I helped an indie author systemitize her self-published, spicy-romance-book mini-empire, from art commissions to marketing, so that she could focus on her writing.

Starting with a brain dump

First, we defined the system needs. On a recorded call, she walked me through her needs and I put together notes in Miro. I work well visually and it’s great for reordering and grouping ideas, unlike in straight up text.

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Database mapping

I created a more refined map of the database structure. We then met to make adjustments and flesh out the needs.

Here’s where human-centered design comes in

Starting with the Why, the most common tasks and needs that users of the database will need to complete, helps priortize the features and also tell us what is maybe not worth including.

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“Great question!”

As we worked out the database requirements, the fact that I was new to her process helped her see the project differently and make sure to ask herself about things she’d started to take for granted.

As I sent new refined versions, she started to get excited.

“I already feel better knowing there’s a plan to wrangle all this.”

(This project is still in process!)