FREEFORM CMAP TOKEN COMPONENT DESIGN AT NOKIA FOR THE NOKIA DESIGN SYSTEM
Project Name: Freeform CMAP Markers
My Contributions: Component Design, UI Design, Application Design, Interaction Design, Prototyper, Researcher
Solo or Group: Solo
Length: October 2021 - April 2022
Digital Tools Used: Adobe Sketch, Marvel
Project Overview
What Did I Do?
While I worked on a variety of different projects at Nokia, from guideline writing to branding to graphic design, this project in particular put me into a component design role where I would be designing Markers for Nokia Freeform CMAP's platform. The goal of the markers component, as well as the rest of Freeform, was to design a versatile design system that all departments of Nokia could use. Therefore it was crucial that markers shouldn't just be an entirely newly designed component, but take from other designs other departments had to ensure proper usability if they transferred over to our design system.
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I first researched other departments and other brands markers, analyzing their use cases, states, shapes and sizes. I then prototyped the markers and then developed a visual consistency between them and other Freeform CMAP components such as clusters (a component that groups multiple markers). This took multiple iterations and feedback sessions from not only my department but other Nokia departments as well, as I wanted to make sure the markers I was developing would fit their projects needs. The final prototypes were then documented in Nokia's storybook using Marvel, which details all of the markers shapes, states, and interactive elements.
Challenges Faced
My main challenge faced during this project was within myself. I wanted to make sure each part of the markers development process was perfect before showcasing the results to my team for feedback. While this always had me showcasing high quality work, it was also a time consuming process. This ended up delaying the approval process due to me designing for perfection rather than for overall quality and communication. This project helped me understand and further reinforce that in an iterative design process that it's crucial to showcase your work for feedback no matter what step the project is in, whether it's the initial sketching phase or the finalized product phase. Because of this experience I no longer design for the best looking prototypes but the best communicative prototypes.
Reflecting Back
Working at such a large and multinational company such as Nokia was such a different experience working for a local or smaller company like SFU Public Square. The diversity of the workplace taught me a lot about different types of workers, working conditions, cultures and team unity. The variety of projects and fast paced nature of the workplace taught me crucial skills quickly and efficiently that I will be taking into the rest of my career.
COMPANY: NOKIA
Throughout all of Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, I collaborated with the Cloud Networking Service team at Nokia as a UX Designer Co-op to deliver updated product guidelines, updated graphics and new component designs to Nokia Freeform's Design System. During this period it was crucial for me to adhere to Nokia's branding practices, but also develop flexible and accessible designs and increase my knowledge on UX and UI trends and design systems as a whole.