QUARTZ

A Kanban Style Project Management Application

Ivy Alcala

The popularity of project management software that involve the use of the kanban system has been seeing tremendous growth, particularly in a time when remote work is preferable, if not necessary. With kanban being an inherently visual system - “kanban” meaning visual board or visual display in Japanese - it is worth exploring how its visual characteristics affect the activity of project management. Doing so offers a glimpse into possible ways to optimize the system through interface and user experience design choices. This research examines how the graphical user interface of a kanban system affects the experience of team leaders in online project management by conducting artifact analysis on one of the leading kanban applications available in the market. A proposed kanban based project management application was also designed and prototyped in line with the results of the artifact analysis. Results of prototype testing by team leaders in various industries further supplement the findings of the research.

Quartz is a proposed project management application that essentially allows a user to create smaller kanban boards within a kanban board, allowing for a more complex distribution of tasks and work units. Its interface takes on the style of glassmorphism so the customizable background can be viewable alongside board elements. The software was named after the quartz crystal, which embodies both the characteristics of glassmorphism (transparency) and modularity (crystal structure). This references the interplay between the modular expanded board structure and its visual presentation.

Ivy Alcala is a graphic designer based in Manila, Philippines. You may reach out to her and see more of her work via the details below.

Email: ivybalcala@gmail.com
Portfolio: ivyalcala.tumblr.com