We consulted with the Quicken development team on the design of Quicken Deluxe 7 for Macintosh. We reviewed the existing application, new features and feedback from users to assess the usability of the application and identify areas for improvement. Some of the main areas of concern involved the proliferation of windows, grouping tasks and navigation.

The next stage of work involved overall conceptual design of alternatives to address the main concerns which led to the "Task Environment" approach. Rough mockups of alternatives were tested with users and a direction for further development was selected based on feedback.

The access, navigation and functionality of the "Environments" were then refined through a series of bitmaps and demos. More detailed design of interaction such as the register functionality was explored and refined.

The overall "look" of the application was then developed through a visual exploration of styles and color schemes. The icons for the environments and tasks were then designed to fit the selected style.

Activities Included:

  • Conceptual Design
  • Interactive Demos
  • Design Development
  • Visual Design
  • Design Testing