Company:
Northwest Analytics
Product:
NW Quality Analyst®
Summary:
I redesigned QA7, an award-winning SPC charting and analysis software trusted by manufacturers since 1982, modernizing its user interface and overall experience while creating the company’s first
design system.
Team:
2 Software Developers, 1 Product Owner, 1 VP of Technology
Tools:
Figma, Principle
Length:
12 Weeks
My Position:
Senior UX Designer
My Role:
User Experience, Wireframes, Prototyping, User Research, Branding, Icon Design
Northwest Analytics helps over 3,000 manufacturing companies worldwide unlock the full potential of Industry 4.0 through its manufacturing analytics suite. This suite includes NWA Quality Analyst®, NWA Focus EMI®, NWA KnowledgeBase®, Analytic Resource Center®, and Analytics Knowledge Suite®.
Who is Northwest Analytics?
NWA Quality Analyst® is an award-winning SPC charting and analysis software and one of five products in the Northwest Analytics suite. It empowers decision-makers by delivering the right data with an ideal balance of power, flexibility, and ease of use.
As a desktop application compatible with the latest Microsoft operating systems, NWA Quality Analyst® is designed with a Microsoft 365-inspired interface to ensure fast adoption and a familiar user experience.
What is NWA Quality Analyst®?
For this project, we followed an agile approach, collaborating closely with developers throughout. Continuous iteration and feedback loops ensured that each design iteration aligned with project goals, while developers helped address technical considerations and emerging requirements in real time.
What did the process look like?
Problem Statement
NWA Quality Analyst® has seen minimal user experience updates since its launch, and its interface still reflects outdated branding. This misalignment between the software and Northwest Analytics’ refreshed brand created a clear need to modernize both the look and feel as well as the overall user experience.
How might we?
How might we modernize the NWA Quality Analyst® interface to improve usability while seamlessly implementing Northwest Analytics’ refreshed branding?
QA7
Icon Design
Desktop Suite
Logo Design
I led the creation of the Northwest Analytics Design System, introducing over 70 custom components, including icons, fonts, colors, logos, menus, modals, and filters. This system streamlined the development of low-fidelity designs and enabled seamless collaboration with the development team, ensuring consistent, polished, and scalable updates across the product.
QA7 Design
System Example
Working in Low Fidelity
After reviewing key use cases, I identified core features and developed low-fidelity prototypes. These prototypes allowed me to clearly communicate product goals, user flows, and the overall experience to both developers and product owners, while collaborating closely with the team and leveraging the growing design system to move quickly and maintain consistency.
Prototyping the Navigation
After numerous iterations and extensive collaboration with our core stakeholders, we finalized the navigation functionality of the software.
Working through Settings in Low Fidelity
I collaborated with the product owner and software development team to refine an additional navigation within the settings section to accommodate the implementation of numerous settings.
Development , Handoff, and Documentation
Developers were involved early and throughout the design process to ensure alignment on MVP feasibility and to address technical considerations as they arose. I created detailed annotations and design artifacts to support a smooth handoff from design to development. Final handoff sessions clarified expectations, resolved open questions, and ensured strong alignment across product, design, and engineering.
High Fidelity Design
After multiple iterations with stakeholders and product owners, we aligned on a set of improvements ready for development. These final designs represent the initial release of the redesigned experience and establish a strong foundation for future enhancements.
Takeaways:
Navigating the complexities of the global manufacturing space was one of the most challenging parts of this project. Translating highly technical workflows into an intuitive QA7 experience required close collaboration with stakeholders and continuous iteration based on real user feedback.
I also gained a deep appreciation for iconography through the creation of 70+ custom icons across five products in the suite. While the process was meticulous, seeing those icons consistently enhance clarity and usability across the applications made the effort incredibly rewarding.