

Scope
Website Redesign

Role
UX Research, UI Design, Interaction Design

Team
Product Owner, Product Manager, 2 Designers, 2 Design Fellows

Duration
Research: July - September 2022
Ideation & Prototyping: Feb - March 2023

Personas

We distilled our user research insights into various personas. The personas were able to provide a presentable visual summary to better align with our Product Owner and partners in business.

Affinity Mapping

In order to synthesize all that we heard, we created 3 affinity maps. Some high-level findings were:

  • Lack of status visibility: all users highlighted the lack of clarity on the data update frequency or current project statuses and want more details

  • Data summarization: planners and the general public would like a way to quickly look at the total investments in specific neighborhoods, especially when comparing neighborhoods

  • Custom boundaries: internal planners have specific study areas they want to view data for that don’t always fit within the boundaries currently on the tool (ex. a Bronx study in two different neighborhoods)

  • Separation of data types: users are unclear on which data can be filtered and which are just map overlays since they’re all on the same side panel

“As soon as a project is completed, it falls off of here. It can make it look like these things are not done. We should have a way to show COMPLETED projects”

"If an agency has touched it or updated it, that seems like useful information to flag.”

User Journey

During the interviews and focus groups, we also asked users what their typical journey is like when using the Capital Planning Explorer. Through this, we recognized that a point of frustration across the three user groups was the start of the journey: 

  • Frustration in selecting custom geographic boundaries especially with selecting a point

  • Confusion in understanding the language used for administrative boundary types (if a general user)

  • Side panel icons confuse users and don’t provide enough context on what they represent

  • Navigation through the side panel and understanding which is an overlay and which adds data points on the map

User Interviews

After conducting an audit, we did 9 focus group interviews with DCP internal teams, 5 focus group interviews with external agencies, and 2 user interviews. This allowed us to narrow down the main user types and identify common pain points. The three groups were:​

DCP's Internal Planners

Main User Group

“We use CPE for presentations to community boards regarding amendments, looking especially at the housing layer.”

External Agency Planners

Secondary user group

“I want to do a project in x community board, what else is happening if I’m in community board 1 are there x projects totalling x money with x agencies” 

General Public

Tertiary user group

​"It’s helpful to use it today to look up housing developments while walking around Flatbush”​

Design Audit

We decided to conduct a design audit to gain baseline knowledge on how the application works and to determine if there were any UI/UX issues that were not up to par with best practices. We found various points of concern with common high-level issues being:​

Unexpected interactions

Ex: When selecting Citibike Stations and then selecting Bus Stops, the Citibike Stations disappear.

Lack of context

Ex: The difference between point data and overlay layers on the map is unclear

Research

Since the design team wasn’t familiar with the tool, we did extensive research to gain better context. We utilized several research methods to understand the tool’s purpose, our users and their pain points, and how to better align ourselves with our stakeholders.

Problem

Through the research, we were able to have a more specific goal for future design efforts:

How might we increase ease of use and user trust in the Capital Planning Explorer?

Design Solutions

Freedom to customize geographic data boundaries

This first design solution targeted our internal planner’s needs. It provides users with the ability to input their own shapefiles and filter datasets within their specific study area.

Sketches

Since we weren’t spending as much time in the design phase, I leveraged sketches to think through different starting points.

Reducing complexity using data visualizations

This iteration focused more on how the data is presented. Through charts and summaries, it is less overwhelming for general users and data is easier to reference for internal and external planners.

Balancing different user group needs

The last iteration balanced the three user needs. It included a way for internal planners to upload custom boundaries for their study areas. Meanwhile, it maintained the data visualizations that make it easier for general public users to understand and for external partners to reference.

Interactive Prototype

Next Steps

If we were able to continue with the project, I would continue to iterate on solutions and create more high-fidelity wireframes for more pages and features of the tool including:

  • A project page that provides transparency on when it was updated, who updated the project, project statuses, and timelines (if this data is available)

  • Interactions for how different datasets and data layers are downloaded

  • A design solution to allow for data comparisons of investments between different neighborhoods

I would also engage in usability testing using the interactive prototype to ensure that the pain points users faced were effectively addressed.

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