Designing UX for Less Digitally Fluent Users
An interview with The Wanderlust Group Product Designer Bianca Salomon
Often in UX, designers are building upon established digital patterns — the hamburger menus found dutifully in the top corner, the typical drag and drop motions. At the Wanderlust Group, we build software for marinas and campgrounds: two industries that have been late to the digital revolution. Often the owners and operators who use our marina management software, Dockwa, aren’t switching from a competitor, they’re switching from pen, paper, and post-its. Some of our customers are very digitally savvy when they come onboard, but in many cases it’s the first time they’ve used software like this.
Bianca Salomon, product designer at The Wanderlust Group, takes seriously this responsibility of building a user design that is accessible to people of any technical skill level. We caught up with her to talk about her approach to design and the interesting cross section of users in the marina and campground space.
Tell us a bit about how you got into design. What drew you to this path?
“Growing up, I always saw my creativity as a way to express myself and bringing joy to others. Don’t get me wrong, I was good at numbers and computers, but art remained the center of my interests – this included geometry and drawing classes. It always seemed fascinating to me that a simple line could turn into a shape that would form a beautiful piece, one that would evoke emotions from an audience and could also be translated in multiple mediums. I would spend hours drawing whether it was on paper or using the paint software on my computer, then I’d share it with friends and family to get their input. Little did I know there was more depth to my passion than one’s emotions: my empathy for others’ needs and wants was developing.
Trying to figure out where my passion for design would lead me, my interest expanded to fashion. After seven years in that industry and building my boutique’s website, I quickly realized that my favorite part about designing was problem-solving — putting meaning behind a creation, one that would not only help me grow as a designer, but others evolve in their day-to-day, by meeting or exceeding their satisfaction. My interest in tech grew stronger and I proceeded to build my proficiency in web development. During my career in tech, I was introduced to product design, and my interest naturally expanded to the user research and interface of product development.”
As a user what was your first memorable experience with a really well-designed product?
“When interacting with any product there are several factors that affect the emotional response of a user, especially as a kid. I would say my first memorable experience with a well-designed product would probably be my Gameboy. At the time, I was a major gamer, always on my computer, Nintendo, or Playstation, playing and solving riddles and I just remember thinking how convenient is it that I get to bring my portable game stations everywhere — even to the dinners your parents forced you to attend. The aesthetics, functionality, and usability were some of the many qualities that made the interaction delightful. I would have my favorite games, Donkey Kong and Super Mario Land, and simply enough, at any moment, I’d escaped from all around me.”
The Wanderlust Group makes software platforms and marketplaces for marinas, an industry that as a whole has historically been based on cash-transactions and pen-and-paper records. Can you talk a bit about the unique challenges of designing for this industry?
“It’s bold and innovative of Dockwa to aim to translate offline tools to a digital experience – which might be what excites me the most about designing for marinas and boaters. Yes, there are challenges, but that’s where the growth happens. Being able to understand a target market’s pain points and needs, for every task mostly done using pen and paper is a heavy process. As a designer, it’s also an opportunity to create a system with a familiar interface while optimizing the ease of use that will help them seamlessly complete their duties.
Being familiar with the evolution of technology while designing for a space that’s new to the industry, tests your empathy — it’s extremely important to analyze all assumptions and biases that might create technical or usability issues. We absolutely must consider design elements that contribute to the experience of the marina operators who use Dockwa. We do our best to carefully consider all possible scenarios early and often in the development process.”
Tell us about a breakthrough you had in designing a feature for Dockwa, one of The Wanderlust Group’s products.
“So one thing you learn pretty quickly is that the inventory at marinas isn’t static. Unlike hotels, Marinas are like giant, ever-changing Tetris boards. Most marinas were handling availability by looking to see if a given slip is open, but in reality, even if a given slip isn’t available, you may be able to rearrange the boats to create open space.
So from a product standpoint, we decided to decouple availability and space assignments in the platform so that an operator can more easily spot when there’s hidden availability in their docs and we used design to make that flow seamless. Now, operators can first see whether a boat will fit in their marina, and then get space recommendations. It may seem small, but a few strategic shifts in your layout on a high-demand day can make a major difference in revenue for the marinas and inbound commerce for their surrounding towns.”
What excites you about digitizing a space like marinas for the first time?
“The opportunity for innovation in a space that hits close to home really excites me about digitizing a space like marinas. I never really thought of associating tech with the ocean because it’s usually a time to disconnect. Growing up in the islands, Sundays would usually include time on the water away from the city and resting before the start of a new week. I love that I get to use my skills and passion in a way I would never have imagined to drive people outdoors.”
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