CineGlass | An enterprise end-to-end asset driven workflow management system for content creators and distributors in the film production and entertainment industry.

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Film production creators and distributors at Technicolor had no visibility across the entire feature film production workflow, from script to distribution. CineGlass minimized waste and redundancy, provided effective forecasting, resource allocation, and competitive scheduling releases.

CineGlass had to integrate into decades-old, embedded, and mostly analog practices. It would touch almost every division throughout Technicolor.

During production, Technicolor’s entire film service division was shut down. The CineGlass project continued through the shutdown and the team size was reduced. Executive support and company-wide commitment to the project were crucial for success.

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I worked closely with the internal film production team to gather a detailed understanding of the film production workflow, the project’s underpinning technology, and intended users.

Early sprints were intimate with the core team: myself, the system engineer, and the lead developer. My office was the war room. It was dynamic, alive and always open for anyone that had a new idea to test out or get feedback on. It was about the rapid iteration of ideas, sketches (lots of them), wireframes, code, and collaboration.

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UX Strategy starts with establishing alignment around the project goals and measurable success criteria. I led the development of the primary strategy with the executive and production teams.

I elevated the influence of user experience design and achieved a shared product vision by leading collaborative design exercises that included the executive team. I also started the eXperience CineGlass newsletter to educate and inform stakeholders about the value of design thinking and user experience.

In the early stages of design thinking, I included all members of the production team, regardless of roles, in defining a set of unified core values, along with mission and vision statements. This gave teammates a deeper sense of connection and ownership of the design.

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After identifying personas, assembling the hypothesis, and building the underlying architecture, I took the team into the field to assess the user’s actual needs in relation to the product hypothesis.

I used ethnographic research, user interviews, and task analysis to form a deep understanding of the trailer localization production and distribution process. I also gained an understanding of the needs, behaviors, and goals of the people making it happen. This led to my insights into the eventual dashboard solution.

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Based on the research findings a set of NEEDS is uncovered by the researchers and adjustments are made to the personas as needed. Collaboratively, with the entire team, the needs are married with the business objectives to determine a set of USE CASES for the intended product.

With a detailed understanding of the work environment, the needs of each actor, the complexities of the workflow, the under pinning technology, and the business requirements, I was able to design a set of dashboards to meet the unique and shared needs of each role, or persona.

Visualizing the research findings for myself, and the team, helped to make the connection between the user and the design choices being made.

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We ideated, built, and tested rapidly so that our ideas were tested as the product was being built. User research and testing happened in a parallel track to development. The constant feedback loop ensured we:

     - best understood the user.

     - built the best product.

     - ensured a well-defined and well-tested product/market fit.

I used DESIGN TESTS to iteratively test the adjusted hypothesis at all stages of development.

A DESIGN TEST could be:

     - solicited feedback on design comps or sketches.

     - a wireframe click-through or prototype.

     - full-fledged usability testing within a product release cycle.

We did this before the team was heavily invested in the design or code. This makes it easier to adjust or pivot the hypothesis based on user feedback.

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Many elements of the product where working well, but the main dashboard still wasn’t aligned with the client’s expectations. After several sessions together, it became clear to me that the dashboard didn’t match the client’s mental model. The dashboard was inherently linear and the workflow was not that simple. We needed to take a completely fresh approach--it’s never too late to get the product right.

For a detailed description of the redesign process see: 

The team and I persevered through the film service division shut down. We persevered after proving the concept--expecting that our team would be more than doubled, it was cut in half. Despite the lack of executive-level support, we persevered and designed a great solution that met the needs and the expectations of the users, and it solved several problems for technicolor.

The fate of a product, project, or creative decision may not be in the control of the designer. My as a design lead is to diligently know and empathize with the user, to faithfully integrate the business objectives, and to provide insightful, informed solutions. I use responsive communication skills to persuade teams in design thinking. I back up my design choices with sound conclusions.

Through this project I learned that I am an empathic listener that can effectively distill complex data, as well as, an intuitive and resourceful designer. Regardless of the outcome of any project, I know when I have led a team to create a solid design. And this time I know that I elegantly solved a problem that appeared to be unsolvable.

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