Miles Washington on Creating User-Friendly Data Tools
The Art and Science of Meaningful Design for Data Technology
Unveiling the World of Design: From Tinkering to Formalized Practice
Miles Washington has enjoyed design ever since he was young. “Whenever I worked on reports as a kid, I would spend a fair bit of time effectively designing the cover for it — making the cover look a certain way,” says Miles, the Director of Design at RS21 who oversees all user experience and user interface design at the company. “That was probably the origin of it, but I didn’t realize that design was a formalized practice until I was in university and wound up encountering the work of graphic design students while in school.”
In fact, he shares, while most of his friends were out partying, he used his student discount to buy Adobe and Macromedia software and taught himself how to use the applications related to graphic and web design. He also spent a significant amount of his free time discussing graphic design principles — such as color theory, balance, hierarchy, pattern, and unity — with a colleague.
At the same time, he came across the work of The Designers Republic, an avant-garde graphic design studio from the United Kingdom that had a profound impact on him, and he entered the emerging field of web design in the late 1990s. Miles found himself immersed in designing and coding websites during a time when universities focused on traditional design applications intended for the printing press and publishing.
Empowering User-Friendly Data Tools
Now the Director of Design at RS21, where data technology tools are built to inspire and evoke wonder in users, Miles works to enhance people’s daily interactions with technology. He leads RS21’s design team to create digital experiences that strike a balance between the efficiencies of data technology and the need to tailor the software to a user’s specific needs through the development of intuitive workflows based upon meaningful insights gleaned through research.
In this conversation with Miles, we delve into the art and science of creating compelling experiences and intuitive interfaces that empower users to derive insights from data in an accessible way that is meaningful to them.
“Traditionally, design was based around the designer’s formal education and experience alone. Now, to make something human-centric that meets business needs and creates value, we use research, workshops, interviews, and other tools to gain insight from the actual users and stakeholders. So that’s effectively what the design team is all about — working with clients to define and refine their specific goals, establish who will be using the tools we design, and how they will use them. Then we bring them to life.”
Discovery and Crafting User-Centric Solutions
Miles’s focus on User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design at RS21 involves creating data-driven solutions with interfaces that are informed by modern UX research methodologies.
During the discovery phase — a crucial early-stage task that establishes the foundational context for project contributors to work within, available tools and resources, and necessary information to be gathered — the design team and other technologists uncover core needs, pain points, expectations, gaps in capabilities, and opportunities to add value.
“Our designers work closely with clients and actual end users to hit all the right notes,” he explains. “First, we learn business goals, increase our domain knowledge, and incorporate relevant industry insights to ultimately develop tools that deliver value by satisfying well-researched, agreed-upon, defined targets.”
The Power of Testing for User-Friendly Experiences
Another aspect of the design team’s capabilities includes testing where interfaces are revised and validated based on user and stakeholder feedback. “Testing allows us to validate findings and adjust our efforts based upon the results,” Miles says. “And if we’ve done it right, we’ll generally receive feedback from testers that describe the software as ‘feeling intuitive’ or ‘making sense.’ So when it’s time to deploy the final application, users have seen it, tested it, and are excited to use it.”
In addition to discovery and testing, Miles is also very passionate about defining the hierarchy of information — how information is presented, what is presented, and when. “There’s an inclination with some of these data tools where people want to have access to everything all at once,” says Miles. “But that can be overwhelming or confusing depending on the user. A baseline of options common to most users needs to be established upfront. Then, beyond that, there can be a layer of additional options that are more specialized and give certain users the ability to further filter, refine, and organize information.”
It seems important to point out here that in addition to creating tools from the ground up, Miles and his team also frequently rethink, redesign, and restructure existing applications and dashboards. “It’s common to build upon or refine existing interfaces and systems rather than start from scratch,” he says. “I’m currently conducting an audit of a system, comparing its functionality with the client’s stated goals, to identify areas for improvement.”
He compares this (re)work to mobile app development where regular updates and, occasionally, major overhauls are released to evolve with ever-shifting user needs and goals.
Aligning Business, Functional, and Technical Needs
When asked about meeting a wide range of user needs in data projects, Miles reflects on the importance of collaborating with the client and users as well as data engineers, analysts, developers, and data scientists so the developed artifacts meet the business, functional, and technical needs of the project.
“The designer’s role in the entire development process has changed,” he says. “Ten years ago, give or take, designers really only got involved during the UI design phase. Nowadays, designers are brought in at the beginning and are present throughout the entire project because it has become clear that designers need to be involved in research and data gathering to understand client goals and better focus our solutions.
“Even beyond that, after the initial UX/UI design artifacts are delivered, the designer must remain engaged with the software development and data teams to meet technical requirements while simultaneously keeping the client’s needs at the core of the tool or application,” he adds.
With the multidisciplinary team working together, solutions can be built to help clients and users analyze and make sense of their data.
“The point is to enable users to extract new insights, understand why certain patterns or trends exist, and otherwise bridge the gap between the questions they’re trying to answer and the data that is accessible and useful,” says Miles.
Understanding goals and the client’s desired outcomes is particularly important when developing data technology. Miles explains that designers, along with the rest of the technical team, work diligently to meet the needs of clients and their end users.
“A client might tell us ‘I want to show the relationship between enrollment within a program and the socioeconomics or demographics of a certain region.’ We first have to unpack that statement and tease out the intended end goals. Maybe the client is really trying to understand why enrollment is down in a particular neighborhood. Once we understand the types of answers that may be sought by a user, we can create the mechanisms and visualizations that empower them to pull together and organize the elements that provide the answers that they seek.”
Crafting Complete Solutions + Avoiding Pitfalls
While collaborative and dynamic approaches like this are more widely practiced in the technology industry now, Miles does acknowledge that designers aren’t always given the time required for the depth of research that results in new approaches to complex problem-solving.
“If steps in the design process are skipped or abbreviated, what will end up happening is — if you’re not careful — you may end up with a tool or solution that is only partially informed. And that mistake of rushing the design process, which does still happen because not all companies or clients are accustomed to the more involved role designers play in the research phase, it often results in a solution that feels incomplete or misses the mark in some way. It’s vital that contributors trust the process. Meanwhile, as designers, we need to be judicious with controlling the scope and maintaining focus on what’s critical.”
Embracing a Culture of Learning
Miles is most aware of the rapidly evolving nature of technology. When combined with RS21’s data solutions that seek to help decision makers do good with data and evoke childlike wonder, he says, “It takes a special type of designer who can develop something intuitive for a data-driven application.”
Miles has observed the design team at RS21 become immersed in the data world as they seek to understand how best to visualize and convey findings. And while typical design best practices and standards are applicable for more straightforward applications, data-driven solutions require designers to address nuances and complexities that are unique to these powerful, multifaceted tools.
While creating exceptional digital experiences for people is at the heart of the team’s mission, Miles also emphasizes the importance of fostering enriching face-to-face connections within his team.
“What I really want is to create an atelier type of environment, like in the art world, where RS21 designers naturally bounce ideas off each other, critique each other’s work, and collaborate,” says Miles as he describes his vision for the team. “We already have formalized learning, but I want to encourage an environment where we’re constantly learning from each other. I want it to be so engrained in the culture, that it’s completely informal and spontaneous to share and learn.”
About Miles Washington
Miles is the Director of Design at RS21. He has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry across many disciplines, including UX/UI design, interactive exhibit design and development, web design and development, and virtual reality experiences.
As Director of Design, Miles enables and empowers the team to create inspiring, user-centered products. He is focused on providing world-class design services, continuous improvement, and effective packaging and communication within a cross-functional team of designers, software developers, data engineers, data analysts, and data scientists.
About RS21
RS21 is a rapidly growing data science company that uses AI, design, data engineering, and modern software development methods to empower organizations to make data-driven decisions that positively impact the world. We navigate complex data issues in healthcare, defense, safety, urban planning, energy, cyber, land use, climate, disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, space, and social equity. Learn more at rs21.io.
