HP Smart Desktop App Updates

Company

Hewlett-Packard

Role

Interaction Designer and Researcher

Teams

UX, Product, Engineering

Tools

Adobe XD, UserTesting.com, Excel

Timeline

4 months

Background

Historically, the desktop version of the HP Smart App lagged behind its mobile counterpart due to a "mobile-first" development strategy.


Recognizing the significant number of legacy users still on desktop, our team lead and I aimed to enhance the desktop setup experience to improve user satisfaction and engagement.

Goals and Impact

Goals

  1. Usability: Streamline the setup process for ease of use.

  1. Consistency: Ensure uniformity across the user interface.

  1. Voice & Tone: Align messaging with user expectations.

Impacts

  1. Microsoft app store ratings increased from 2.8 to 4.4 stars.

  1. Improvement in all ux metrics: confidence, ease of use, and visual appeal and NASA TLX workload.

Process

Path to a more scalable, compelling website

01

Expert Evaluation

Creating a user journey

02

Prioritization workshop

Aligning with stakeholders

03

baseline study

Gathering baseline UX metrics

04

Design + Iteration

competitive analysis, Design, internal reviews

05

Delta Study + impact evaluation

Success Evaluation

Impact

  1. Microsoft app store ratings increased from 2.8 to 4.4 stars.

  1. Improvement in all ux metrics: confidence, ease of use, and visual appeal and NASA TLX workload.

01

Evaluation

02

prioritization

03

Baseline

04

design iteration

05

impact

Expert Evaluation

Journey mapping to identify hero moments and pain points

We began by mapping the user journey to identify key moments and pain points. This evaluation provided a comprehensive understanding of the user's experience and highlighted areas for improvement.

01

Evaluation

02

prioritization

03

Baseline

04

design iteration

05

impact

Prioritization Workshop

Aligning within the organization

Approach

Collaborating with stakeholders, we conducted workshops to pinpoint and prioritize issues. This collaborative approach ensured alignment and informed the redesign process.

Goals + Rationales

  • Leverage our tribal knowledge of known customer problems to help inform the redesign

  • Create stakeholder buy-in for backlog prioritization

01

Evaluation

02

prioritization

03

Baseline

04

design iteration

05

impact

Baseline Study

Measuring the current experience

Objective

To establish a baseline, we conducted qualitative sessions in the San Diego office, focusing on the end-to-end setup flow. This study provided valuable insights into user frustrations and validated our journey map.

Approach

  • Conducted qualitative sessions in the San Diego office

  • Targeted end-to-end setup flow: from initial instructions to first print

  • Developed and used a discussion guide and embedded micro-surveys

Methods

  • Paused users at key journey points to capture immediate feedback

  • Collected both qualitative insights and ratings of ux metrics (time, confidence, ease of use, number of steps, success)

Outcomes

Clearer understanding of user frustrations

  • Validation of journey map pain points

  • Actionable input for redesign prioritization

01

Evaluation

02

prioritization

03

Baseline

04

design iteration

05

impact

Install Driver Redesign

One piece of the redesign

Overview

A critical component of the redesign was the driver installation process. Through collaboration with development teams, we enabled background downloading of drivers, reducing user intervention. This change decreased setup time and minimized user fatigue.

Preceding Steps

As a part of the design process, I looked at where users are coming from in the journey to see if there’s anything that could impact the experience once they get to the driver. In this case the copy in the loading screen preceding the driver was misleading, and we addressed this in the design updates.

Backend Work

First we discussed with development if the driver could be downloaded in the background automatically for the user.


Negotiation led to this actually be the hero case with the instruction screen only accounting for ~30% of users. That meant that this was one less step in the set up journey that required action from users, reducing overall fatigue.

Defining Scope

There are two types of driver installations that occur in OOBE. The scope of this deliverable was only for the Manual Driver Install Case.

  1. Auto-matic Install

    1. During automatic install there is no inputs required from the user.

  2. Manual Driver Install

    1. During manual driver install the user need to open OS settings and manually add the device to their OS.

Use Cases

There are multiple use cases where users will see the instructions to install the print driver.

  1. Use Case 1: OOBE

    1. This occurs during printer setup if auto-matic install fails. In this case the user needs to manually install the driver.

  2. Use Case 2: Post-OOBE

    1. If automatic and manual driver install is unsuccessful during OOBE, then the user will need to reattempt driver install if they attempt to print something from the Smart app.

Logic Flow

Based on the scope and use cases we aligned on with development, I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

Competitive Analysis

I also looked at examples of step by step instructions across other platforms especially focusing on devices that intersect with a hardware component to help identify best practices for the driver install screen re design.

Iterations

I went through around 7 version of this install driver design, continuously reviewing them with our design and development teams.

Final Design

Ultimately quick hallway testing helped inform the final direction that was delivered to development.


Final deliverable can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DVZM2Is14AsbAKEUrqDW2LyB8Wz8gLS3/view?usp=sharing

01

Initial research

02

desk research

03

competitive audit

04

design iteration

05

impact

First Print Redesign

One piece of the redesign

Background

I also redesigned first print which was the last step of the printer setup process. The information hierarchy on the page, visuals, voice and tone definitely needed to be updated to ensure users had a positive last step. The overall intent for this was to celebrate and assure the user that their printer was ready for them to use it.

Objectives

  • Needs to really emphasize celebration of the completed setup

  • Name should just be name of printer, and picture if possible

  • Text should  be more prominent in the information architecture

Logic Flow

I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

01

Evaluation

02

prioritization

03

Baseline

04

design iteration

05

impact

Delta Study

Incorporating best practices

Objective

To gauge whether the improvements we were making had a positive impact on experience metrics, we ran a second test to compare the user experience of the current Win 10 experience to the updated Win 10 designs.


I wrote the test, created the stimuli (two prototypes), and analyzed the qualitative and quantitative data.

Approach

  • Online unmoderated UserTesting.com test

  • Stimuli included two click through XD prototypes representing the current and new Win 10 workflows

Methods

  • 26 users

  • PC users, typical person to set up a printer, PC setup path preferred

  • A/B Preference Test 

  • NASA TLX Metrics

Outcomes + Impact

The overall conclusion was that the new design performed better across all key UX metrics.

  • The new Win 10 desktop experience performed better on almost all NASA TLX workload metrics

  • Users preferred the new Win 10 experience across all ux metrics: confidence, amount of steps, ease of use, use w/out assistance, and visual appeal

01

Evaluation

02

prioritization

03

Baseline

04

design iteration

05

impact

Reflections

Project challenges and mitigations

Overall, our team deemed the project a success. That didn't mean there weren't problems however.

Challenge #1:

Developer resistance to delivery of design changes

Mitigation: To support adoption of our new interaction design documentation, we prioritized developer education and clear communication around the rationale behind key design decisions. This project marked the first use of a newly established delivery structure for the Windows 10 and Mac development teams.


Initially, there was some friction, as the documentation was more detailed than what teams were accustomed to. We dedicated time to walk developers through the new format, explain how to navigate the deliverables, and clarify expectations. These efforts not only eased the transition but also fostered strong working relationships with both development teams—laying a solid foundation for future collaboration.

Challenge #2:

Deliberation between 2 possible design solutions

Mitigation: To resolve a design disagreement, we conducted hallway testing to gather quick user feedback. Ultimately, both my design and my manager’s were equally preferred by users. The final decision was made based on expert review and alignment with standard UI conventions, such as button placement best practices.

Company

Hewlett- Packard

Role

Interaction Designer and Researcher

Team

Teams

Teams

UX, Product, Engineering

Tools

Adobe XD, UserTesting.com, Excel

Timeline

4 Months

Timeline

4 Months

Background

Historically, the desktop version of the HP Smart App lagged behind its mobile counterpart due to a "mobile-first" development strategy.


Recognizing the significant number of legacy users still on desktop, our team lead and I aimed to enhance the desktop setup experience to improve user satisfaction and engagement.

Goals

  1. Usability: Streamline the setup process for ease of use.

  1. Consistency: Ensure uniformity across the user interface.

  1. Voice & Tone: Align messaging with user expectations.

Process

Path to a more scalable, compelling website

01

Expert Evaluation

Creating a user journey

02

prioritization workshop

Aligning with stakeholders

03

baseline study

Gathering Baseline UX metrics

04

Design + Iteration

Competitive Analysis, design, Internal reviews

05

delta study + Impact Evaluation

sucess evaluation

01

Expert Evaluation

Expert Evaluation

Creating a user journey

02

Prioritization workshop

Prioritization workshop

Aligning with stakeholders

03

baseline study

baseline study

Gathering baseline UX metrics

04

Design + Iteration

Design + Iteration

competitive analysis, Design, internal reviews

05

Delta Study + impact evaluation

Delta Study + impact evaluation

Success Evaluation

01

02

03

04

05

Expert Evaluation

Journey mapping to identify hero moments and pain points

Approach

We began by mapping the user journey to identify key moments and pain points. This evaluation provided a comprehensive understanding of the user's experience and highlighted areas for improvement.

Prioritization Workshop

Aligning within the organization

Approach

Collaborating with stakeholders, we conducted workshops to pinpoint and prioritize issues. This collaborative approach ensured alignment and informed the redesign process.

Goals

  • Leverage our tribal knowledge of known customer problems to help inform the redesign

  • Create stakeholder buy-in for backlog prioritization

01

02

03

04

05

Baseline Study

Measuring the current experience

01

02

03

04

05

Objective

To establish a baseline, we conducted qualitative sessions in the San Diego office, focusing on the end-to-end setup flow. This study provided valuable insights into user frustrations and validated our journey map.

Approach

Conducted qualitative sessions in the San Diego office

  • Targeted end-to-end setup flow: from initial instructions to first print

  • Developed and used a discussion guide and embedded micro-surveys

Methods

  • Paused users at key journey points to capture immediate feedback

  • Collected both qualitative insights and ratings of ux metrics (time, confidence, ease of use, number of steps, success)

Outcomes

Clearer understanding of user frustrations

  • Validation of journey map pain points

  • Actionable input for redesign prioritization

Install Driver Redesign

One piece of the redesign

Overview

A critical component of the redesign was the driver installation process. Through collaboration with development teams, we enabled background downloading of drivers, reducing user intervention. This change decreased setup time and minimized user fatigue.

Preceding Steps

As a part of the design process, I looked at where users are coming from in the journey to see if there’s anything that could impact the experience once they get to the driver. In this case the copy in the loading screen preceding the driver was misleading, and we addressed this in the design updates.

01

02

03

04

05

Backend Work

We worked with development first of all to see if the driver could be first and foremost downloaded in the background automatically for the user. Negotiation led to this actually be the hero case with the instruction screen only accounting for ~30% of users. That meant that this was one less step in the set up journey that required actions from users, reducing overall fatigue and friction.

First we discussed with development if the driver could be downloaded in the background automatically for the user.


Negotiation led to this actually be the hero case with the instruction screen only accounting for ~30% of users. That meant that this was one less step in the set up journey that required action from users, reducing overall fatigue.

First we discussed with development if the driver could be downloaded in the background automatically for the user.


Negotiation led to this actually be the hero case with the instruction screen only accounting for ~30% of users. That meant that this was one less step in the set up journey that required action from users, reducing overall fatigue.

Competitive Analysis

I also looked at examples of step by step instructions across other platforms especially focusing on devices that intersect with a hardware component to help identify best practices for the driver install screen re design.

Iterations

I went through around 7 version of this install driver design, continuously reviewing them with our design and development teams.

Final Design

Ultimately quick hallway testing helped inform the final direction that was delivered to development.


Final deliverable can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DVZM2Is14AsbAKEUrqDW2LyB8Wz8gLS3/view?usp=sharing

Defining Scope

Defining Scope

Defining Scope

There are two types of driver installations that occur in OOBE. The scope of this deliverable was only for the Manual Driver Install Case.


  1. Auto-matic Install

    1. During automatic install there is no inputs required from the user.

  2. Manual Driver Install

    1. During manual driver install the user need to open OS settings and manually add the device to their OS.

There are two types of driver installations that occur in OOBE. The scope of this deliverable was only for the Manual Driver Install Case.

  1. Auto-matic Install

    1. During automatic install there is no inputs required from the user.

  2. Manual Driver Install

    1. During manual driver install the user need to open OS settings and manually add the device to their OS.

There are two types of driver installations that occur in OOBE. The scope of this deliverable was only for the Manual Driver Install Case.

  1. Auto-matic Install

    1. During automatic install there is no inputs required from the user.

  2. Manual Driver Install

    1. During manual driver install the user need to open OS settings and manually add the device to their OS.

Use Cases

Use Cases

Use Cases

There are multiple use cases where users will see the instructions to install the print driver.


  1. Use Case 1: OOBE

    1. This occurs during printer setup if auto-matic install fails. In this case the user needs to manually install the driver.

  2. Use Case 2: Post-OOBE

    1. If automatic and manual driver install is unsuccessful during OOBE, then the user will need to reattempt driver install if they attempt to print something from the Smart app.

There are multiple use cases where users will see the instructions to install the print driver.

  1. Use Case 1: OOBE

    1. This occurs during printer setup if auto-matic install fails. In this case the user needs to manually install the driver.

  2. Use Case 2: Post-OOBE

    1. If automatic and manual driver install is unsuccessful during OOBE, then the user will need to reattempt driver install if they attempt to print something from the Smart app.

There are multiple use cases where users will see the instructions to install the print driver.

  1. Use Case 1: OOBE

    1. This occurs during printer setup if auto-matic install fails. In this case the user needs to manually install the driver.

  2. Use Case 2: Post-OOBE

    1. If automatic and manual driver install is unsuccessful during OOBE, then the user will need to reattempt driver install if they attempt to print something from the Smart app.

Logic Flow

Logic Flow

Logic Flow

Based on the scope and use cases we aligned on with development, I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

Based on the scope and use cases we aligned on with development, I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

Based on the scope and use cases we aligned on with development, I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

First Print Redesign

One piece of the redesign

Background

I also redesigned first print which was the last step of the printer setup process. The information hierarchy on the page, visuals, voice and tone definitely needed to be updated to ensure users had a positive last step. The overall intent for this was to celebrate and assure the user that their printer was ready for them to use it.

Objectives

  • Needs to really emphasize celebration of the completed setup

  • Name should just be name of printer, and picture if possible

  • Text should  be more prominent in the information architecture

01

02

03

04

05

Old Design

New Design

First Print Redesign

One piece of the redesign

Background

I also redesigned first print which was the last step of the printer setup process. The information hierarchy on the page, visuals, voice and tone definitely needed to be updated to ensure users had a positive last step. The overall intent for this was to celebrate and assure the user that their printer was ready for them to use it.

Objectives

  • Needs to really emphasize celebration of the completed setup

  • Name should just be name of printer, and picture if possible

  • Text should  be more prominent in the information architecture

01

02

03

04

05

Old Design

New Design

Logic Flow

Logic Flow

Needs to really emphasize celebration of the completed setup.Based on the scope and use cases we aligned on with development, I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

Logic Flow

Needs to really emphasize celebration of the completed setup.Based on the scope and use cases we aligned on with development, I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

I created a logic flow to define the interaction design. We reviewed this with development as well to ensure the design was implemented as desired.

Delta Study

Incorporating best practices

Objective

To gauge whether the improvements we were making had a positive impact on experience metrics, we ran a second test to compare the user experience of the current Win 10 experience to the updated Win 10 designs.


I wrote the test, created the stimuli (two prototypes), and analyzed the qualitative and quantitative data.

Approach

  • Online unmoderated UserTesting.com test

  • Stimuli included two click through XD prototypes representing the current and new Win 10 workflows

Outcomes and Impact

The overall conclusion was that the new design performed better across all key UX metrics.

  • The new Win 10 desktop experience performed better on almost all NASA TLX workload metrics

  • Users preferred the new Win 10 experience across all ux metrics: confidence, amount of steps, ease of use, use w/out assistance, and visual appeal

Methods

  • 26 users

  • PC users, typical person to set up a printer, PC setup path preferred

  • A/B Preference Test 

  • NASA TLX Metrics

01

02

03

04

05

Reflections

Project challenges and mitigations

Overall, our team deemed the project a success. That didn't mean there weren't problems however.

Challenge #1:

Developer resistance to delivery of design changes

Mitigation: To support adoption of our new interaction design documentation, we prioritized developer education and clear communication around the rationale behind key design decisions. This project marked the first use of a newly established delivery structure for the Windows 10 and Mac development teams.


Initially, there was some friction, as the documentation was more detailed than what teams were accustomed to. We dedicated time to walk developers through the new format, explain how to navigate the deliverables, and clarify expectations. These efforts not only eased the transition but also fostered strong working relationships with both development teams—laying a solid foundation for future collaboration.

Challenge #2:

Deliberation between 2 possible design solutions

Mitigation: To resolve a design disagreement, we conducted hallway testing to gather quick user feedback. Ultimately, both my design and my manager’s were equally preferred by users. The final decision was made based on expert review and alignment with standard UI conventions, such as button placement best practices.

01

02

03

04

05

Open to work

Back to top

Back to top

Let's create
something
extraordinary
together.

We'll make an impact

Alyssa O'Neill

Senior Product Designer

Hit me up if you're looking for a natural collaborator and thorough problem solver passionate about crafting design solutions with empathy.

Open to work

Back to top

Back to top

Let's create something extraordinary together.

We'll make an impact

Alyssa O'Neill

Senior Product Designer

Hit me up if you're looking for a natural collaborator and thorough problem solver passionate about crafting design solutions with empathy.

Open to work

Back to top

Back to top

Let's create
something
extraordinary
together.

We'll make an impact

Alyssa O'Neill

Senior Product Designer

Hit me up if you're looking for a natural collaborator and thorough problem solver passionate about crafting design solutions with empathy.