Taylor Loredo-Payberah | UX Strategist
NMCRIS Platform Redesign
My Role
Situation
Task
Action
Result
Product Design Lead & Strategist
Archeologists in New Mexico struggle to complete projects efficiently. Built in 1998, the New Mexico Cultural Resource Information System (NMCRIS)–pronoucned Nim Chris–has received minor updates in 25 years. NMCRIS ensures that land under development preserves relevant cultural and historical sites. With the current NIMCRS, New Mexico's 2.1 million residents may see fewer businesses built, less maintenance on roads and highways, and lead to greater economic problems.
The state of New Mexico hired a cross-disciplinary team to redesign NMCRIS. I led the early research and initial ideation. In two months, we:
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Launched a new version of the platform with streamlined document submission (reducing time by 50%)
-
Cleaned out legacy data on maps of survey sites that were old and no longer valid (reducing time even further by 25%)
As a team, we decided to create an action plan.
For research and ideation, we:​
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Conducted qualitative research such as user interviews with archaeologists and stakeholders to understand their pain points and requirements
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Synthesized user survey data to identify areas of frustration and prioritize improvement opportunities
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Collaborated with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of New Mexico to gain insights into how NMCRIS was being used and to understand the perspectives of different user roles
From inception to launch, the result of our work created a smoother, easier-to-use platform that:​
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Reduced project submission time from an average of three or more hours to one hour max
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Highway construction became easier to implement (by 28%) according to our feedback survey (post-live)
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It became easier to preserve historic land in New Mexico with more accurate map data on the platform.
Defining the Problem
Archeologists spend too much time submitting documents for project review.
During a span of two months, through mixed methodology user research, including interviews and surveys, several key problems have been identified in regard to archeologists' experience:
90%
spend a timespan of 3-4 hours per workday submitting documentation due to unclear processes and incompatible file formats.
85%
struggle to access crucial cultural and historic features of survey sites within NMCRIS, impacting project viability and preservation efforts.
88%
of archeologists spend at least 1 hour per workday contacting the SHPO team for documentation revisions assistance.
Note: These findings are based on quantified user survey data and coded user interview data.
These issues collectively hinder archeologists' ability to efficiently carry out their work, potentially impacting project success and the preservation of valuable cultural heritage. Addressing these challenges is essential for enhancing user experience and maximizing the effectiveness of NMCRIS in supporting archeological endeavors.
So..
How might we help archeologists spend less time dealing with paperwork for project development and cultural preservation?
Research Methodology
Our process involved a variety of methods.
As the UX Design Lead & Strategist, I led and conducted..
4
Product Owner Walkthroughs
20
User Interviews
200
Survey responses
Product Owner Walkthroughs
Through our product owner walkthroughs, we learned more about NMCRIS, and the processes that take place.
Qualitative Analysis
Through user interviews, we found several patterns of related thought involving submitting paperwork for projects.
Using our results from the user interviews and survey responses, we coded themes in responses from participants during our analysis. We found several reoccurring patterns, we generated a word cloud for reference:
Quantitative Analysis
Through our survey responses, we found a correlation between user satisfaction and submission processes on NMCRIS. This further validated the themes we found through interviews with archeologists.
Ideation
After analyzing the data we gathered, I consolidated similar responses and trends among our participants.
​
Through these insights, we found a few archetypes of archeologists that broadly represent NMCRIS' audience.
The first, being the experienced pro, the archeologists who've been in the field for years and have plenty of experience in the paper processes and earlier versions of the NMCRIS system; this archetype might find it frustrating when switching from manual documentation processes to filling out and submitting everything online instead.
The next archetype, the newbie, are the archeologists who are new to the field with a few years of experience under their belt; this archetype is well-versed in the newest version of the NMCRIS system; they fill out and submit documentation almost exclusively online because it is easier for them to manage instead of paper forms. However, their area of struggle is defined by the lack of a smooth experience when submitting documents for projects and contacting the SHPO team for document revisions.
Mapping the Current System
Afterward, we mapped out the current NMCRIS system to get a better understanding of what we were looking at from a bird's eye view.
We mapped out the Pro and Newbie's Journeys
on NMCRIS.
We realized throughout our research that the more experienced users tended to print out the documentation they needed for projects, while the newer users with only a few years of experience under their belt, preferred filling out everything online and even utilized NMCRIS while out in the field when possible.
We then decided to prioritize the features and refinements through workshopping.
By conducting and leading a design workshop for our internal team and utilizing activities like "How Might We.." and the prioritization matrix, we were able to narrow down the areas we needed to focus on for the near future regarding refinements of NMCRIS.
Next, we sketched out some ideas as a team, as well as some
low-fidelity wireframing.
We came up with a newer, more modern conceptual design
for archeologists.
We ended up creating several iterations based on user feedback. After presenting our sketches and mockups from the ideation phase, we prioritized the most important elements that needed to be included in the refined NMCRIS to meet archeologists' needs.
We learned a lot, and so did the SHPO team.
Through our discovery, we uncovered many frustrating areas of NMCRIS; after presenting our findings and possible solutions to the SHPO team, they were able to present what we discovered to the state for budget review. Here's what our work provided for us and our client:
76%
Increase in budget allotted to the SHPO team.
68%
of our users from both the interviews and surveys volunteered to help us test the redesign.
100%
Positive feedback from our stakeholders on our results and what we uncovered.
Note: These findings are based on satisfaction survey data and discussions between our internal team and the client.
This project was very enlightening, it helped me learn more about archeologists and the work they do to help preserve our culture and history. Here are my three main takeaways from working on NMCRIS:
Make mistakes
Not everything turned out perfect with this project, but that was also an incredibly humbling and motivating thing that makes me want to work even harder.
Talk to Everyone
Before coming on to this project, the internal team had only ever talked with stakeholders; It made me even more motivated to talk to as many archeologists (our end-users) as I could in order to get NMCRIS where they need it to be.
Keep Going
There were times when I needed to fight for the reasoning behind the research and it only fueled us to keep going.