CyberU CMS &
Cornerstone CCMS
The CyberU CMS and Cornerstone CCMS are two remarkable metadata management solutions extensively utilized by our internal teams to effectively handle the content in our extensive library. Initially, I developed the first version of CyberU CMS with the aim of resolving a broad range of time-consuming challenges that we had previously been addressing solely through spreadsheets. The core functionality of the CMS was to facilitate seamless integration of courses into our library while incorporating an approval system to ensure that only appropriate courses were made available on our platforms.
Subsequent releases of the CyberU CMS introduced various enhancements, including addressing metadata issues, establishing subscriptions, managing content partner payouts, and generating comprehensive course statistics pertaining to assigned skills. The CyberU CMS achieved such remarkable success in reducing our workload at CyberU that Cornerstone went as far as stopping our team from working on any CyberU-related projects. This restriction was imposed until we developed an identical CMS for their platform, which in turn lead to the Cornerstone CCMS.
problem statement
Design a content management system that prioritizes speed and simplicity
Given that the product was exclusively intended for internal use, utmost importance was placed on maximizing task efficiency. Consequently, we streamlined the design process and prioritized user journeys that enabled tasks to be accomplished with minimal clicks. We conducted thorough testing of each product release in collaboration with our team to ensure the creation of one of the most efficient tools employed at Cornerstone.
To achieve this goal, we undertook extensive menu reorganization, standardized interaction patterns across unrelated pages, and strategically established “hot zones” where critical action items would consistently appear on the screen. These efforts were aimed at optimizing the speed and effectiveness of user interactions within the system.
Research insights
Obey thy patterns
Designing this product posed a significant challenge: replicating consistent interaction patterns across a wide range of diverse tasks. This demand stemmed not only from our test users but also from the development team, who sought to avoid unnecessary coding of new UI interaction patterns. It became essential for actions like creating an expense report to mirror the process of creating a subscription seamlessly. To accomplish this, we had to deconstruct user tasks into equally compartmentalized components, ensuring their compatibility with standardized design patterns. The end result is a product that behaves just as the target users expect it to.
fun details
Functionally identical but visually different
While the Cornerstone CCMS and the CyberU CMS share similar functionality, they exhibit visual differences due to the mandatory use of the Cornerstone component system, which was built on Bootstrap at that time. In contrast, I enjoyed greater creative freedom in customizing the aesthetics in the CyberU CMS since I was the creator of their banding guidelines.
Thank you
