Address collaboration challenges caused by inconsistent file formatting through standardized documentation
Work, Design Documentation
Duration
1 Week, September 2023
Company
Aleph Labs Indonesia x Telkomsel Orbit
Telkomsel Orbit is a portable internet and WiFi provider by Telkomsel, one of the biggest telecommunication companies in Indonesia. In my current position as a UI/UX Designer at Aleph Labs Indonesia, Telkomsel Orbit is the primary client I work with. One challenge I encounter revolves around documentation, and this case study delves into how I address and overcome these challenges.
Problem Background
Effective documentation is crucial for maintaining seamless collaboration among project team members. However, in Orbit, there is a lack of standardized file formatting, resulting in each designer adopting their own documentation system. This lack of organization gives rise to several issues, including:
- Inconsistent Task Handling: New tasks related to older ones are sometimes documented in new files and other times appended to existing ones, leading to confusion.
- Unclear Design File Status: The absence of a clear versioning system makes it difficult for team members to determine the latest version of a design file or whether a particular version has been canceled.
- Difficulty in Locating Use Cases: The development team and other stakeholders encounter challenges in finding specific use cases, often resulting in repeated inquiries to designers regarding the whereabouts of certain cases.
- Usability Testing Challenges: During usability testing, especially in the case of multiple iterations, the transition of prototypes to the freezer makes it challenging to locate and revisit them when necessary.
- Messy Meeting Notes in Figma: While inputting meeting notes directly into Figma facilitates immediate reference during design refinements, the continuous addition of notes can lead to a cluttered design file. Additionally, scattered notes make it challenging to locate specific information.
Design File Before Standardizing File Structure
To address these issues, I have introduced a structured file guide to establish a standardized documentation system and implementing better file organization practices within Figma. The guide aims to provide a standardized framework for documentation, ensuring consistency, clarity, and easy retrieval of information.
Outcomes
The file guide is applicable to both design and research files. All associated tasks will be consolidated within a single Figma file, adhering to the following structured format:
Figma page structure
The client brief, design status, table of contents, benchmarking list, and meeting notes list will be consolidated onto a single page.
client client brief, design status, table of contents, benchmarking list, and meeting notes in one page
The breakdown:
Breakdown 1: Client brief
Breakdown 2: Design status
Breakdown 3: Meeting notes
Breakdown 4: Table of content
The table of contents will provide a direct link to the use case list, located on both the mobile and desktop design pages. This comprehensive use case list serves as a valuable resource, facilitating easy navigation for users to locate all flows, permutations, negative cases, and technical notes within the file.
Use case list
Each flow name in the use case list table is hyperlinked to its corresponding design flow section on the right. This functionality streamlines navigation, allowing users to access their desired use case directly.
Use case list next to design file
The file guide is pinned at the top of the project lists to ensure that everyone adheres to and utilizes the provided guides effectively.
File guide is pinned at the top of the project lists
Positive Improvements
The implementation of this file guide serves as a valuable enhancement, fostering consistency and efficiency in project documentation and ensuring that all team members benefit from standardized practices, while also aiding other stakeholders in navigating our Figma files more effectively.
