building better experiences

Kevin Sullivan — UI / UX Designer

Vantage Apparel

UI / UX refresh for a B2B clothing business.

Nora fleming

UI refresh for a B2C home goods e-commerce site.

Decorative Materials

UI / UX refresh for a B2B tile business.

BRGR FNDR

UI / UX for a food app.

Choose Colorado

UI / UX design for a state government website.

How I Work
How I Work
How I Work

discovery

  • client brief

    What are the challenges that the client is looking to overcome in the design process? Client likes and dislikes? At this point it, is always good to get a list of competitors in the market, to see where the client stands in relation to the rest of the market.

  • Q/A

    It’s a good idea to follow up on the client brief and clarify with the client what their needs and expectations are. It’s also a good time to ask for examples of the client’s likes–the more specific the better. This can solidify what the client is looking for and what to expect.

  • research

    If the client has already done any prior research, this is the time to review it. If a site is aleady live SEO studies are always helpful and can deliver an insight into how users are already interacting with the project. All clients have different needs and different users so this is a good time to gather up persona research for the project. Researching competitors for UX considerations and conducting a design review of what’s currently happening in the client’s market is a necessary step to ensure the client’s needs are meet and the app or site is up to date and inline with the market.

previsualize

  • user flow

    This can be a vital step to ensure all the features are where they need to be. How will the user get from step A to B? Which users go down which path and how best to address the needs of the user at each step in the process?

  • site map

    The site map can really help visualize the entire site at once and to get a real scope of what the project demands. Without a site map, it can be difficult to know if everything has been accounted for.

deliverables

  • wireframe

    Grey box wireframing a site is the fastest way to make design decisions for layout without getting bogged down in the minutia of graphic design. It helps determine if all the elements have been accounted for and if they are all working together. It is a good time to decide hierarchy of the page and remove any distracting items. Wireframing for multiple devices is also very important so the experience is consistent for different use cases.

  • usability testing

    Depending on the scope and project deadlines/budgets, this could involve anything from reaching out to coworkers/friends and the client's employees for feedback, or even going to an outside source for more in-depth user research. Asking for feedback is crucial for any project to be kept on track, and any flaws and misteps are better seen at this point in the process before any major development takes place.

  • prototype

    Taking all the prior research, wireframing, and usablity testing into consideration this is where it all comes together. This step allows the client to see how the user will actually interact with the site or app before it is taken into development. Connecting all the wireframes together and seeing how buttons, menus, and links work is invaluable asset.

  • design

    The look and feel of the site or app is established by fleshing out the colors, fonts, and graphic treatments.

  • Quality Assurance

    Having an open dialog with development is very important, so the designs can be seen through to completion.

kevin sullivan

I’m a UI / UX Designer based out of South Florida. I have been working as a professional designer for roughly the past 20 years. I believe designing apps and websites is like making a painting. It’s best to start off with a sketch and to iterate until the idea forms properly. Then it’s time to apply the paint.

Short list of stuff I like outside of design: kittens, photography, painting, illustration, sci-fi movies, mid century furniture and architecture, electronic rock.