Website Redesign I Internal Tool I Technology

Sunset a website in 4 weeks, meeting the needs of diverse audiences

Revisiting fundamental design principles while incorporating user and stakeholder feedback to create a more engaging experience for Apple engineers

BACKGROUND: Apple Cloud Services is an internal tool designed for Apple software engineers to explore products and services, and access detailed technical documentation relevant to their projects.

2022

DURATION: 4 Weeks

PLATFORM: SaaS Responsive Web App

ROLE: Lead Product Designer, Big Nerd Ranch

SKILLS & METHODOLOGIES:
Stakeholder Interviews, Reviewed Previous Designs, Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis, User Interface Design

TOOLS & FRAMEWORKS:
Figma, Human Interface Guidelines

PROBLEM:
Apple software engineers weren’t engaging with the site as a resource, and Nexus, an Apple partner, was dissatisfied with the website. This hesitation led to reluctance in sunsetting the current site and migrating there data to Apple Cloud Services.

SOLUTION:
We identified opportunities to improve content and visual hierarchy to better serve both types of users. Additionally, we focused on introducing consistency and cohesion between this website and other Apple websites.

Why it’s important: Engineers need to quickly find information to troubleshoot their projects. They also require clear, easily digestible content to understand the products and services available, enabling them to make informed decisions for their projects.

OUTCOME:

Successfully sunsetting the Nexus website in only 4 weeks

Meeting the needs of multiple audiences

Full case study ~2 min read

Setting the Stage

Apple Cloud Services is an internal platform for Apple engineers to explore products and access technical documentation. However, low engagement and dissatisfaction from a key partner, Nexus, signaled deeper usability issues. With just four weeks to sunset the legacy Nexus site and migrate data, our team at Big Nerd Ranch was brought in to redesign the experience. Our focus: apply core design principles, address user and stakeholder feedback, and create a more consistent, intuitive experience aligned with Apple’s broader ecosystem.

Problem

Apple software engineers weren’t engaging with the site as a resource, and Nexus, an Apple partner, was dissatisfied with the website. This hesitation led to reluctance in sunsetting the current site and migrating there data to Apple Cloud Services.

Solution

We identified opportunities to improve content and visual hierarchy to better serve both types of users. Additionally, we focused on introducing consistency and cohesion between this website and other Apple websites.

GOALS:

What We Did

Establish continuity across all Apple sites

Sunset the Nexus site and migrate all data to Apple Cloud Services

Increase site engagement

Address specific user and stakeholder feedback

Create a dark mode version

Challenge

Our biggest challenge was the tight 4-week timeframe to onboard, understand the product and its users, and complete the project. In addition to addressing specific feedback from users and stakeholders, we revisited fundamental design principles to ensure success.

VISUALS: