Aten uses Harvest for time tracking. It’s a great tool with a robust search interface for time entries, plenty of ways to group and output data, and lots of integrations with other project management tools. You can also use the CSV data that Harvest outputs to build out your own reporting tools using Google Sheets.
Wireframing is an integral part of our process. Our UXAs (User Experience Architects) use wireframing as a way to convey content hierarchy, content groupings and general structure. As a visual tool it helps our clients to see the weight and relationships of their content in an easy to digest format that content maps just don’t deliver. That’s why wireframing is a staple in our UX toolbox.
If your organization plans to rebuild, redesign, or update its site here are a few things you need to take into consideration in 2017.
To build The Alda-Kavli Learning Center we used a product approach, encouraging everyone with a stake in the website to look beyond short-term investment behaviors.
As part of Aten’s UX team I get to work on a wide range of projects. I recently transitioned from solving visual interface problems to illustrating spaceships, planets and aliens for children. I’d say the change of pace is a breath of fresh air, but there’s no air to be found where this spaceship is headed.
"When will it be done?" As a digital project manager, I hear this all the time. While it's a perfectly reasonable question, the problem is I don't have a crystal ball, and I also want to set expectations properly. By using a Monte Carlo analysis to project a timeline, I can spark an important dialogue about resourcing and risk, as opposed to the one-way conversation that often occurs with a flat timeline.
Gone are the days when email was the best way to communicate and share files. Teams need tools that support collaboration, even more so now with the rise of remote workers. I’ve worked remotely for more than 10 years. As a Partner and VP of User Experience, having tools that let me effortlessly collaborate with my team is vital. Whether you’re in the same office or working from the other side of the country, the digital tools you use—and the way they work together—can take the headache out of collaborating.
At Aten, a lot of our time is spent building intricate digital platforms over lengthy time frames. Here are a few tools and strategies to build quickly.
If your team isn’t doing retrospectives regularly, here’s what happens: at the end of the project, you gather your team to select, debate, and document the hard-won lessons you learned throughout the course of the work. Fantastic! Insights are mined and polished, and everyone leaves the meeting feeling cathartic. But what happens next? Before you begin your next project, are you likely to pore over the lessons? Frame and hang them above your cubicles? If your team is like mine, probably not — we’re busy.
Images play an important role in communicating with your audience. When used effectively, they can work toward achieving your organizational goals. For this reason, it’s important to understand your available resources and create a strategic plan for imagery on your website. Here are some questions you can ask to make sure your images will be employed effectively.
