ui / ux •

Akamai Developer

Redesigning a developer portal

Introduction

Akamai Technologies is the world's largest cloud delivery network. Akamai's focus is to make sure people can use the internet in a fast, reliable and secure way.
As a UX design intern (Summer 2014), I developed design guidelines for their Akamai Developer website redesign. I produced and implemented high-fidelity visual designs focusing on readability for desktop, web and mobile devices. I worked in collaboration with engineers to ensure project requests could be met and presented to cross-functional teams in design reviews.

Challenges

The team wanted to redesign their API portal and were looking to modernize their look and feel. They felt the palette was not focused enough, and the common components used looked outdated. They also wanted to improve their method of navigation.

Original look & feel

Process

In order to better understand the team's requirements, I created a document with a visual audit of the website to make sure everyone was on the same page. I also crafted principles which we could use as a team to guide our design decisions if we ever got stuck on a problem.

Visual IA + Principles

We then began to craft shared design guidelines to ensure consistency between different pages within the portal. I helped document standardized typography, colors, table styles, and navigation.

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Outcome

The project had an aggressive deadline of a couple months to be shipped. I collaborated closely with two engineers to launch the changes to the visuals providing high-fidelity mockups, specs, and assets on a consistent basis as elements were designed.
As a result of this experience, I learned how to communicate my design decisions effectively, as well as learning how to communicate with developers to get visual implemented smoothly. Working on the developer website also allowed me to better understand what services Akamai offered as a company.
The project is currently public on https://developer.akamai.com/

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