Diesel Laws

Racing Victoria's request to create a portal for the Off The Track Community was more than just a routine development project; it was a testament to their unwavering commitment to horse welfare. As an organization that deeply values retired racehorses and their well-being, Racing Victoria recognized the need for a centralized platform that could serve as a one-stop-shop for owners, buyers, and fans alike. This website would not only allow individuals to find and claim ownership of off the track horses but also provide essential information about post-racing pathways, emergency contact registration, educational opportunities, and exclusive member events.

In essence, the Off The Track Community portal would be a game-changer, helping to promote responsible horse ownership, provide resources for horse care, and connect people with a shared passion for these magnificent animals. Racing Victoria's vision for the Off The Track Community is a fantastic endeavour that is poised to make a significant impact on the world of horse welfare, and we were honoured to have been a part of bringing this vision to life.

Until now, Racing Victoria did not have a centralized portal that could tie together all the different products and services they offered under the Off The Track Program. However, with the creation of the Off The Track Community portal, Racing Victoria was able to unify their offerings into one comprehensive platform.

The versatility and intelligence of retired racehorses make them ideal for a range of post-racing careers, including equestrian sports, performance disciplines, pleasure riding, and even companion and therapy animals.

The Off The Track Community portal is a major milestone for Racing Victoria, and it represents a significant step forward in the support and respect for retired racehorses.

Due to the large scope of the project, we spent a few months brainstorming, researching and understanding Racing Victoria's needs. We identified the core programs to include, and made sure to collect as much information as possible for each one. We then segmented these programs into priority, and kept that in mind when designing the structure.

Their core programs:

1. Racing Victoria Acknowledged Retrainers Program
2. RESET Program (Racehorse, Evaluation, Support, Education and Transition)
3. Full Circle Program
4. Off The Track Events
5. OHEP (On-site Humane Euthanasia Program)
6. Claiming and Thoroughbred Profiles

After we decided on the structure and basic architecture, I went to work coming up with the initial wireframes that we could use for discussion and alignment.

To give you an idea of the end scope of this project, here is an overview of all the wireframes and high-fidelity screens created. Each item contains anywhere from 3 to 30 interactive screens.

I start by creating wireframes to get the base architecture and flow. I then take the feedback and iterate on the wireframes until we have a good base to work from. After creating a few different flows with the wireframes, I create high-fidelity versions. During this time, I build design components (in Sketch/Figma) for reusability, and flexibility for when we get to development handover.

Once we have agreed upon the direction for the high-fidelity designs, I tend to build from there as a default, using all the reusable components to quickly create "high-fidelity wireframes". I can move just as fast with this approach, and the clients love it because they can see what a final version of a concept could look like in a much quicker time frame. Iterating with a high-fidelity design is quick, effective and impactful.

The next few sections are flows and comparisons from wireframe to high-fidelity. Please note that some of the screens include conceptual features that may not appear in the final product.

Wireframe (inital concept)

High-Fidelity (post-feedback and iterations)

Forms and data entry up until now had been done via paper and email, resulting in a lot of manual entry for the Off The Track team. One of the portal's main functions was to simplify and streamline this process, taking the pressure off the team and allowing scale back into this space. As such the created forms needed to be flexible to add or remove sections, host multiple buttons, uploads, inputs and text areas while keeping their appearance less daunting.

During the course of feedback we iterated to a triple column approach with clear headers for each core section. Buttons and links were set as the branding blue and all labels were set to a heavy contrast with good padding. Notes or guidance boxes were highlighted in yellow or light blue with large icons.

This 3 column approach was also built with mobile in mind, collapsing into 1 column (see below examples).

Mobile Example A

Mobile Example B

Wireframe (Initial concept)

High-Fidelity (post-feedback and iterations)

With Search we needed a robust solution to cover 'unclaimed' Thoroughbreds with only a name and few details on the system and 'claimed' Thoroughbreds with a rich amount of details. Tags were added to assist in quickly scanning the colour, sex and age. Advanced filters were brought in early to make searching as simple as possible.

Flow

Large View

Here is another search solution that was suitable for a triple column business layout. It includes the ability to add filters, and provides more scannable information such as business thumbnail, description and relevant filterable tags.

Wireframe (Initial concept)

High-Fidelity (post-feedback and iterations)

Thoroughbred profiles needed to be inviting, detailed and easy to navigate for owners and viewers. I decided on the larger left column with bigger sections for the Thoroughbred details. The right hand side became an information and action area, allowing owners to complete their next steps and post social updates. If you're not an owner and are viewing a profile, you will see different action buttons on the right hand side relative to you.

During research and iterations we decided on adding a triple-tab section to cover different areas of information. We moved away from large user added header images as a large portion of the profiles will be unclaimed.

Wireframe (Initial concept)

High-Fidelity (post-feedback and iterations)

The Off The Track team needed to be able to review, edit and upload forms in a simple way. Their previous way was to manually upload paper forms into their database, taking many hours and doubling the workload. With this portal, users can complete forms connected to Thoroughbred profiles, sending the information straight to the team. The team would then see each form come through into specific sections, and be able to assign it to other team members as needed.

Upon reviewing forms they could send them back for more information or approve/deny it. This process saves countless hours and frustration from the team, and provides users with faster feedback and a robust experience.

Following a year of iterative design and development, Racing Victoria released the inaugural version of their platform to a carefully selected group of Acknowledged Retrainers. Subsequently, invaluable feedback was received regarding the experience, particularly in terms of the submission of complex forms which required significant time and effort to collate the relevant documentation.

The Off The Track Community portal was then successfully launched to owners, retrainers, and staff alike, with the team receiving additional constructive feedback. Notably, the platform was designed to facilitate ease of modification and adjustment to sections and layout.

In the weeks that followed, the simplified online forms demonstrated significant improvements in efficiency, saving numerous hours previously spent on data entry and document retrieval. Additionally, the Off The Track team was able to more effectively connect with the community, utilizing the portal to provide guidance, education, and highlight the benefits of each program.

Visit Off The Track Community

Racing Victoria needed a new All Star Mile website and voting system in a short time frame. I worked closely with stakeholders to create multiple concepts, revise and prototype the platform. Collaboration and communication were critical to ensure that all aspects of the platform met Racing Victoria's goals, including the need for a visually impressive design, a secure voting system, and an intuitive user experience.

Despite the time frame challenge, I was able to deliver a robust and visually exciting platform that exceeded Racing Victoria's expectations. The platform featured an intuitive user experience, innovative design elements, and seamless navigation. The development team's attention to detail and focus on user experience built goodwill and allowed us to continue working with Racing Victoria on future projects.

Designing a listing and voting platform for Racing Victoria's All Star Mile within a tight time frame presented numerous challenges. I had to work collaboratively and efficiently with stakeholders to ensure that every aspect of the design met the event's marketing guidelines while offering something fresh and innovative. This approach involved rapid research and iterations, cross-collaboration, and extensive discussions around security and admin control.

To expedite the design process and facilitate quick client feedback, I created high-fidelity designs for the platform. This allowed me to create a small design system of components while building the initial concepts. By designing with high-fidelity, I was able to make quick revisions and improvements to the platform while ensuring that the final design was visually appealing, intuitive, and easy to navigate. This attention to detail and focus on user experience and design contributed significantly to the success of the platform, resulting in positive feedback from Racing Victoria's team and voters alike.

To ensure a seamless user experience, the platform's structure was intentionally designed to be very similar to that of previous years. This decision was made with the goal of keeping users engaged for a brief period and enabling them to vote quickly. The flow of the platform included four core screens:

1. Horse Listing/Voting
2. Voting Details
3. Mobile Verification
4. Thank You and Next Steps

By keeping the structure similar to that of previous years, users would already be familiar with the platform's layout and could quickly and efficiently navigate the voting process. The four core screens ensured a smooth and straightforward user journey, from selecting their preferred horse to verifying their mobile number and receiving confirmation of their vote. This thoughtful and user-centric design approach ultimately contributed to the platform's success and positive feedback from users.

To meet the requirements of a fast-paced voting platform, the designs needed to be responsive and easy to navigate. To achieve this, the original desktop designs were created with mobile devices in mind. 'Resizable cards' were utilized, which allowed the platform to adjust to different screen sizes and enabled the development and marketing teams to work flexibly with the designs.

By prioritizing mobile device design, the platform could cater to a broader audience, providing a user-friendly interface that could be easily accessed from a smartphone. The resizable cards feature allowed for efficient and quick modifications, which helped the team meet the tight deadline. This approach resulted in a successful and enjoyable user experience for voters.

Collaborating closely with the Racing Victoria Marketing team, I developed design components that served both as development guides and internal marketing materials. These components were designed to be flexible and could be updated by the team to showcase the adaptable nature of the system. The design components helped to maintain consistency throughout the platform and provided a seamless user experience.

Following the release of the website and voting platform, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both voters and the Racing Victoria team. Our ability to work quickly and attentively during the design phase built a great deal of goodwill and cemented a strong working relationship with Racing Victoria. This positive feedback also allowed us to continue collaborating with the client on many future projects.

I was given the task of creating an initial concept for JourneyHub - a touch-less booking system for elevators with virtual queuing that connects to a Desk Booking system. The main focus was to come up with a design that would make it as easy as possible for users to book an elevator while providing them with all the necessary information and control while they waited.

The main constraint for this project was the need to develop a system that could connect with physical scanning devices while also functioning as a standalone lift booking system. Additionally, it had to be seamlessly integrated with an optional Desk Booking system that could provide feedback on elevator availability. The solution needed to be as streamlined as possible, ensuring users had access to all the relevant information and features, with the minimum number of steps required to complete the booking process.

The presentation of the initial concept was highly praised, and it provided the team with strong visuals to share with potential clients. Over the next few months, the team iterated and expanded upon the initial concept, developing a product demo that brought together all the key features of the JourneyHub system. The final outcome was a highly intuitive system that made elevator booking simple and stress-free, while also providing users with essential information on wait times, elevator availability, and control features.

The LIFX app had the same design for over two years, with new features being added and buried within the old interface. The goal was to improve the user experience without removing functionality customers had become accustomed to. The core focus was on the base ability of turning on one or many lights with a single touch.

As the app had been unchanged for many years, the redesign needed to be focused on the core functionality of the app and ensure that the design is user-friendly. It was important to improve the user experience without removing functionality customers had become accustomed to.

The redesign aimed to bring the Scenes, Schedules and Integrations to the main list, into helpful collapsible modules. The new design allowed customers to automate waking up with their lights and coming home to a lit house without needing to reach for their smart device. The changes brought the most important features to the forefront and made them easily accessible to users.

The trend in lightbulb packaging was often without character or warmth, with a focus on the physical product shot against a flat colour. The goal of the redesign was to create something unique that stood out from the herd.

The packaging went through several iterations, taking in feedback from customers and the internal team. Merchants and sales floor employees were able to reference marketing booklets that spoke to the benefits of the product and inspired customers to purchase LIFX bulbs.

Since LIFX bulbs were WiFi-enabled, it was crucial to have a well-defined marketing strategy. To achieve this, we created a series of traditional marketing booklets that could be used by merchants and sales staff as reference material when speaking to customers. These booklets were highly effective in answering common questions and providing customers with inspiration for purchasing LIFX products.

As part of my role, I was responsible for creating a design sprint that could fit into a 3-hour time-box for developers. To achieve this, I reworked Google's Design Sprints and refocused it around generating ideas for new product features.

With only 3 hours and developers in attendance, I had to ensure that the experience was both enjoyable and efficient, while also ensuring that everyone had a chance to contribute their ideas.

The Feature Design Sprint (FeDS) was designed to be both engaging and productive. It featured bright and humorous slides with mini-games throughout to encourage excitement. We began with an introduction and overview, explaining what each section entailed.

To break down any barriers and get everyone on the same page, we played a mini-game called Superpowers. Each person wrote down a Superpower that they felt summed them up and presented it to the group.

After an in-depth look at the feature, we covered the Business and Customer Why's and the problems we were trying to solve. We then dove into Funky 4's, a modified version of "Crazy 8's," where each person came up with four solutions, ranging from obvious to outside-of-the-box.

After a break, we went around the room one-by-one, presenting the solutions. We then voted on the solutions to avoid popularity votes and created a voting board.

The participants separated into three teams around the three themes that raised the most votes. While working on their solutions, they were asked to keep validating them against the Business and Customer Why.

Once the multiple solutions were created, we had a small presentation and documented the next steps, which included identifying which areas needed to be addressed and setting up UX testing as soon as possible. The solutions were then transformed into usable wireframes before testing.

The team provided positive feedback after the sprint, particularly highlighting the humor and fun approach of the mini-games. The session generated multiple real-world feature ideas that were successfully put into production in the following months.