Ziggurat
Asynchronous brainstorming has a funny name
Scenario
Engaging hundreds of users in a collaborative brainstorm is challenging. People have different schedules and live in different timezones. And some are reticent to offer their opinions, for fear of sounding dumb. Further, it can be hard to see the overall pulse of a community.
Features
Ziggurat is a Web-based application that allows users to engage in a brainstorm on their own time. It’s part survey tool, part forum, part idea miner. Moderators create questions for users to discuss. Users provide their answers and can rate / comment on others’.
To help channel the discussion, moderators have access to an analytics engine. This provides insight into user engagement and trending topics. Based on this data, they can focus the discussion around the ideas generating the most interest.
My involvement
- Defined the features
- Created an interactive prototype for the offshore development team
- Designed the user interface and look-and-feel
About the name
Ziggurats are stepped pyramids common to Mesopotamia. In some cases, their “steps” are nothing more than a wrap-around inclined plane. We chose this codename because it alludes to the iterations and progressive focus that occur during “Ziggs.”
