PROCESS
The original design of the site was developer-centric, and offered limited interaction
capabilities. Starting in the role of Product Manager, I realized early that the site needed
multifaceted redesign.
Business Requirements
I conducted extensive stakeholder interviews to understand the core business
requirements, which was augmented with an understanding of British Council’s strategic
focus in India. A few themes emerged:
User Requirements
Business requirements were augmented with user surveys, focus groups, usability tests
and technical analysis of existing site metrics. It was found that users were in the age
group of 17 – 35 years, and looked up to British Council for distinct needs:
The website needed content and design that would appeal to all types of users: English
language learners and library users of all ages, mid-aged scholars looking for British
research, youth looking for information on UK education, among others. Four distinct
“personas” were developed to describe behaviors, motivations, and information needs of
these users, which helped me prioritize efforts and make user-centered decisions.
Iterative refinement of content and features
Design solutions focused on content as well as features.
The original design of the site was developer-centric, and offered limited interaction
capabilities. Starting in the role of Product Manager, I realized early that the site needed
multifaceted redesign.
Business Requirements
I conducted extensive stakeholder interviews to understand the core business
requirements, which was augmented with an understanding of British Council’s strategic
focus in India. A few themes emerged:
- Senior management’s vision was a site that could replace the need for opening
more physical offices in India, which meant an online version for nearly all British
Council services (libraries, English teaching, etc) - Different business units wanted to leverage the site for promotions of events, and
also wanted to foster long-term customer communities
User Requirements
Business requirements were augmented with user surveys, focus groups, usability tests
and technical analysis of existing site metrics. It was found that users were in the age
group of 17 – 35 years, and looked up to British Council for distinct needs:
- British Council as a UK-based library; a resource for professional development
- British Council as a provider English language training,
- British Council as a facilitator of IELTS exams for admission to UK universities
- British Council as a cultural, non-profit organization bringing British Arts to India
The website needed content and design that would appeal to all types of users: English
language learners and library users of all ages, mid-aged scholars looking for British
research, youth looking for information on UK education, among others. Four distinct
“personas” were developed to describe behaviors, motivations, and information needs of
these users, which helped me prioritize efforts and make user-centered decisions.
Iterative refinement of content and features
Design solutions focused on content as well as features.
- Separate, well-defined areas were created for different types of users.
- 'Spotlights,' focused on periodic contents from different business units
- 'Community,' includes sub-sections for different user groups (Arts, Science and
Environment, UK Education, etc) - Content 'bundles' to help specific users locate all relevant content with one click
- Free trials, and audio samples of English instructional materials to help users
'experience' content before purchasing - Online library catalogue for library-only users, among others
| / |
British Council Online
User Experience Management for e-Community,
e-Learning, and e-Commerce
British Council// Web Product Manager
DESIGN CHALLENGE
British Council is an international organization that builds UK’s cultural
relations with other countries. British Council India needed a single digital
platform for fostering subject-matter communities, promoting UK’s arts and
culture, delivering e-library services, and selling English language instructional
resources, while reinforcing its strong brand identity and customer satisfaction.
User Experience Management for e-Community,
e-Learning, and e-Commerce
British Council// Web Product Manager
DESIGN CHALLENGE
British Council is an international organization that builds UK’s cultural
relations with other countries. British Council India needed a single digital
platform for fostering subject-matter communities, promoting UK’s arts and
culture, delivering e-library services, and selling English language instructional
resources, while reinforcing its strong brand identity and customer satisfaction.
British Council Microsites and Design Alternatives
RESULTS
The design of site is
unique as it enables
experience of
e-community, e-learning,
and e-commerce on one
platform. Since the launch
of the new design, the
number of page views,
free trials, and paid
subscriptions have been
growing steadily. The
success of site has led to
increased success of
other British Council
services as well.
Customer communities
that were established on
the site continue to stay
loyal, and become part of
offline cultural events
organized by British
Council.
The design of site is
unique as it enables
experience of
e-community, e-learning,
and e-commerce on one
platform. Since the launch
of the new design, the
number of page views,
free trials, and paid
subscriptions have been
growing steadily. The
success of site has led to
increased success of
other British Council
services as well.
Customer communities
that were established on
the site continue to stay
loyal, and become part of
offline cultural events
organized by British
Council.
Professional Work
ACL Wireless
British Council
Ford Motors
ACL Wireless
British Council
Ford Motors
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Interaction Design
Design Process
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Web 2.0
Usability Evaluation
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Contact
646. 510. 2529
agaurav@umich.edu
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Academic Projects
Interaction Design
Design Process
Service Design
Web 2.0
Usability Evaluation
Contextual Inquiry
IA Strategy
Contact
646. 510. 2529
agaurav@umich.edu
Resume
MS Word
Networks
| About Me | Thoughts | Projects Copyright Gaurav Anand | agaurav@umich.edu | 646. 510. 2529 |
