Build Your Own College Rankings

I have been distilling complex ideas into delightful experiences my entire career. Build Your Own College Rankings is a recent example of such a project.

The graphics team had an idea for a tool that filters colleges based on personal preferences. They had already come up with the data, methodology and a rough first build, but needed our help with art direction, UIUX and design thinking.

Once I was looped in, I started to sketch on how we might organize all the features. Throughout the project I also tested and refined ideas in the front-end build with other developers.

I knew from the start that commissioning art would help the tool look fun and approachable. As I looked for potential artists, I had a checklist of criteria. I needed someone who could visualize a balancing act. Added bonus if there could be motion to hint at the project’s interactivity.

I pulled examples from artists that matched those needs and laid them out in early designs to discuss with my creative director.

Ultimately we decided to commission one of the artists I proposed, Rose Wong, and my colleague moved forward with the execution.

An important part of the process was user testing. I helped set up sessions where we observed people’s reactions and noted pain points.

We workshopped the language many times. One major UIUX takeaway was that the sliding buttons were too small and hard to grab on mobile. As a result, I went back and adjusted them to be larger and more accommodating.

After rounds of testing, we brought everything to higher fidelity and published the piece. It went relatively viral and has won several awards. You can view the published piece here.