Coleman Research

The challenge

Coleman's internal knowledge management tool had evolved over the years into a sprawling system comprising many different and often hidden interfaces. This was slowing down Coleman's researchers as they performed highly time-sensitive projects to meet client requests.

As an expert network, Coleman collects very detailed profiles on industry experts worldwide, but this information was scattered and disorganized.

Working with the data

I extracted a full set of sample data from the system and began organizing it manually, looking for common patterns and duplication.

Early sketches

At the same time, I worked with researchers to begin sketching out possible ways to present this information. I sought to understand what was most important so I could create a scannable hierarchy.

The new interface

Since the researchers' process was a rapid combination of searching, scanning and refining, I combined the search and results views into a single screen, enabling them to work faster.

Responsive grids

Despite the data-intensive application, I insisted on a responsive framework which would help make the front end more resilient and versatile.

Modular designs

I developed common design patterns which could be used to design the many different information modules in the system.

The result was a much smaller set of screens, which were far easier to scan and navigate using anchor links.