User Research & Content Strategy for Mapping Ocean Wealth

The Nature Conservancy’s Ocean Science Team requested a map-based collection of datasets and tools to promote a shared understanding of the value of marine and coastal ecosystems.

As part of TNC’s Conservation and Geospatial Applications team, I was asked by the Ocean Science team to help them:

  • Define their audiences;
  • Define their business requirements and analyze tasks by role;
  • Test how well the current system met those needs/expectations;
  • Lead internal team collaboration to agree on a data-driven solution.

I worked side by side with our ESRI developer to fine tune the UI, prioritize widgets and enhance our content and layout.

Using the desired outcomes as a guide, we crafted a test script and conducted a series of user tests to see how well the current system met those needs.

Our design underwent multiple iterations before we felt confident that we were building a toolset that our key audiences would find useful.

I led the discussions and documented all data in Miro, which helped us align on the business needs, prioritize new features and plan next steps.

See Results

Solution

During discovery, our goal was to: 

Understand Key Audiences

Conduct Task-based Usability Study

Optimize Content and Microcopy

Wendy skillfully led our team through a thorough and illuminating user experience exercise for Mapping Ocean Wealth, a map-based decision support tool led by my team at The Nature Conservancy. Based on the insights gathered through the process, we implemented key functionality updates on the site that have been extremely well received! We loved working with Wendy on this process!

Kate Longley-Wood – Marine Spatial Planning Science Manager, The Nature Conservancy

I cannot recommend Wendy enough as a UI/UX designer. Her expertise and dedication were invaluable to the success of our project. Wendy was instrumental in setting up and running user testing sessions, meticulously compiling the information, and delivering concise, actionable recommendations for improvements. Her ability to gather and analyze user feedback was outstanding, and her insights significantly enhanced the usability and overall experience of our website. Wendy's professionalism, collaborative spirit, and commitment to excellence make her an exceptional asset to any team. I highly recommend Wendy for any UI/UX design projects, and I am confident she will continue to excel and deliver outstanding results.

Melanie Bruce – GIS Web Developer, The Nature Conservancy