NPR Program scheduling
Over the course of a summer, I worked in the distribution department of NPR, otherwise known as the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS). During this time I worked on designing a new live scheduling system.
PRSS was working with a bloated and outdated scheduling tool, and the process for scheduling was convoluted, even for scheduling experts.
The original workflow involved multiple programs and steps within poorly designed and outdated software. PRSS was interested in building a new scheduling feature into their own product in order to get rid of the older licensed application .
Methods
Contextual inquiry
Paper prototyping
Card sorting
Usability testing
Agile product development
The original product schedulers were using.
User Research deepens knowledge of complex jobs and creates empathy.
I began by conducting user interviews to better understand how PRSS schedulers used the outdated systems. I conducted card sorts to determine what features of the old system were important, which were used occasionally, and which were never used at all. I also used this activity to determine my user’s mental model of the various features of the program.
The redesigned version within PRSS’ own product.
Prototyping and Usability Testing confirm insights gained.
With insights gained during user research, I designed a new scheduling system that would integrate with one of their existing programs, Content Depot. I created paper prototypes and did usability testing with them and used the results to iterate and create a more refined design, which I handed off to our developers. I collaborated with them in order to deliver the product, which is in use at NPR today.