DESIGN UPLOAD SITES
Upon joining Hilton, I inherited a pretty clunky project tracking site that was in sore need of expanded functionality and critical enhancements that could accommodate the wide range of project styles among the design department.
Initially, we only had sites for the Hilton and DoubleTree brands and both forced design managers to follow a linear review process even though projects come in all shapes and sizes with different timelines and needs. Below are two snapshots of Hilton's original functionality in both the overall pipeline view and within a given project.
I spent two and a half years continuously refining the websites to optimize how both internal and external users flow throughout the site. I constantly wore two hats, studying how we could better an external user's brand experience and also help them via a clearer understanding of the design process.
I also considered how to enhance the internal experience for our design managers in how we used the site for overall pipeline snapshots, but also in how we managed and interacted with specific projects.
One of the most crucial updates, shown in the next two snapshots, involved radically expanding the management options we had at each step of the design process (Steps 2-5). I wanted us to be able to skip small projects straight to the end or to a next step if we needed to. I also wanted to ensure we had additional options to request materials or schedule conferences and have the system auto-generate requests for follow-up meeting minutes.
I worked with my VP on countless other updates for specific projects, but another key enhancement was within the overall pipeline view. In an effort to be more collaborative with other internal teams, such as brand leaders and the architecture team, we added additional means of searching for properties and a My Projects feature.
While external users were already able to come to a single screen for viewing the projects they were working on with Hilton, internal users did not. Adding this made it dramatically easier for other teams to quickly look into which of our projects were most relevant to them.
For external users, we never stopped noodling on how we could better clarify the design upload process. Doing so would not only ease their frustrations, but also would free up our team's time by ensuring the right materials were uploaded at the right time (and ensuring we would stop getting so many phone calls about what to do). Within the registration process, I added definitions and other modifications to help users select the right project types and upload the right documents. I also added a visually-friendly overview of each step (seen prior to registering) along with best practice tips on how to get the most out of the process.
Once the Hilton and DoubleTree pages were in a great spot, we replicated and introduced the site to the Curio, Embassy Suites, and Tapestry brands. I worked with my web consultant and Hilton's brand and marketing teams to ensure each site provided an on-brand experience.
Hilton is currently undergoing a major initiative to create a design project management app that builds upon the bones of what we've created here, but on a grander scale that captures all brands.
Given my deep knowledge of how these sites work, I'm working on that team by creating the information architecture for Full Service and Luxury brands. I am also leading the way to bring the Brand Service & Innovation team into the fold so that they can digitally cross-collaborate with Hilton Design on their respective components (including Fitness, Spa, and F&B).