I start any UX design project with gathering information about users, their needs, and the context in which they will use the product. My common methods are: user interviews, surveys, task analysis and contextual inquiry. From here I'll analyze and synthesize it to identify patterns, pain points, and opportunities for improvement. This step helps in defining user personas, understanding user journeys and mapping user stories.
Based on the research and discovery findings, I form assumptions and generate hypothesis which are presented in “how might we” questions. I will also propose improved information architecture, more efficient work flows, optimized UI behaviors and identifying key experiences. This part of the work will lead the the next step in my process: Ideate.
My favorite ideation methodology is to facilitate and moderate a cross function Design Workshop. It's a highly structured collaborative ideation session involving various stakeholders: Product, Research, Sales, Support and Engineering. This workshop is best describe in a diamond format. Starting from problem framing, then diverging on various ideas generated by participants, converging on a couple of best ideas by voting. This sessions builds a shared understanding on the potential solutions among stakeholders.
This stage involves creating detailed designs based on the ideas generated in the previous Design Workshop. It includes creating wireframes and mockups that outline the structure, layout, and functionality of these ideas. Prototyping involves building interactive representations of the product or service. These prototypes can range from low-fidelity (simple sketches or wireframes) to high-fidelity (detailed mockups with interactive elements), depending on the stage of development.
Once prototypes are ready, they are tested with real users to gather feedback and insights. Usability testing, where users perform tasks with the prototype, helps identify usability issues and validate assumptions, hypothesis and solutions made in the Step 3: Ideate. There're two possible outcomes from the testing: Pursuit or Pivot. Pursuing is about refining and further developing on solutions validated in the testing. Pivoting is about re-evaluating the my original assumptions and hypothesis and making adjustments.
If the testing mostly validated my proposed solutions, I would continue to develop and refine my ideas into higher fidelity design deliverables such as detailed wireframes, Figma or Axure prototypes. If the testing results suggest pivoting, I would return to the Step 1and pay particular attention to the areas where my research data didn't support the testing results. I will facilitate another rounds of research focused on these areas to gain new insights.
Post-launch, UX designers may conduct further evaluation through user feedback, analytics, and usability testing to assess how well the product meets user needs and business goals. This data informs future iterations and improvements.