I planned and conducted user research, collaborated on product strategy, and performed usability testing. Additionally, I created the Zoetis Diagnostics and Vetscan Hub design systems, synthesized research findings into personas, customer journeys, cognitive models, and prioritized features.
I joined during the early development phase when no user research had been conducted or planned. Zoetis relied on external vendors, leading to communication and coordination challenges. My goals were to establish product development processes, build a Zoetis Diagnostics design system, and create a Vetscan Hub design system.
Given the project's advanced stage and hundreds of written user and job stories, flexibility was limited. While the backend of the product was being built, I created a prototype based on my initial findings for user testing to guide the project to a organized product development process.
Ideally, we would have started with user research, but the project plan was already in place. I utilized the existing documentation and feedback from SMEs, PMs, and project owners to design a version of the product for testing.
My first step was to assess the current status, plans, and documentation. I engaged with stakeholders to understand their goals and constraints. The product strategy was fixed, so I proceeded to build my case for the next version, which would offer more flexibility.
I created proto-personas, customer journey maps, and mental models for validation. These artifacts helped form a strategy to understand our assumptions and identify gaps in our user understanding.
I designed an initial prototype for testing, which helped solidify the core functionality for the first version of the Hub.
The feedback from the prototype formed the basis for the initial design needed for development, ensuring the product would launch with the core functionality.
I prepared for user research by conducting initial observational studies, usability tests with the existing prototype, and user interviews.
My goal was to create a design system for the product to ensure efficient and minimally disruptive changes in the future. The only available documents were a six-page Zoetis brand guide and the Zoetis core beliefs. (the top 3 boxes in the graphic below)
As the design was implemented, I supported the development team with design reviews and walkthroughs of functionality as needed.
With the user interviews completed, I synthesized the findings to create two clear personas, a customer journey, themes, and insights. Additionally, I conducted a competitor analysis, as some users had experience with a competitor's product.
I created a new prototype in Axure to test with users while the application was being built. This was particularly useful because the hardware required to run the application provided valuable user feedback.
Due to development delays pushing back the launch date, we had the opportunity to update the UI with minimal impact on the development process.
With the launch date pushed back due to development delays, we had the opportunity to update the UI with minimal impact on the development process.
The user interviews provided valuable feedback. Questions were organized by areas of interest, categorized by topic and customer journey stage, and then trimmed down to fit the available time.
From the answers, I created two distinct personas. I organized the responses into themes and tagged them to build a repository of insights. Based on these insights, I developed feature recommendations, which were then prioritized by impact and effort required.
I updated the customer journey to identify and visualize pain points and areas of opportunity.
Changing the product development culture in large, vendor-reliant organizations is challenging. Acquisition-heavy companies often accumulate significant technical debt. However, this creates an opportunity to establish processes that can yield long-term benefits if they gain traction. Achieving this is a gradual process, requiring years and essential buy-in from management.
The Vetscan Hub MVP was launched in March 2024. New analyzers will be launched in the coming months and next year. I can't speak on unreleased developments beyond that.