The Design Process
Every project is unique and demands the design process be flexible to accommodate the project's idiosyncrasies. However, without describing the curriculum for a User Experience design course, there are commonalities that can form the basis of a typical design process.
"A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order."
Jean-Luc Goddard
Understand the Project
Determine the intent of the project through discussions with the product manager, management team and other stakeholders, including:
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who are the stakeholders
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what are the intended outcomes
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who are the intended end users
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who are our competitors
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what are the timeline and budget for the work
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who are the team members and what are their roles
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what is the desired end product
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Understand the Project
Understand the Intended End-User
Determine what is known or assumed about our end-users through discussions with the product manager, management team and other stakeholders, including:
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what do the end-users want from our product
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what level of expertise do they have with our product
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what concerns do they have about using our product
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what expectations do they have for our product
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how do they view our competitors
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how often will they interact with our product
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Understand the Intended End-User
Outline Assumptions
Most projects require assumptions to be made - who will be our primary end-user, what will they want our product to provide, who is our primary competitor, etc. Assumptions need to identified, tracked and verified in the research phases to ensure we are solving the right problems.
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Outline Assumptions
Begin the Research
Research is on-going process throughout the product design. This first phase of research is focused on better understanding the work already done, both on products we have already shipped and by the competition, so that our efforts can build upon that work, and may include:
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competitive and comparative analyses of similar products
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heuristic analysis of our existing products (as applicable)
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familiarization with our existing brand patterns and design standards, and any other materials that will inform the look of our product
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Begin the Research
Continue Researching
Concurrent with the research on existing products and competitors, interviews with potential end users are critical in establishing the bases for design. These interviews allow me to better understand the end users' mindset when approaching my product, create the persona(s) that will be used as the genesis of the design, and begin the process of journey mapping.
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Continue Researching
Develop Hypotheses
Using the information gathered from all of the sources above, I am able to develop hypotheses about the end users and their needs for the product being designed, and about the necessities (time, budget, design complexity, etc.) from the client/developers that will constrain the design. These hypotheses form the basis of the problem and concept statements, and, ultimately, the initial sketches of the product design.
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Develop Hypotheses
Prototyping and User Testing
The process of prototyping and user testing is cyclical with each round building upon the insights gleaned from the prior processes. The starting point for the prototyping varies with the complexity of the problem(s) being solved and the sophistication of the users with whom the initial tests are conducted. I prefer to start with hand sketches for the key screens' prototype designs. Hand sketches are a quick means for getting multiple ideas on the table and don't imply a fully-baked idea which can affect users' (and clients) response to a prototype. Once a direction has been established, I move into low, medium and high fidelity wireframes and prototypes using Figma or Sketch, with user testing between each round of wireframing.
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Prototyping and User Testing
Design Communication
Collaboration with the engineers and developers who will be responsible for translating the user experience design into a web-ready product is an on-going process throughout the design and is essential to the success of the 'final' product. It is also critical to have regular communication with the product manager and stakeholders to ensure all are on board with the direction the design is taking. Although I have listed this as the eighth step in the design process, it is a necessity from day one.
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Design Communication
Reiteration
A designer's job is never done. While the constraints of time and budget may dictate a stopping point, it is always worthwhile to solicit feedback on the shipped product to understand where there are opportunities for improvement. Ideally, once a product has shipped the next iteration is begun to improve upon the design, making it more user-friendly, responsive to their needs, and reflective of the client's brand quality.