Bethany Acheson | UX Designer
| UX Designer

UX Process

 
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Process is the driving force behind great UX Design. The diagram below demonstrates one approach to solving
a complex design challenge. The process is always subject to change based on the project. 

 
 
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Research & Analysis

The research phase begins with a screener to determine if a participant is the right fit for the study. If they are, then they are given a survey in which they are asked specific questions. Based on responses, those who qualify and are willing will then move on to the interview phase.

User interviews present a UX Designer
with valuable information that will form the
problem statement of a project.
 

Interview subjects are asked a series of open ended questions with the intention of getting them to open up about the topic. This is where a UX Designers empathy is put to the test. The responses are recorded  and notes are taken from which quotes are pulled that will be included in affinity diagramming.

Additionally, an analysis of at least three direct competitors is conducted. A competitive analysis identifies marketing competition and determines their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the product or service you're offering.  

A competitive heuristic analysis will also be conducted using legendary UX Designer Jakob Nielsen's 10 general principles of interaction design. These rules of thumb are not specific usability guidelines, but they do include evaluating things like user control and freedom, error prevention and efficiency of use. 


Discovery & Strategy

Next up, discovery and strategy. Now that all the research has been gathered, it's time to take all the data and figure out what the users pain points are and what is going to resolve them.

Quotes are pulled from user interviews and written on post-its that are stuck all over the wall. The notes are then arranged according to trends and it quickly becomes evident that there are some specific problems that need to be addressed when we get down to creating our prototype.


This phase is really the how and why of everything.
 

From here, a problem statement and hypothesis are born. These are the key to the entire design challenge that is about to be faced.

After synthesizing all of the quantitative and qualitative data, a customer journey map is created. Here the user's journey is broken down to determine how to get them what they need and want. This phase is all about strategy, and it is possibly my favorite phase of the entire UX Design process. In this phase, user scenarios and storyboards are also developed to better understand the customer journey.
 

It's about brainstorming and critical thinking.
Problem solving  - it's what makes me tick.
 

It's also time to start thinking about scope during this stage of the game. Using a 2 x 2 Matrix and/0r the Moscow Method is crucial to avoid scope creep. This is where the features of our design are prioritized.


Prototype & Iterate

Once a strategy has been developed, it's time to move into the prototyping phase. There are many ways to begin developing the prototype, but typically a white board and a dry erase marker will best serve the purpose. In this phase we begin sketching the structure for our user interface. We also hone in on the flow of our site or application. Site or app maps will be developed, and if necessary taxonomy will be created with the help of open or closed card sorts.

You can do a lot with a paper prototype, and they
don't need to take a lot of time to make.
 

You can do a lot with a paper prototype, and the best part is, they don't and shouldn't take a long time to create. Paper prototypes can be tested similarly to the way in which a digital lo-fi prototype is tested, but they resolve a lot of the initial  issues with design and flow efficiently. 

During the prototyping phase designers have the freedom to participate in design studios where all hands are on deck and sketches are time boxed to encourage rapid prototyping and ideation. Designers may also chose to include users in the sketching phase. We call this participatory design, and it can really offer unexpected insight into the process.

When a working paper prototype has passed the first phase of user testing, it's time to digitize and create wireframes that will be made clickable. The wireframes are a simple, black and white representation of the design that can be tested and iterated on before moving into the final visual design phase.


Design & Test

Time to move into the visual design phase. This is where we can bring in a style guide or create our own. Using the wireframes that we created in the prototyping phase, the design is expanded upon.
 

Accessibility is key. This is where the typography, color and layout will make or break the final design.
 

And speaking of break, the design may appear to be finished, but it still needs to be tested on our users. Users will be asked to complete task scenarios as they were in the wireframed version of the design. Results are evaluated for overall usability and if issues arise, the design will need to be modified and tested again. It doesn't matter how amazing your design looks if your user becomes frustrated and is unable to achieve his or her goals. The testing phase is so important and is too often overlooked due to time  and budget constraints. According to Jakob Nielsen,

"Usability is defined by 5 quality components."
 

These are learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction. These five components are typically taken into consideration when testing the functionality of the design.


Validate & Deliver

The visual design is finished and can now be passed on to the developers. Now is the perfect time to reflect on the project and think about how it all went down. It may also be the time to break out the adult beverages if you're into that sort of thing.
 

Every project teaches us a lesson and
makes us better designers.
 

We iterate on our designs as much as we iterate on ourselves as designers. It what makes the process magical and keeps us stimulated and engaged.