Jira
Streamlining Workflows and Improving Productivity
Role
Roles: UX/Product Designer, Researcher, Testing Moderator
Methods: Contextual Inquiry, Cognitive Walkthrough
Key Deliverable: Interactive Prototype Walkthrough, Interactive Figma Prototype, Video Walkthrough, 'Read Me' File
Overview
Atlassian is a leading software company known for tools that enhance team productivity and collaboration. This project focuses on Jira, a project management tool widely used by software development teams. Jira supports planning, tracking, and managing software projects with features for task management, bug tracking, and requirement documentation. Its flexibility and integration capabilities allow customization to meet the needs of diverse teams, centralizing context to improve collaboration, communication, and efficiency.
PROBLEM
This project aims to improve the Jira project board for users by understanding how teams use Jira and making specific recommendations to enhance their workflows and experience. The goal is to propose usability and functionality improvements that streamline processes and increase efficiency for software development teams.
“Searchable comments would be the biggest thing that would benefit every Jira user”
“Right now in Backlog View, only way to sort is to manually drag and drop the tickets in the order you want them in”
RESEARCH
Current Backlog Sorting: Users manually drag and drop items to prioritize them.
1. Cognitive Walkthrough:
To gain a deeper understanding of Jira, I conducted a cognitive walkthrough of the product, breaking down various features and assigning a pass/fail variable to each one. This process provided a picture of any usability issues within the website.
2. Contextual Inquiry:
Goal: Learn how product managers and developers use Jira in their daily workflow, understand their task completion methods, and gather insights for productivity enhancements.
Key Findings:
Product Manager Insights:
Extensive Use of Comments: Comments are essential for tracking progress, managing communication, and identifying blockers.
Challenges with Comment Management: The lack of a search function for comments hinders efficient project management.
Suggested Improvement: Implementing a searchable comment feature would enhance communication and project tracking.
Developer Insights:
Manual Sorting is Inefficient: The current drag-and-drop sorting method is cumbersome.
Desired Features:
Sort by Priority: To address critical tasks first.
Sort by Date Created: To manage recent issues effectively.
Suggested Improvement: Adding sorting functionality by priority and date created to streamline backlog management.
Current Comment Search: Users have no efficient way to search within comments
The absence of backlog sorting and comment searching in Jira significantly affects user efficiency, violating the "Flexibility and Efficiency of Use" heuristic.
This principle highlights the need for shortcuts and accelerators to allow experienced users to perform frequent actions quickly and efficiently, while still accommodating beginners.
Without these essential features, Jira impedes users' ability to manage tasks and communication effectively.
Backlog sorting
DESIGN
Low-Fidelity Prototype:
Before moving to digital tools, I used pen and paper to sketch out my ideas and brainstorm potential design changes. This allowed for quick iterations and concept validation.
Searchable comments
High-Fidelity Prototype:
After finalizing ideas on paper, I used Figma to create an interactive wireframe. This high-fidelity prototype showcased the recommended changes in a user-friendly manner.
SOLUTION
Proposed Comment Search:
Now, when users click on the search bar, a menu option appears, allowing them to select 'comments' as the search type. Simply enter keywords, and Jira will retrieve all relevant comments, making it easier to find and reference important information
Proposed Backlog Sorting:
With this new feature, you can now sort your backlog items by priority or by date. This allows for more efficient backlog grooming and task prioritization, ensuring that the most critical tasks are addressed first.
Video walkthrough
Conclusion and Next Steps
This case study aimed to improve the Jira project board for product managers and developers. Through cognitive walkthroughs and contextual inquiries, we identified key usability issues and areas for enhancement. Our primary findings highlighted the need for better comment management and more efficient backlog sorting. By implementing searchable comments and introducing sorting options for backlog items, we addressed significant pain points, ultimately enhancing productivity and user satisfaction.
The iterative design process, from low-fidelity sketches to high-fidelity prototypes, ensured that our solutions were both practical and aligned with user needs. These enhancements are expected to streamline workflows, making it easier for developers to manage tasks and communications effectively.
Next Steps
User Testing: Conduct thorough user testing to validate the proposed features. Collect feedback on the functionality and usability of searchable comments and backlog sorting options.
Iterative Refinements: Based on user feedback, make necessary adjustments to ensure the features meet user expectations and improve overall efficiency.
Advocacy for Users: Continue advocating for developers and their workflows by prioritizing user needs and incorporating their feedback into future updates.
Feature Expansion: Explore additional features that could further enhance the user experience, such as customizable shortcuts and more advanced filtering options.
By continuously focusing on user needs and incorporating their feedback, we can ensure that Jira remains a powerful and user-friendly tool for software development teams.