Product Design Archives - Robert Sheppard Design

Ford Pro app

robshepp — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:35:53 +0000

Case Study.

As Lead UX/UI Designer in an agile squad, I led the redesign of a native mobile app for Ford Pro, targeting small to medium-sized fleet operators. This case study focuses on improving engagement with Vehicle Health Alerts, a core feature designed to keep fleet vehicles on the road through pre-emptive maintenance notifications.

Case Study.

As Lead UX/UI Designer in an agile squad, I led the redesign of a native mobile app for Ford Pro, targeting small to medium-sized fleet operators. This case study focuses on improving engagement with Vehicle Health Alerts, a core feature designed to keep fleet vehicles on the road through pre-emptive maintenance notifications.

The Challenge

Support the business: Re-purpose an existing app, that was not built for the target audience and gradually iterate on features. Leverage the existing desktop software solution and liaise with the global team. Manage an evolving brief and strategy whilst upholding insights revealed by our team through user research.

The Challenge

Support the business: Re-purpose an existing app, that was not built for the target audience and gradually iterate on features. Leverage the existing desktop software solution and liaise with the global team. Manage an evolving brief and strategy whilst upholding insights revealed by our team through user research.

Vehicle Health Alert problems

Ford Pro’s analytics revealed that users were not engaging with Vehicle Health Alerts, undermining the app’s key value proposition. Fleet drivers ignored VHA notifications, often relying on dashboard warnings or routine checks instead. Multiple UX issues contributed to the problem:

Confusing visualisations of “level” vs “quality”

Arbitrary percentage indicators without actionable insights

Misunderstandings of the term “Oil Life”

Lack of clear timeframes for preventive action

Discovery

To uncover root causes, I initiated a design workshop with the product and engineering teams, followed by a Crazy 8’s ideation session. To get the most value from these sessions, I set the theme: ‘How can we respond to the particular problem of differentiating between ‘quality’ and ‘levels’?

These collaborative efforts surfaced multiple hypotheses and led to the creation of new visualisation concepts that better differentiated oil quality from quantity.

Design explorations.

We explored a range of visual metaphors and interaction patterns for Vehicle Health Alerts. Key goals were clarity, intuitiveness, and reduced cognitive load. Design ideas were continuously reviewed with Engineering leads to evaluate technical feasibility and I conducted some user testing with colleagues, before deciding which options to develop further.

Design explorations.

Validation & user testing

I conducted two rounds of remote, unmoderated user testing. An A/B test with 30 participants to compare the existing design with our new proposed solution. This was repeated as a B/A test with a new set of 30 participants, to remove any bias from the test results.

Version B (new design) was preferred by 72% of users

80% could correctly predict when oil life would become critical with version B

All could correctly identify state of oil as 'normal' with version B

48% of users still thought “Oil Life” meant oil level, confirming the need for better terminology and contextual education.

Accessibility

Accessibility is always a priority. I use a mix of figma plug-ins and webaim.org colour contrast checker to ensure visual elements met AAA standards for text contrast, and at least AA for graphical elements.

Designs were tested against common types of color blindness (protanopia, deuteranopia) to ensure clarity for all users.

Accessibility checks highlighted issues with this style of data visualisation.

Final design solution

Outcomes

The redesigned Vehicle Health Alerts experience significantly improved user understanding and engagement. With 72% of users preferring the new interface and an 80% success rate in interpreting critical oil life status, the feature now aligns much more closely with Ford Pro’s preventative maintenance goals. The solution laid a strong foundation for further enhancements to fleet management tools on mobile and contributed to the evolving design system.

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Anthropos app

robshepp — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 11:50:20 +0000

Case Study.

Anthropos Pro is a connected care solution for the home. Anthropos builds a rich picture of the daily routine of older people living alone. Based on their daily routine, the environment in which they live, their wellbeing and their safety and security.

Case Study.

Anthropos Pro is a connected care solution for the home. Anthropos builds a rich picture of the daily routine of older people living alone. Based on their daily routine, the environment in which they live, their wellbeing and their safety and security.

The Challenge

The Anthropos portal was originally designed with desktop users in mind, leaving the mobile experience inconsistent, limited, and frustrating. With no designer involved in the original build, the platform lacked usability and accessibility – crucial gaps considering the target audience: non tech-savvy carers monitoring elderly relatives through in-home sensors. Data was hard to interpret, and the experience didn’t reflect the empathy or simplicity the users needed.

My Role

As the sole Product Designer on the project, I worked directly with senior leadership, engineers, and marketing to lay the groundwork for a user-first redesign.

The Challenge

The Anthropos portal was originally designed with desktop users in mind, leaving the mobile experience inconsistent, limited, and frustrating. With no designer involved in the original build, the platform lacked usability and accessibility – crucial gaps considering the target audience: non tech-savvy carers monitoring elderly relatives through in-home sensors. Data was hard to interpret, and the experience didn’t reflect the empathy or simplicity the users needed.

My Role

As the sole Product Designer on the project, I worked directly with senior leadership, engineers, and marketing to lay the groundwork for a user-first redesign.

Where we started

1. Competitor audit

To kick off, I evaluated four competitors – assessing branding, feature sets, and overall user experience. Rather than dwell on what Anthropos lacked, I used the analysis to identify actionable opportunities: cleaner UI, clearer insights, and stronger brand cohesion.

2. Heuristic review

I then reviewed the existing platform across desktop and mobile, focusing on key user touchpoints like onboarding, data views, and alerts. I mapped out user flows, highlighted friction points, and layered in feedback from actual users. My recommendations centered on consistency, accessibility, and emotional clarity – especially important given the sensitive nature of care-based monitoring.

3. Recommendations

The insights revealed a clear path forward: align the portal with Anthropos’ brand, elevate usability to meet modern expectations, and design with empathy. Though technically functional, the portal needed to reflect the sophistication users experience elsewhere, especially in health-related apps. With a mobile-first, accessible design and a focus on simplicity, Anthropos had the opportunity to leap ahead of its competitors.

UX: Information architecture & user flows

A major part of the redesign focused on reworking the app’s Information Architecture and refining key user flows, not only to improve the current experience but to build a foundation for future scalability.

The original app lacked structure, especially around core features like alerts and insights, which are essential for family members monitoring their loved ones. I reorganised features into intuitive groups to align with the user’s mental model, ensuring they could navigate the app with confidence, not confusion.

Clear user flows were created for critical tasks, making sure users could complete actions quickly and intuitively. These weren’t just design artifacts, they became alignment tools.
• Engineering used them to identify technical dependencies.
• Marketing used them to validate proposed features with real users.
• Product Design used them to define reusable UI patterns and spot opportunities for scalable design components.

Leveraging AI for rapid prototyping.

To evaluate features and usability, I wrote prompts for AI tools (using a combination of Chat GPT, Claude and Stitch) to create interactive wireframes. After aligning with stakeholders on feasibility and prioritising features into must-haves and nice-to-haves, we presented the wireframes to real users for feedback. Their input guided rapid iterations, driven by refined AI prompts. This approach significantly accelerated our process, enabling us to validate the app concept early, before committing to full-scale design.

UI: Designing the mobile app interface

With the structure in place, I turned to interface design, running design discovery for each section and creating multiple prototypes for testing with users and stakeholders.

Pain points from earlier phases guided the design:
• Poor menu organisation made features hard to find.
• Data was overwhelming, lacking summaries and actionable insights.

A smarter home screen

A new onboarding flow leads on to the home screen, which was designed to be a personalised dashboard. A concise, high-level summary of the individual’s wellbeing. It shows updates from each sensor type and provides quick access to more detailed data. By writing in a warm, conversational tone and showing only what matters at a glance, we gave users peace of mind without cognitive overload. We also elected to go for a full screen alert message, which cannot be dismissed. This deliberately forces the user to take action, if only to confirm that all is OK.

Intuitive data visualisation

The challenge was to present sensor data along a 24-hour timeline, clearly highlighting any abnormal patterns. But just as important was knowing when not to show too much. Research confirmed that users didn’t want to constantly check in, they wanted to be notified when something stood out. The UI now reflects that balance: minimal when everything’s fine, proactive when something changes.

Several design variations were tested with real users, and their feedback directly shaped the final experience, ensuring the app was not only functional but empathetic to the realities of caregiving.

Using progressive discloure to drill down into more granular data.

Outcomes

The redesign of the Anthropos Pro app transformed it from a complex, desktop-centric interface into a mobile-first, user-friendly platform tailored for non-technical carers.

By rethinking the information architecture and prioritizing clarity, the new design offered a coherent dashboard that presented only essential information, reducing cognitive overload and improving accessibility.

Empathetic language and simplified interactions made the experience more approachable, helping carers monitor vulnerable individuals with greater confidence and ease.

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Hitachi EV depot dashboard

robshepp — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:53:43 +0000

Case Study.

Hitach Social Innovation, is a division of Hitachi focussing on initiatives to drive change. This project supports their efforts to reduce and manage the energy usage of large organisations. It focusses on tools to give organisations insights into their facilities, allowing them to reduce energy consumption and transition to EV vehicles as part of their fleet decorbonisation goals.

Case Study.

Hitach Social Innovation, is a division of Hitachi focussing on initiatives to drive change. This project supports their efforts to reduce and manage the energy usage of large organisations. It focusses on tools to give organisations insights into their facilities, allowing them to reduce energy consumption and transition to EV vehicles as part of their fleet decorbonisation goals.

My Role.

Lead Digital Product Designer. I guided the team in transforming their specification document from a ‘wish list’ to a final product. Using a tried and trusted design process to validate assumptions along the way and tailor our design decisions more closely to user needs.

Discover.

Turn specifications into user-stories. Define the product value proposition.

Define.

IA, userflows, interactive prototypes. User test with audience.

Design.

Final UI design, User test with stakeholders, data visualisation, tokenised design system.

Validate.

Continuous validation, lightweight research, including lean experiments.

My Role.

Lead Digital Product Designer. I guided the team in transforming their specification document from a ‘wish list’ to a final product. Using a tried and trusted design process to validate assumptions along the way and tailor our design decisions more closely to user needs.

Discover.

Turn specifications into user-stories. Define the product value proposition.

Define.

IA, userflows, interactive prototypes. User test with audience.

Design.

Final UI design, User test with stakeholders, data visualisation, tokenised design system.

Validate.

Continuous validation, lightweight research, including lean experiments.

Discover

I advocate for launching small but useful features with a strategy for growing the product. I helped the team convert their requirements into user stories by breaking them down into more detail.

We scored each feature by value, confidence and effort in order for the Product Manger to prioritise the product roadmap and release cycles.   It also enabled the engineering team to identify parts of the product that can be built without the need for design, such as fundamental back-end services.

Example: what do we need to do in order for the user to navigate to the dashboard.

We established a clear product value proposition, defining the target audience, the product’s purpose, and the reasons behind its development. This declaration serves as a crucial reference throughout the project, helping to maintain focus on the core ideas. Without this, there is a risk of losing sight of these essentials amidst the influx of feature requests.

Define

Information Architecture
I ran virtual card-sort sessions using Miro to define the Information Architecture.  Taking the product specification from the user stories, we asked beta users and stakeholders to organise content and features into logical sections.

User Journey Maps
I used these diagrams to illustrate the user experience as they interact with features and tasks, as well as touchpoints across the other brand channels and devices, providing a comprehensive view of their journey.   By highlighting pain points, opportunities, and key moments, the diagram enabled us to optimise their experience in order to meet their needs and expectations.

For instance, we realised a pain-point for the user was the amount of information we were asking them to input when setting up a new facility. Instead, we decided to allow the user to input basic information and give them the option to include more, after the facility had been added.

Wireframing and Prototyping

A wireframe diagram is a low-fidelity visual representation of the digital interface.  It focuses on usability and alignment with the product value proposition.   These were used for early user testing, as well as testing the placement of elements such as buttons, menus and content.   Wireframes and prototypes were instrumental in the early stages of the design process, allowing the product team and stakeholders to double-down on the product and quickly iterate before investing time and resources into high-fidelity design and development.

Language and Tone of Voice

We took the opportunity to make sure we were using consistent messaging throughout the product and that we aligned with other Hitachi software products. We asked participants to describe what they expected to find behind each of the navigation pillars.

Data Visualisation

Low-fidelity protoypes allowed us to test various iterations of the facility load graphic. We asked participants to describe what the graphic was telling them. We used this feedback to improve the data visualisation, before the final design.

Task Completion

Does the proposed product align with the value proposition? Can users undertake the most common tasks, without prompting? In their mind, is there anything missing that we can either add now or include in the roadmap?

Design

Agile Delivery

The team worked with the Product Manger to finalise the product roadmap. Referencing the user stories from the ‘Discover’ phase along with any new information gained from user testing the wireframes.

Engineering deliverables were timeboxed into 2 week sprints. Although design works differently, because I have to consider the whole story, I prioritised to align with the roadmap and made sure I was ahead of the next sprint.

UI Design

Translating the insights gathered from research into high fidelity UI designs.  I focused on crafting a UI design that followed Hitachi’s brand guidelines and AA-AAA accessibility standards.   The final design addressed the comments and issues that were experienced with the previous wireframe prototypes.   As part of the hand-off, I documented typography and layout styles as well as layout grids, components, interaction patterns, and data visualisation.

Handover Process

Documenting and communicating design decisions eased the handover process, prior to a design system being in place. Layout grids, for instance, serve as a tangible reference that communicate the spatial arrangement of elements, such as buttons, text fields, and images, within the interface.

This enabled developers to accurately translate design concepts into functional code, whilst ensuring consistency and alignment with the intended user experience, minimising discrepancies between design mockups and the final product.

8pt Grid System

I also followed the 8pt grid system when designing styles and components for this product. Adherence to an 8pt grid promotes scalability and adaptability across various screen sizes and devices, ensuring that the design remains cohesive and functional on all platforms.   The consistent spacing provided by the grid simplifies the development process, as engineers can translate design specifications more easily, especially if a component has several variants and states.

Overall, the 8pt grid system not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of the design but also streamlines the design-to-development workflow.

Validate

Lean Experiments

Lean experiments offer a systematic and cost-effective approach to validating hypotheses and refining digital products. This iterative process allows for the identification of user needs and preferences early on, facilitating the development of features that resonate with the target audience. Working within the product team to test and review real-world results to confirm if individual features are performing as expected.

Find out more.

Analytics

Quantitive data offers precise, measurable insights into user interactions, engagement metrics, and performance indicators, providing a clear picture of how users interact with the product. It enables teams to track key performance metrics objectively, identify trends, as well as the effectiveness of implemented changes.   This data empowers product teams to prioritise features, ultimately driving iterative improvements to the overall user experience.

User Feedback

Through methods like user interviews, surveys, and observational studies, qualitative data uncovers user motivations, preferences and pain points. It enables teams to empathise with users, identify patterns, and make informed decisions to enhance user satisfaction and drive product success.   Ultimately, qualitative data complements quantitative analysis, giving a better understanding of how to meet user needs and expectations.

Stakeholder Reviews

Regular internal reviews, ensuring the success and alignment of a digital product with organisational goals.  Is the product achieving the desired business goals?   Business requirements and focus can change. These reviews serve as opportunities for stakeholders to share new insights, re-confirm the product vision and align on business priorities throughout the product development lifecycle.

Outcomes

I led the end-to-end design of a new digital tool for Hitachi, turning a loose brief into a focused, user-validated MVP. Starting with stakeholder workshops, I defined core user needs and translated them into clear product goals. Through rapid prototyping and testing, I refined the UX and delivered a high-fidelity design that helps organisations manage energy use and plan EV fleet transitions. The result: a launch-ready product that supports smarter, more sustainable operations.

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KarmaPact app

robshepp — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:56:45 +0000

Case Study.

KarmaPact help employers connect with their employees through social, community and environmental programs. This allows companies to embrace and engage with their workforce, while enabling employees to be part of the changes they care about. These relationships are more relevant in the ‘new normal’ where teams are dispersed and individuals can feel isolated.

Case Study.

KarmaPact help employers connect with their employees through social, community and environmental programs. This allows companies to embrace and engage with their workforce, while enabling employees to be part of the changes they care about.

My Role

Reporting directly to stakeholders, I led the brand identity design and acted as lead product designer for the app. Part of a global team (spread across the USA, India, France and the UK) I was responsible for the visual design of the entire product. We followed Lean UX and Agile principles to scope and launch a brand new digital offering at pace, during a global pandemic.

Discover.

Identify users and product purpose.

Define.

MVP scope, userflows, sketches & wireframes.

Design.

Brand Identity design and product UI design.

Validate.

Review feedback from trial to build roadmap.

My Role

Reporting directly to stakeholders, I led the brand identity design and acted as lead product designer for the app. Part of a global team (spread across the USA, India, France and the UK) I was responsible for the visual design of the entire product. We followed Lean UX and Agile principles to scope and launch a brand new digital offering at pace, during a global pandemic.

Discover.

Identify users and product purpose.

Define.

MVP scope, userflows, sketches & wireframes.

Design.

Brand Identity design and product UI design.

Validate.

Review feedback from trial to build roadmap.

Brand Identity Design

The brand identity was designed with a vibrant, but accessible colour palette that really allowed us to breathe life into the UI design.

The chosen logo represents the three types of activities that users can upload in order to engage with their colleagues:
• Donations
• Volunteering
• Support.

The strong visual language supports the story and purpose of KarmaPact and is extremely important when launching a new brand and product. Any start up needs to hit the market with a professional brand identity so they can approach prospects with confidence and KarmaPact are no exception.

Collaboration was essential because the team is truly global. The stakeholders are based in the USA and France, the development team is based in India and I’m working from the UK. For that reason we chose to work in an agile way, breaking the scope down to user stories and running regular ideation sessions, workshops and retrospectives.

I clearly scoped and explained features by mapping out userflows and creating detailed annotated presentations. This allowed us to collaborate as a team, with early stage feedback.

This flow of information kept the project going at pace, despite the differing time-zones and languages. Complex flows and detailed interactions were built using Anima and Principle, to compliment the static Sketch files.

UI Design

Identifying and expressing the purpose of the app, as well as it’s intended users is fundamental to the way it is designed. I was also conscious of time and budget constraints which led us to adopt material design principles. This saved time and gave us a library of proven styles and components to work from.

UI Design

Identifying and expressing the purpose of the app, as well as it’s intended users is fundamental to the way it is designed. I was also conscious of time and budget constraints which led us to adopt material design principles. This saved time and gave us a library of proven styles to work from.

Adding an activity

For KarmaPact, we wanted to make engagement frictionless. A recent study showed that 85% of people use their thumb to navigate apps, and 49% operate their phone with one hand.

To allow users to add new activities quickly and easily, I designed the ‘+’ so that it was in a prominent position and available on every screen. It is positioned so the user can easily reach it with their thumb whilst holding their mobile device.

Showing support

Engagement and connection is at the core of what KarmaPact is all about. Showing support, saying thank you and getting involved with colleagues is a huge part of bringing people together.

Gamifying the experience

Initially we had planned to generate a score from the users activities in order to create competition within the teams and gamify the experience. However, initial feedback from test users highlighted that this wasn’t in keeping with the purpose of the app. People don’t do charitable work in order to shout about it or score points. Instead, we had another look at this and created a personal ‘Karma footprint’. This isn’t shared with other users, but it can be used as a rewards scheme that the employees organisation manages.

Outcomes and results

The KarmaPact team have been able to put a tangible and credible product into the hands of some large organisations’ employees. They are trialling the app and are actively involved in helping us to refine it, because they want to be part of it’s success.

The next phase for us, is to consolidate this feedback into a roadmap and launch the product to a wider audience. Along the way we’ve learned how working remotely can be an isolating and sometimes lonely experience. Regular collaboration, updates and demos (no matter how small) brings the team back together and gets us talking and focussed again. This has been a key part of this experience for me. Better things happen when you work as a team.

Outcomes and results

The KarmaPact team have been able to put a tangible and credible product into the hands of some large organisations’ employees. They are trialling the app and are actively involved in helping us to refine it, because they want to be part of it’s success.

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