In 2006, DDO worked with Yellow Pages to conduct an Infrastructure Audit and Local Search Engine Comparison. Our results and recommendations documents were greatly informed by a detailed application diagram (detail shown above) which mapped the entire online search application.

In 2005, DDO designed a sophisticated photo tagging and search interface for a consumer photography product. Our design included advanced concepts like hierarchical tags and Boolean operators, but still enabled users to tag and search their photos in intuitive ways. Users can search by entering text, clicking tag buttons, or a combination of both.

The top image shows a search operation via dragging tags into the search field—a revolutionary idea—in addition to traditional text entry, creating a simple Boolean operation. The image below shows the filtered results.

UCLA Libraries engaged Dubberly Design Office to evaluate its new catalog search interface and to recommend improvements. The project consisted of two parts: how the existing system may be improved in the short-term, and how the system—and related services, might evolve in the future.

We began by meeting and interviewing 19 people associated with the Library and faculty members. An extensive audit of the catalog search service lead to a findings and recommendations document. Then we designed several ways the UCLA Library’s many search services might be organized.

For the future vision part of the project, we created user stories to propose a vision of catalog search as an integrated service, a part of a larger portfolio of electronic services.

DDO worked with Sun Microsystems to design the Partner Engagement System (PES) for Sun iForce Partners. This web-based application allows companies to register for membership and receive a personal, portal-style page. The portal allows companies to review and update company information, individual users information, and product information that appears on Sun’s web-based catalogs.

The design work included:

• conducting usability studies of the system—before and during the design process
• creating a matrix that defined the 1,500 possible permutations of the portal page
• mapping and resolving conflicting business logic
• translating a 180-page Product Requirements Document into an application map
• developing a complete set of wire frame page mockups
• providing visual design that adhered to and extended Sun’s standards
• providing HTML and a style guide to ensure a smooth transition from design to development

The map-creation process in particular gave us the opportunity to work with the team to resolve open issues, provide consistency, and address gaps and missing details from the Product Requirements Document.