‘We Had to Start from Scratch’ – Nicholette Prill on UX Design for Digital Tools in Manufacturing

In this episode of Landings, Camille sits down with Nicholette Prill, Lead UX Designer at Viewrail, to talk about what it’s been like to stand up a UX practice inside a fast-moving manufacturing company in the Midwest. Nicholette shares how her background in development, QA, and information architecture led to her transition into UX—and how she’s shaping a flexible, research-informed UX process that serves both customers and internal teams at Viewrail.Together, they reflect on the unique challenges and opportunities of doing UX work at a physical product company, the challenges and importance of getting stakeholder buy-in, and what it means to design end-to-end digital experiences that span marketing, sales, operations, and customer service. Nicholette also discusses her move from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan, and why the region’s creative energy and openness to experimentation make it an inspiring place to live do design work.Key Topics Covered:What User Experience (UX) Design isNicholette’s path from web development and QA testing to UXEstablishing Viewrail’s flexible 5-stage UX processHow UX activities reduce risk, improve adoption, and save development timeGetting buy-in from stakeholders in a fast-moving companyThe future of UX at Viewrail, a leading manufacturer in northern IndianaDesign and creative culture in the Midwest and what drew Nicholette, born and raised in Chicago, to St. Joseph, MIBrought to you by:Season One of Landings is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Industry Labs—partnering with regional companies to realize a shared competitive advantage.Production assistance by Wayfare RecordingEpisode Links:Learn more about ViewrailIndustry Labs at Notre Dame: industrylabs.nd.eduLearn more about Landings