NOAA GLANSIS Redesign
Role
UX Designer
Timeline
September-December 2023
UI/UX Design
At A Glance
The GLANSIS Species List Generator is an essential tool for researchers, students, educators, and Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) decision-makers, providing critical information on non-native species in the Great Lakes region. Despite its importance, the tool was plagued by usability challenges, making it difficult for users to quickly and intuitively find the species information they needed. I was tasked with redesigning this tool to improve its usability and ensure that it serves its diverse user base effectively.
The Problem
Users struggle to find species information quickly and intuitively due to poor navigation and information architecture. This usability issue not only frustrates users but also diminishes the effectiveness of GLANSIS in supporting its mission to prevent the establishment of new invasive species.
Key Pain Points:
Complex Navigation: Users found the existing navigation confusing, leading to difficulty in locating specific species information.
Overwhelming Data Presentation: The way information was presented made it hard for users to digest and utilize the data effectively.
Limited Accessibility: The tool lacked features that catered to the accessibility needs of all users, reducing its overall usability.
Use Cases
An interview with NOAA Representative Dr. Rochelle Sturtevant revealed 5 key use cases for GLANSIS.
Rochelle also noted that most complaints the tool received were from people having difficulty finding what they need, and she attributed this to the variety of audience types. Due to the many audiences that emerged from these use cases, I knew I needed to design the tool to be versatile and intuitive to many different user types.