My role: UX/UI Researcher

Methods used: Atomic Design

• Review current documentation; highlight differences

• Create screenshot slides in Power Point of all UI components currently in use across UTHSCSA websites

• Develop an interface inventory in Excel

• Conduct user interviews to discover how internal users are interacting with the Pattern Library

• Make design recommendations

Tools used: Excel, Power Point

Platform: All websites for UTHSCSA

Project Duration: February 2019 - June 2019       

The problem: There are many existing documents related to the Pattern Library, which is the current resource for the design of all websites at UTHSCSA. This documentation has outdated information that needs to be removed, and information that needs to be added or expanded upon.

My task: Create one source of truth for an organization wide design system.

My Solution: Following principles outlined in Brad Frost’s Atomic Design, I conducted research of the Pattern Library in its current state to arrive at recommendations for an updated Pattern Library.

​

Results: Through user interviews I discovered that internal users of the Pattern Library are not referencing the documentation often because they are receiving prototypes from the User Experience team which contains the HTML needed to create the design components on the content management systems used to build all UTHSCSA websites. 

​

However, as an organization, UTHSCSA still needs to have a living document that explains design decisions to external stakeholders.

Therefore, the Pattern Library serves a dual purpose:

• As a resource for an internal facing audience to use to create websites

  1. As a resource for an external facing audience to reference with questions about how we make design decisions

​​

My design suggestion is to create a prototype library that houses the different UI elements, along with the HTML code for the internal audience. 

Additionally, a high level documentation of the Pattern Library needs to be updated for external stakeholders. This documentation can be updated via the interface inventory by using it to decide what is staying, going, and needs further documentation. 

​

Next Steps: 

​

• Build prototype library, test through pilot with internal users, iterate as necessary

• Update components at high level for external audience

• Conduct focus group with external stakeholders to receive feedback on update external documentation, iterate as necessary

• Make ongoing updates to interface inventory as necessary to ensure that there is always a complete database of UI components

• Be sure that it is simple to locate both the internal and external versions of the Pattern Library , and that each audience is aware about how to do so