Ensuring a user friendly product

Project Background

Before launching PolyScope X, Universal Robots needed to ensure the product was intuitive, scalable, and aligned with real user workflows. Over a year, I led 50+ user interviews and 50+ usability tests, running iterative two-week sprint cycles to identify pain points and refine the interface. My research directly shaped error handling, third-party integrations, and usability improvements, ensuring a seamless programming experience for users.

Role

I led the research in collaboration with two UX designers and three product teams

Duration

Two-week sprint increments over 1 year

Tools

EnjoyHQ, Jira, PowerPoint, Figma, Excel

Skills

Interviewing, Usability testing, Affinity mapping

Challenge

Customers using PolyScope Classic faced significant usability challenges, including:

Steep learning curve for first-time users.
Difficulties integrating third-party devices due to limited API support.
Vague error messages that complicated troubleshooting.
Scalability issues, restricting the growth of complex programs.

Solution

Helped develop an industry-leading, user-friendly robotic programming method (Inline editing) that simplified programming for both beginners and experts.
Redesigned the interface for intuitive onboarding.
Enhanced API support for seamless third-party integration.
Introduced clearer error messages with improved debugging workflows.

Process Overview

Identifying Research Priorities

Conducting Research

Synthesizing Insights

Implementing UX Improvements

Reflections & Impact

We used Jira and prioritized in a scrum board (Not the actual backlog)

Phase 1 - Identifying Research Priorities

Worked closely with product teams to align on technical requirements.
Collaborated with product managers to ensure business needs were met.
Prioritized testing in an agile environment with dynamic sprint cycles.

A usability test of PolyScope X

Phase 2 - Conducting Research

After identifying research objectives, I designed studies that included moderated usability tests or in-depth interviews, depending on the product’s maturity and goals.

Conducted 3-5 usability tests per sprint, each consisting of 30-minute task-based assessments recorded for analysis and stakeholder review.

A screenshot of insights in the tool EnjoyHQ (Not actual insights)

Phase 3 - Synthesizing Insights

Categorized usability feedback by feature type, feedback type, and severity level to streamline issue tracking.
Developed a custom product taxonomy for consistent and structured analysis across teams.
Synthesized insights into actionable takeaways stored in EnjoyHQ, creating a long-term research repository.
Quantified usability feedback to help product teams prioritize improvements based on business impact and user needs.

Old software vs new software

Phase 4 - Implementing UX Improvements

Presented usability findings with video clips and user quotes during sprint retrospectives.
Aligned UX improvements with backlog priorities, ensuring key issues were resolved in future sprints.
Created a visual backlog for usability issues in Jira and EnjoyHQ, categorizing them by severity level for future iterations.
Worked with engineers & PMs to clarify research findings and validate feasibility before implementation.

Phase 5 - Reflections & Impact

Reflections

Proactive research is key: Anticipating UX challenges early and designing targeted usability studies prevents costly rework.
UX advocacy matters: Engineers and PMs often prioritize features over usability. I ensured UX remained central by providing structured research insights.
Balancing innovation & usability: Engineers sometimes prioritized complexity over simplicity. By presenting usability test videos & quotes, I demonstrated the real-world impact of intuitive design.

Impact

My research helped PolyScope X launch as an intuitive automation tool, improving usability, scalability, and third-party integrations, ensuring a seamless user experience.