Creating reliable location-based information with Blizzard maps

a quick proof of concept of Blizzard maps to reduce misinformation, user issues, and manual maintenance.

Background

The old employee directory and campus map were unreliable due to outdated information and low bandwidth to maintain the site.

To solve this, we developed a proof of concept, “Maps,” designed to stay accurate without constant admin updates .

Scope & Time

Scope: Ideation to final product

Time: 2 months (about 4 sprint cycles)

Tools

Planning: Miro, Jira
Design: Figma
Collaboration: Zoom, Slack

My Role

Sole UX Designer

  1. Collaboration with product manager and developer
  2. Ideations for the initial launch and for subsequent updates

What I Did

  1. Workshop facilitation
  2. End-to-end design
  3. Double Diamond framework
  4. Project presentation to Global department teams

Results & Impact

I designed a platform with an automated map API that provided real-time updates as the single source of truth for employees.

Issue Reports

Overall ↓

Fewer support tickets submitted for location map and directory issues.

Manual Work

Overall ↓

Automation eliminated the manual workload for administrators.

Response

👍🏻🌟

Positive! Many Slack messages praised the improved site.

Table of Contents

Click each button to navigate to the respective section.

Context

As COVID-19 restrictions eased, more Blizzard teams introduced return-to-office mandates.

Teams introduced partial or full return-to-office (RTO) mandates to foster collaboration and revive company traditions.

The Problem

But maps were outdated and directories misled employees with missing or inaccurate info.

With many employees RTO'ing, we needed a fast solution to ensure they could quickly access accurate information to get around the office.

Finding accurate information about your office layout or colleagues' seat locations should be easy.

How can we help users confidently find the information they need while reducing the workload for site admins?

Defining the Problem Space

Finding the root of the problem

User feedback and developer insights revealed that the previous site was consistently outdated and difficult to maintain.

After evaluating it myself, I identified key pain points to help the team focus on the most critical improvements.

info
Missing or outdated info left users unable to find what they needed or trust its accuracy.
wrong_location
Frequent location updates make it hard for admins to stay informed, leading to outdated information.
list
Overwhelming, unsorted lists make it difficult for users to find the information they need.

I identified different use cases for various ways users would utilize this platform.

With ABK's diverse workforce, I aimed to design for all user types and scenarios, from new hires to longtime employees, remote and in-office staff. Identifying shared and unique needs across these groups was key to creating an effective solution.

🤔

As a new employee, how can I find where I need to go?

🤔

How do I find coworkers’ contact and seat info?

🤔

How do I find where other buildings are located?

🤔

How can I view the  layout of a building I’m visiting?

Embracing Constraints

Working close with developers, I identified constraints early on in the project so everything was feasible and in-scope.

💻

We did not own the map embed. Had to designing around it.

Any adjustments or designs for the embed are not feasible.

💡

The embed does not highlight the seat location.
(We found out later that the embed only comes in light mode.)

Where can we make the biggest and quickest impact?

To push out a solution quickly in response to more employees returning to office, we identified main avenues to address for our first launch.

smart_toy
Automate map updates to keep employees informed with minimal admin effort.
info
Group information logically for easy browsing of buildings and floors on one page.
chat
If something isn’t displaying, provide clear messaging to inform users why that information isn't there.

Design

Making quick and efficient design decisions

Due to a condensed timeline, I utilized the design library from the original site in order to push out a solution fast.

Solution

Published designs

A clean, simple and modern site helped employees find information easily and maintained a fast implementation for developers.

Impact

Impact

The new platform's automated map API ensured real-time updates, becoming the single source of truth for employees

Reported Issues

Overall ↓

Fewer support tickets submitted for location map and directory issues.

Manual Work

Overall ↓

Automation eliminated the manual workload for administrators. Administrators no longer have to make manual updates as they come.

Response

👍🏻🌟

Positive! Many Slack messages praised the improved site.

Final Remarks

The biggest challenge of this project was designing for a diverse employee base across locations and roles while avoiding information overload. The platform launched company-wide during my time at Blizzard, and real-time feedback helped refine the design.

This project was an example of revamping an outdated website with a quick turnaround. Personally, it was challenging as the timeline was more condensed than I was used to, but I learned valuable lessons about feature prioritization and look forward to seeing how the project evolves.

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Last updated February 2025 by Chloe Chow
Made with lots of coffee, tea, Chipotle burritos, poke bowls and love