Situation: A global animation studio needed to determine the distance key staff can be from the studio’s data centers in order to understand the hardware expectations of remote work. I was asked to manage the project from start to end.

Data Collection Strategy: I needed to determine the areas where breakdowns in productivity occur, and what contributes to them. I worked as the sole UX Researcher along with 12 animators, and an IT engineer to administer the network changes needed for user testing. I met with each participant a minimum of 3 times, once for observation, interviews, and again for testing.

Insights & Analysis:  An understanding of the hardware and software implications of certain breakdowns emerged, and I contextualized how to address them in terms of hardware, software, and network expectations. I quantified and communicated the threshold for the most impactful breakdowns in productivity.

Impact: I provided the studio with a clear understanding of the geographical limits of their remote workers, and where to build and partner with data centers.