Ariel's Services: Early Design Prototype

Ariel Services: Early Design Prototype

Many companies, from startup to Fortune 500, develop business applications for internal and external use. Although these applications may meet the data and transaction requirements they fail to tightly integrate with the business environment.

Some of the most common symptoms are:

End users complain the system doesn't mirror their work.
World class customer satisfaction is not achieved.
Mentoring users erodes productivity and profitability.
A significant amount of support (training, reference, coaching, help desk, QA) is required.

Ariel works with your Information Technology Group, Training Department, and Business Unit to develop an Early Design Prototype. By applying our proven performance centered design methods, we can help your team overcome these potential pitfalls and help you deliver applications that are both functional and usable.

Companies such as Fidelity Investments, Fisher-Price, PricewaterhouseCoopers, MetLife, Payless ShoeSource, Primerica Financial Services and other leaders have done just that — you're in good company!

What is an Early Design Prototype?

Just as an architect creates a scale model to help you visualize what you will build, an Early Design Prototype illustrates aspects of the new application so that you can see your ultimate goal. This 10 to 14 week effort precedes the typical structured analysis and design methodologies and data gathering that IT professionals use.

Our proven methodology goes beyond the typical process and data perspectives to better understand the essence of the work that is to be accomplished. Among other factors, this includes understanding the way performers actually think about their work.

It's not magic — it's perspective! We help build intuitive, user-friendly, intelligent systems because we take the time to develop an in-depth understanding of the mental models and thought processes that the performers use to do their tasks and activities.

Using our Early Design Prototype as a model, your development team will be better equipped to create an application that enhances users' performance and achieves the desired business results.

What occurs during this activity?

During this activity a team of Ariel consultants will:

Conduct structured observations of actual users doing actual work in their actual environment.
Interview performers of all levels: help desk personnel, training department, IT group and the business units that rely on the new application.
Identify and address areas of improvement through Business Performance Modeling.
Conduct focus groups and collaborative design sessions.
Develop a prototype using rapid and iterative development techniques.
Perform usability and performance testing on the prototype.
Perform a gap analysis against current architecture and technology.
Define and recommend a prioritized development strategy.

What will I receive at the end of the engagement?

Design and Analysis Report

Identifies business goals, process objectives and performance barriers.
Recommends a strategy for improvement and a plan of action that includes priorities, time frames and critical success factors.

Performance Support Maps™

Documents work maps that reflect how tasks are accomplished.
Identifies the best practices within your organization.
Identifies the organizational knowledge, information and tools and relates them to the new application.
Recommends how to represent, capture and manage knowledge assets within your organization.

Visual Prototype

Approximates the depth of functionality for two or three business scenarios.
Illustrates the breadth of the application.
Compatible with your development environment.

Presentation Script

Identifies key design features and support structures.
Relates Performance Support Maps™ to the Visual Prototype.
Provides a method to communicate the Visual Prototype to the organization.

Requirements Document

Identifies statements of business and development requirements.
Provides a high level specification of the overall functional scope of the application.

How will I benefit from an Early Design Prototype?

Your organization will have a visual prototype that the development team can use as a model to facilitate authoring of requirements. Because this prototype was built using Ariel's methodology, it will move your organization toward "Day One Performance". Users can effectively use the final application immediately. Our clients agree that our designs:

Provide an interactive and visual prototype to drive organization alignment.
Allow performers to complete complex tasks with minimal training.
Ensure best practices within your organization are shared throughout the enterprise.
Provide a safety net to limit financial obligations and risk.
Act as a catalyst in the requirements phase.

Your business environment is filled with many challenges:

Runaway requirements and analysis.
Tight development budgets.
Rapid changes.
Demands for increased productivity, accuracy and customer service.

Ariel's proven process lets you meet these challenges and achieve a return on investment that will please bottom-line conscious executives. Call us today to schedule a demonstration showing the before and after states of several applications that will help you realize the difference you can make when you Design with Humans in Mind.