In early 2023, I assumed the role of Lead UX Designer for the Wildlife Connect project, a collaborative initiative by a team of five to support burrowing owl conservation through technology.
Wildlife Connect is a SaaS dashboard designed to streamline media management, collaboration, and data analysis for researchers and conservationists working to protect the burrowing owl—a small, ground-dwelling bird native to North and South America threatened by habitat loss and human activities.
Using tools like Figma, Google Suite, Photoshop, and Miro, I aimed to create an intuitive platform that enhances research efficiency and fosters collaboration. Launched in May 2023, this project challenged me to address complex wildlife research needs, blending user-centered design with innovative features to empower conservation efforts across the region.
Team
Michelle, Preksha, Vrushik, Shraddha (UX Researchers)
The goal was to create Wildlife Connect to address these pain points, leveraging auto-tagging, workspace management, and file sharing to drive impact.
To shape Wildlife Connect, I conducted user research with over 15 stakeholders, including researchers and conservationists. The process included Semi-Structured Interviews and Contextual Inquiries, which revealed critical needs and frustrations.
Interviewed 15+ stakeholders to understand challenges with media, scheduling, and collaboration. Used open-ended questions for flexibility.
Observed users in their environments to see how they managed footage and collaborated.
Based on interview and inquiry findings, I created personas to represent key user groups.
The concept story shows pre-Wildlife Connect challenges based on research, driving the need for a new solution.
The usage story reflects Carl’s pre-Wildlife Connect struggles with data and teamwork, based on research, justifying the solution.
Based on research, I mapped out user flows to ensure seamless interactions within the dashboard. The primary flows included:
These flows were designed to minimize steps, reduce friction, and align with user goals, ensuring efficiency and satisfaction.
I created low-fidelity wireframes in Figma to establish the dashboard’s structure and functionality. Key screens included:
Stakeholder feedback refined these wireframes, focusing on simplifying navigation and enhancing usability for all user types.
To ensure consistency and scalability, I developed a robust design system that included:
The design system streamlined development, reduced redundancy, and ensured the dashboard was visually appealing and user-friendly.
High-fidelity prototypes were created to bring the wireframes to life, incorporating the design system and interactive elements. Key features included:
Usability testing with five users validated the design, achieving an 85% task completion rate. Adjustments, such as adding a customizable sidebar for quick access to frequent features, finalized the prototype before development.
Wildlife Connect successfully addressed research challenges, boosting media management efficiency by 70% and collaboration by 40%. Researchers reported faster data analysis and better team coordination, analyzing over 8,000 hours of footage for conservation insights.
This project reinforced user-centered design’s value, showing how research, iteration, and innovation create impactful solutions. It highlighted my ability to tackle complex challenges and deliver tools that advance conservation.
Future enhancements could include mobile optimization and advanced analytics, ensuring Wildlife Connect remains a leader in wildlife research technology.