Cinesite Animation
Software, UX, UI
2024
2024
NOTE
DASHBOARD
NOTE
DASHBOARD
The project management tools at Cinesite lacked the ability to take multiple notes on a single page. Users had to manually open up every shot, write the note, and publish it — a tedious task made difficult when reviews often varied from plans.
Since our pipeline team was incredibly experienced at coding custom add-ons and dashboards for our software (ftrack), I partnered with them to design something that would meet our management team's needs. The software team had made steps towards designing a new notes interface but they needed a designer to come in and take charge in order to make the new product fit exactly what we needed.
Cinesite Animation
Software, UX, UI
2024
NOTE DASHBOARD
The project management tools at Cinesite lacked the ability to take multiple notes on a single page. Users had to manually open up every shot, write the note, and publish it — a tedious task made difficult when reviews often varied from plans.
Since our pipeline team was incredibly experienced at coding custom add-ons and dashboards for our software (ftrack), I partnered with them to design something that would meet our management team's needs. The software team had made steps towards designing a new notes interface but they needed a designer to come in and take charge in order to make the new product fit exactly what we needed.
SCOPE
SCOPE
SCOPE
The existing notes dashboard had not been designed by or for the people who would actually be using it (the Project Managers). This meant we had a non-intuitive, information heavy interface that didn't actually meet the needs of users nor was it easy for them to understand.
My design was created to give our software team a guide for what we actually wanted and would use. I conducted user interviews and testing (plus used my own experiences as a Project Manager) to come up with a design that met everyone's needs. The final product was built in ftrack, our project management software.
The existing notes dashboard had not been designed by or for the people who would actually be using it (the Project Managers). This meant we had a non-intuitive, information heavy interface that didn't actually meet the needs of users nor was it easy for them to understand.
My design was created to give our software team a guide for what we actually wanted and would use. I conducted user interviews and testing (plus used my own experiences as a Project Manager) to come up with a design that met everyone's needs. The final product was built in ftrack, our project management software.
RESULT
RESULT
RESULT
I developed an interactive prototype in Figma to showcase what we needed and how we expected it to work. This meant the software team could step away from design and focus solely on implementation!
My dashboard design was a hit since it balanced a lot of information with intuitive, minimal design to keep things visually pleasing and easy to understand.
I developed an interactive prototype in Figma to showcase what we needed and how we expected it to work. This meant the software team could step away from design and focus solely on implementation!
My dashboard design was a hit since it balanced a lot of information with intuitive, minimal design to keep things visually pleasing and easy to understand.
SKETCHING
RESEARCH
SKETCHING
Since I had worked as a Project Manager and conducted hundreds of reviews over my career, I already had a lot of experience working with notes dashboards. I was familiar with what worked (customization, minimal layout) and what didn't (an inability to save notes, clutter, the wrong information being displayed).
At Cinesite, the main thing we were seeking was something that was easy to understand with minimal training. Since the people taking notes in meetings were often newer team members, they didn't have an innate understanding of dashboard interfaces. They needed something that made sense from the jump and was easy to operate.
Since I had worked as a Project Manager and conducted hundreds of reviews over my career, I already had a lot of experience working with notes dashboards. I was familiar with what worked (customization, minimal layout) and what didn't (an inability to save notes, clutter, the wrong information being displayed).
At Cinesite, the main thing we were seeking was something that was easy to understand with minimal training. Since the people taking notes in meetings were often newer team members, they didn't have an innate understanding of dashboard interfaces. They needed something that made sense from the jump and was easy to operate.
My primary research involved interviewing management team members to understand what exactly they were looking for. Because every department manager had different needs, my goal was to discover the baseline setup everyone wanted and then add the ability to customize what was displayed.
I found that production management teams tended to like information to be displayed "just in case" rather than moving towards minimalism. This kind of thinking is what had led to the cluttered, confusing design of the initial dashboard and I personally felt a stronger method would be to start from a place of simplicity, adding on only as needed.
To gain the trust of users to do this, I emphasized the importance of iteration within the design process and customization within the final design. I didn't want them to feel at any point like the design was set in stone — it would always be evolving!
My primary research involved interviewing management team members to understand what exactly they were looking for. Because every department manager had different needs, my goal was to discover the baseline setup everyone wanted and then add the ability to customize what was displayed.
I found that production management teams tended to like information to be displayed "just in case" rather than moving towards minimalism. This kind of thinking is what had led to the cluttered, confusing design of the initial dashboard and I personally felt a stronger method would be to start from a place of simplicity, adding on only as needed.
To gain the trust of users to do this, I emphasized the importance of iteration within the design process and customization within the final design. I didn't want them to feel at any point like the design was set in stone — it would always be evolving!
Client
Design
Client
Design
Cinesite Animation
Jessica Wynn Cole
Cinesite Animation
Jessica Wynn Cole
