Design Standards
Design standards, principles, and guidelines are essential tools that provide structure, efficiency, consistency, and user-centricity to the UX design process. They are the compass that ensures the team's success and ultimately results in exceptional and impactful user experiences.
The Problem
At Cazoo rapid scaling demanded capacity be directed towards shipping and team autonomy, therefore consistency of 'the how' across teams and domains was not unified.
The Approach
I created a plan for UX to enable the product strategy for Cazoo. There is a long journey ahead and I needed to be pragmatic and realistic to encourage momentum.
The focus was consistency, ease and collaboration. The output included: Design and Content principles, Crits, Design System management. This was phase one in a journey of continuous improvement for design standards at Cazoo.
Creating UX Principles
I ran a workshop with all members of the UX team to collectively establish our principles.
We started with brainstorming relevant guiding principle key words and dot voting which words resonated the most. In groups we mapped phrases to the most popular words eg: Clear: "as a user, I should always understand how to complete my tasks". or, "our designs should be jargon-free, using simple language".
With sentiments mapped out it was easier to progress with creating the final principles.
The Content Design team worked with the UX team to create headlines, context and bullets to finalise the principles.
The requirements for the principles we as follows:
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Act as a compass for UX design standards for the product strategy.
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Useable cross functionally for all UX and for stakeholders to understand - this is how we design. We can hold ourselves to account and so can others.
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Internal and external facing to be part of the global design community.
Figma Workspace Guides
Guides were created to establish consistency in how we designed and used our tools:
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Transparent - Avoid working in silos and increase visibility of UI work across teams. Document your files clearly which makes it easy for someone outside of the project to understand.
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Manageable - Following a structure that makes being organised easy and not hard or time consuming.
Sustainable - Build a design ecosystem that allows us to grow and not build up on design debt. Make time in your week to make sure you stay on top of any design debt that builds up.
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Content Design Principles
Content is the bridge that connects users to a product, conveying information, setting expectations, and guiding interactions. Thoughtfully designed content ensures that users can effortlessly understand a product's features, benefits, and usage, leading to a smoother user journey. It also aids in building trust and credibility, influencing user perceptions positively. Moreover, content design is vital for SEO and discoverability, impacting the product's visibility and accessibility to potential users.
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I worked with the content specialist, marketing and product leaders to align content with the product strategy, so we could effectively communicate the value proposition, engage users, and drive conversions, ultimately contributing to the overall success and growth of the product.
Simple
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Content that's easy to read
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Everyday words, no jargon
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Use of headings and white space for scannability
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Designed for a reading age of 9 years old
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Designed with a reading ease score of more than 75
Clear
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Content that's easy to understand
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Designed with a purpose and does not leave users confused
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Gives customers the confidence to trust Cazoo
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Honest and meaningful
Helpful
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Content that helps people complete a task, action or goal
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Positive and action-oriented
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Helps the customer have the confidence to proceed
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Supportive and friendly
Content Design Tone of Voice
Cazoo's language is the thread that ties the experience together. While words themselves are universal, we wanted our unique usage to set us apart.
In the guide, a user can learn about 'being Cazoo' with words and how to confidently and precisely embody the Cazoo voice. This way, every writer ensures customers consistently experience the true essence of Cazoo, regardless of the message.
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Crits & Retros
To encourage autonomy and peer review the crits are run by the team. They have set their rules of engagement and a structure to time manage the weekly sessions:
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When giving feedback, build on the ideas of others.
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Stay constructive and critique the idea, not the person.
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Keep an eye on the time, so everyone has enough time to show their ideas.
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Listen carefully and leave your questions for the very end.
Crit Goals:
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Unblocking Problems & generating ideas
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Elevating quality
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Encouraging consistency
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Sharing context