1. Always Begin with Empathy! Every successful project begins with empathy for the user(s), and a design process that is technically feasible, viable for the business, and meets the needs of customers.
2. Gathering Preliminary + Existing Research • Business documents (Mission, strategy, organizational structure charts) • Any prior research (Market, user, competitor, and existing product research) • Annual Report(s) • Marketing materials and currently used ads
3. Interviews with Stakeholders These interviews are to identify any discrepancies between the research gathered in Step 2 and the clients' verbal responses. Key takeaways include: • The problem the client is trying to solve • KPIs • Target Market/Demographic • Competitors and Differentiators via Audits and SWOT • Brand Values (Culture, goals, conflict, etc.) • Business Requirements • Existing Product (Audit for accessibility and content, existing KPIs vs. goals, feedback, etc.)
4. Additional Research and Discovery a. Interviews with target market/demographic, surveys both qualitative and quantitative. b. Create personas, empathy maps, user behaviors, goals, needs, and motivations. c. Create user journey maps and stories (focus on who is acting, the context, the action, and the consequence). d. Design a service blueprint e. Review UX methods, heuristics, best practices, and accessibility considerations f. Consider user biases, cognitive load, and expectations of application interactions/function from previous experience with other products
5. Information Architecture a. Structure, organize, and label content b. Create hierarchy and/or sitemap c. Card-sorting or similar exercise to review user understanding d. Outline flow (text-based, action mapping) e. Check for understanding of flow with users/testing f. Finalize flow and architecture
6. Interaction Mapping and/or Wireframing a. Begin mapping spacing and distribution of content, page balance, priorities vs. functions, and intended user behaviors and accommodations b. Create paper prototypes and try ideas, gather feedback, and identify edge cases Iterate on wireframes
7. Creating High-Fidelity Designs a. Construct style guides, component library, moodboards, and specs as needed b. Design high-fidelity mockups and provide for user testing c. Conduct observational/"walkthrough" user testing, interviews, surveys, etc. d. Finalize high-fidelity mockups after user testing and implement A/B testing with at least 5 individuals (5+ users uncovers ~88% of usability challenges and problems)
8. Prototyping Create interactive designs and prototypes
9. Implement and Manage Build: Developer Hand-off a. Remain engaged and involved from onset and keep team informed with realistic expectations, feedback, and timeframes. b. Set goals, clearly communicate, explain, and illustrate functionality c. Finding and solving edge cases, planning changes, and outlining updates d. Conduct final user testing and QA e. Ship the product