The Battleground Game is a key feature of the 2012 NBC Politics iOS app.  As UX Director, I worked to define this game experience based on Chuck Todd's on-air Battleground Map segment in which he projected which of the presidential candidates might earn the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.  States were defined as either likely or leaning Democratic (a Blue state), likely or leaning Republican (a Red State), or a toss-up.  When a state was defined as either Democratic or Republican, that state’s electoral votes were awarded to the respective candidate’s vote total.  Todd’s analyses generally centered on the toss-up states and were based on the latest campaign developments (e.g., polling numbers), enabling him to push a state into either the Democratic or Republican column. The scenarios changed rapidly as the presidential campaign unfolded throughout the summer and fall leading up to election day. 

Our goal was to create a 360 degree conversation with the audience in which they were provided with Todd’s latest analysis and his color-coded map, they could submit their own map/analysis, and the NBC Political Unit could chose various user-submitted scenarios to feature on-air or online for further debate.  We wanted to break down the barriers that existed between the media and news consumers, especially smart, politically engaged users who had interesting things to say.  We also enabled users to share their maps/analyses with friends and family via social media.  

(Note: The language in these screenshots reflects that they were taken after the 2012 election.)

Data is a major component of the coverage during a presidential election.  As UX Director, I worked with NBC News executives, NBC Politics editors, and external data providers to define how we would use data visualization for NBCPolitics.com's Decision 2012 editorial product.  My team of designers and front-end developers created multiple interactive visualizations including social media analysis over time (via Crimson Hexagon), polling data over time (via Real Clear Politics), and NBC Political Unit's own Voter Confidence Index.  The visualizations based on data provided by external sources relied on APIs in order to ensure the data was always fresh and required minimal touch by the editorial staff.

(Note: The API calls are no longer functioning.  The VCI is still live.)

As Lead Interactive Producer, I convinced msnbc.com leadership to invest in an interactive Hurricane Tracker using Flash, live data and Virtual Earth map tiles.  I worked closely with the designers and developers at Stamen Design to bring my vision to life.  Internally, I worked with back-end developers to build a system to retrieve and store the data from the provider since msnbc.com traffic would have toppled their system if we'd linked directly to their feed.  

Not only does the app give you the stats associated with every tropical advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center for any given storm, but it animates the previous path of the hurricane, showing the relative size and speed of the storm as it traveled.  Forecasted paths and predicted wind fields are shown as well.  Via search, users can obtain the probability of hurricane force winds hitting their exact location within the next 5 days.

The msnbc.com Hurricane Tracker was used by both Microsoft's Disaster Relief Team as well as The Weather Channel.  In 2012, The Weather Channel commissioned a mobile-friendly update.

(Note: The Flash app is no longer maintained.  The live version currently has data for a partial list of storms from 2015.  Search is not functioning.)

After the 2007 I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN, an investigative reporter named Bill Dedman obtained the National Bridge Inventory, which lists the condition and inspection dates for more than 100,000 bridges in the U.S.  Besides revealing the appalling state of our nation's infrastructure, the data indicated that many bridges were significantly past their inspection due date.  

When we received the data in a big spreadsheet, I instantly wanted to know about the bridges I crossed everyday.  One of the bridges I crossed during my daily commute was "functionally obsolete" and "required a "high priority of corrective action".  The chills I got when I discovered that in the raw data were what prompted the idea for presenting this seemingly dry information in a way that would personalize it and allow people to find safer, alternative routes. I was the Lead Interactive Producer on this project, working with a web developer and the Art Director to define the experience and push the limits of our experience with Virtual Earth.

Won a Silver in the 2007-2008 SND Best of Multimedia Design Competition.

After Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, msnbc.com partnered with Onvia to create an interactive application that allowed users to delve into how and where stimulus funds were being distributed.  Not only did the app provide an overview of ARRA spending over time, but users were able to search for projects slated for their state, county or city and could obtain specific details of major projects by cost, geography and spending category.

As Director of Interactive Content Strategy, I worked with Onvia to define the experience and oversaw the team of designers and developers who brought it to life.

Language of the Image was an interactive course created for News University, an online training division of the Poynter Institute.  Targeted at professional journalists, this training module introduced common elements used to create beautiful photographs with images, audio, and interactive feedback on user assessements.  Over 10 years later, it is still one of the top 5 most popular courses on NewsU. 

As the Producer on this project, I worked with the subject matter expert to transform traditional class materials into a digital experience, collaborated with a designer for the look and feel, prepared all the content assets, and served as the only developer.   

View the animated introduction (contains audio).

(Note: The live version of this course has been converted to a mobile friendly version)