Gaining a New Level of Appreciation for Collaborative Feedback and Integrated Research: My Journey with Broadcom's Next-Gen Mainframer Experience
Ryleigh Quinn
This summer I had the opportunity to work inUser Experience (UX) as part of Broadcom’s Next-Gen Mainframe Program. When I first walked into the office in May, I was mixed with excitement and nervousness. I was unsure what to expect, considering this was also my introduction into office culture. Right away I was warmly welcomed by everyone on the team. I had the pleasure of working with a buddy who showed me the ropes and helped my transition into “work life” be as seamless as possible.
With only having 12 weeks and a jam packed schedule, we had no time to waste. I jumped right into the activities I would be gaining hands-on experience, starting with a heuristic analysis. This is a process of inspecting the usability of a platform to identify usability complications based on a set of principles. Experts are continuously conducting these to make sure there are no visible usability flaws in a user interface. From this activity, I was also able to take a deep dive into Broadcom’s WatchTower observability platform settings (the focus of my project).
Following this analysis, I branched into more user-driven research, starting with stakeholder interviews. These interviews allowed me to not only get different perspectives on certain issues or needs within settings, but also allowed me to create great connections within the company. The interviews gave me a feel for some common concerns stakeholders were expressing, which would later help me when proposing a new organization of the settings navigation.
I also completed an open card sort analysis via an online tool called Optimal Workshop. The goal of this card sort was to understand how users categorize different aspects within settings. The users were given 32 cards that they were to organize and label the name of the grouping they created based on what they feel makes the most sense. I learned that on average, there were 7.6 groups created per participant and I was able to identify common nomenclature that was used. This data helped me identify patterns when deciding amongst what to title the new categories in my wireframe.
My goal at the end of this runway research is to take these results and integrate them into a new potential design for WatchTower’s settings. In order to do this, I was introduced to Precision, the (award winning) design system here at Broadcom Mainframe Software Division. It was fascinating to see all of the work that went into creating the components and ensuring there are common design patterns used across products.
Once I familiarized myself with these patterns, I began creating my mockups to deliver a potential new layout for the settings navigation. I did this within Figma, with the help and collaboration of researchers and designers on the team. There were many key takeaways from these mockups: understanding the importance of collaboration and feedback, integrating research findings, and learning more about design work itself.
This experience has allowed me to learn many different skills that I will certainly transfer and apply into the next phase of my career. I’m extremely grateful for all of the opportunities, along with the help and support of many individuals along the way.