The idea for creating a hosted solution for design systems was based on my work creating and managing the design standards at Expeditors. It took a dedicated team to manage the standards which applied across multiple teams. I wanted to create a solution that would reduce the cost of implementation and maintenance.

Before diving into development, I spent time talking with fellow designers to determine viability and requirements. Along the way, I learned that my original concepts were too ambitious and what was really needed was a simple way to quickly document design standards that are shareable with teammates. Once I was able to partner with the right developer, work began on determining the technical underpinnings from data storage to the front-end solution. We built a first version that was fantastically horrible but it's what led to the current, fantastically great version.

Documentation like style guides have content requirements that go beyond what a baseline CMS provides. Since the appliction was developed using Facebook's JavaScript library React, we also used Draft (their rich-text editor framework) as a foundation for our solution. This allowed us to give users the ability to add fancy things like color swatches.

To address some of these concerns, I set out to refine our product definition. I wanted a very simple, straightforward message. I came up with Simply, style guides.

At its most basic, our product allows users to create style and brand guides. In reality, our users could create all sorts of design-related documenation but I thought that focusing the pitch was an important part of the plan.

My strategy was really two parts: refine the message and show some personality. I wanted a metaphor that would make a positive first impression as well as support the updated marketing content. Using a construction metaphor allowed me to create several scenes that would speak to individual sections in a fun and lighthearted way.

The application hadn't seen any significant updates in several years. Starting in 2012, I set out to create a vision for how this product would look and behave moving forward. Not only should it meet the needs of the user, but I wanted to set a course for the product design that would be easy to maintain and evolve in the future.

Although the product owner had years of experience with the product, I wanted to start with a blank slate. The last thing I wanted was to enter the design phase with a whole bunch of assumptions. So, based on lots of analysis, conversations, and questions, I iterated through several design concepts. With input from our engineering team, we decided to use Bootstrap. I created a fresh look on top of a tried and true foundation for responsive design. Although there weren't immediate needs for a mobile solution, utilizing responsive solutions would ensure that the team could accommodate such a requirement when it came up.

In an effort to expand Globys's product offerings, I led the design for a client management application.

My goal was to design a compelling product that was easy to sell and users would love. I designed it with the same visual look and feel of the billing application above. This would provide visual consistency for branding and ease of implementation across the Globys product portfolio.