Russell Allred is a well-respected Service Manager at the Office of Information Technology. He has worked here for 23 years and helps to manage various products and services that the OIT provides. In recent years, he has worked with the UX team on the Educator platform that covers the Advanced Programs in the Department of Education at BYU.
In an interview with Mr. Allred, we dove deeper into the Advanced Programs and his work with the UX team. These are some of the highlights of our conversation with him:
What was the original problem at hand?
Allred was tasked with helping the Department of Education replace the current graduate degree platforms. These platforms were used by students to upload documents, view degree progress, and stay on track in other aspects of their program. At the time, they were using a third-party product to do some of the work, while the rest was inputted manually. They were also using a system called MyLinks, which according to Allred, “did not have a good reputation on campus” since it was “difficult to use and had a lot of bugs.”
To replace all these platforms, Allred and his team had to build a new product from the ground up that both worked and pleased the users. The poor reputation held by the previous system is not a new story in the technical world. Toptal published several statistics on UX design, including that around 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. This bad experience might be low-level UX design, buggy systems, poor accessibility, or more. Toptal also published that around 94% of first impressions of a site or app are design-related. Poor design and poor functionality together are a recipe for disaster. This can explain why sites like MyLinks gain bad reputations and lower user rates.
Why did you seek out the UX Team to work on this project?
Before the OIT UX team existed, Allred had worked with a third-party UX team on past projects. Allred explained that when the Advanced Programs Project was getting started, the OIT UX Design team just formed. With a new project and a new UX team all in the same place, it was a “no-brainer” for him to seek out the UX team. "Some other teams haven’t thought to engage the UX Team,” said Allred, “I have found benefit in using a team that is entirely dedicated to user experience.”
In talking about the work of the UX team, Allred mentioned that they have the ability to give websites and platforms a “face-lift.” This “face-lift,” or improved UX design, that Allred is referring to has been proven to increase user conversion rate. User conversion rate is the percentage of people that complete a desired action, like filling out a form, out of all of the people that visit that site/platform. When more people are engaging on a site, higher revenue naturally results from it. According to Forrester, every $1 that is invested in UX design results in a return of $100. Now that’s something worth investing in.
How would you describe your experience working with students?
The UX design team consists of some full-time employees, but mostly students. For the Advanced Programs Project, in particular, several students were the primary designers and points of contact. Though it may seem daunting to put the whole user experience into the hands of students, Allred said “they did a wonderful job doing the things that were necessary for us to get the project off the ground.” With confidence, he then continued “I’ve never had a bad experience working with students on any of my projects.” The UX Design team prides itself in the diligence and organization of all of its team members. Both full-time employees and students work together to carefully research and design according to the needs of the user.
How would you describe your overall satisfaction with the project results?
“For me, it was 100% satisfaction,” said Allred. He explained how the UX team got things done quickly and orderly, keeping the project moving. They were able to get ahead at the beginning of the project and by the time the other teams caught up, the project was coming together and wrapping up. He also talked about how the UX team was very flexible in that anytime the engineers were not able to include something the UX designers created, they were able to work together to find a solution.
To see a prototype of this project, please click here and scroll down to “Educator Application.”
In your professional experience, how is the UX team different from other teams?
Allred has been at OIT for 23 years, meaning he has worked with many teams and many kinds of people. Concerning the UX design team, he said something that distinguishes them is that “their job is specific.” They focus on the user experience and how it can be improved and implemented in the right ways. With a team focused specifically on this work, other teams don’t have to worry about doing the research and wondering how the users will have a good experience. Allred said sometimes teams will try to approach the UX design themselves instead of seeking the help of the UX team. In response to this, he said their designs can be “5 or 6 clicks, but the thing I like about the UX Team is that we can do that in 2 clicks.”
The purpose of the UX design team is to focus on the end user and collaborate with other teams. Allred used the example of a Venn diagram to explain this. One side holds the knowledge and experience of an engineering team and the other holds the knowledge and experience of a UX team. The middle is where the magic happens. To achieve a successful website that is user-friendly, accessible, and functioning, both sides need to combine their knowledge and experience. Each team cannot achieve these results alone and they rely on one another for optimal success. This success means that, according to Allred, “people don’t lose faith and support in the software.”
We are grateful for the time that Mr. Allred took to talk with us, and we hope this story helps those at the OIT better understand who we are and what we do. The OIT UX Design team is always available to help and work with any team and project. Our services range from UX design to technical writing with valuable experience and dedicated students and employees in between. Don’t hesitate to reach out and get more
information on implementing our work into your project. We look forward to hearing from you.
Contact us at uxoit@byu.edu