The UX Design Process
Knowing that the goal of UX is designing with humans in mind and that the expected results are more usable and more pleasant products and services – the remaining gap to fill is how to get there. While specifics differ from one designer or one organization to another, UX methods tend to follow similar broad strokes. The design process uncovers many opportunities for businesses, whether that’s cost reduction or seizing new opportunities (we created an article to help calculate the ROI of UX research and design, if you’re curious to find out more).
Phase 1: Discovery
An important first phase in any project, design or otherwise. In UX, discovery involves doing as much initial research as possible to get a deep understanding of what we’re looking at. Understanding the context of a problem is key to understanding the problem itself and its potential solutions. Here a few research activities UX designers often perform during this phase:
What it is
Having a conversation with key people involved in making the project a reality.
How it helps
These interviews help us get more information about the challenge at hand and understand what it takes to make the project successful. This is also where we ask about or confirm project constraints.
What it is
Looking into direct or indirect competitors and the industry at large.
How it helps
This research helps us understand what other organizations have done well or have done poorly, and what market trends may influence the design.
What it is
Speaking with current or potential users and asking questions:
How it helps
Interviews help us understand user needs, motivations, situations, workflows etc.
We might try to understand their particular pain points, how they approach solving certain problems, what they find delightful, etc.
What it is
A set list of questions for current users or potential users to answer – usually online.
How it helps
Interviews help us understand user needs, motivations, situations, workflows etc.
We might try to understand their particular pain points, how they approach solving certain problems, what they find delightful, etc.
What it is
Observing people in their natural habitat to understand how they do things.
How it helps
Looking at how people do things in their personal environment can help us identify things that users are not aware of because it’s so normal for them. We can get insights from their habits, how they overcome certain challenges or how they do things in their own unique way.
What it is
Observing people in their natural habitat to understand how they do things.
How it helps
Looking at how people do things in their personal environment can help us identify things that users are not aware of because it’s so normal for them. We can get insights from their habits, how they overcome certain challenges or how they do things in their own unique way.
Phase 2: Definition
This is where UX designers think about what they’ve seen or heard during the discovery phase and begin putting things together into insights that will inform what they design. If you’ve seen cliché photos of designers drawing on and pointing at post-it notes, that’s what happens during the definition phase.
What it is
There are a hundred ways to map and diagram, but the basic idea is to visually summarize a complex idea/scenario and its different parts. (This includes user flows, task flows, process flows and mapping out other relevant logic)
How it helps
Getting things on paper has been linked with better processing of information (source:
The Atlantic &
APA). Mapping helps designers see how everything fits together and where there might be opportunities for innovation or improvement.
What it is
A written ‘portrait’ of a user or type of user, based on the people or behaviours you’ve encountered in research
How it helps
They serve as reminders of your users’ life context and details that might impact or be impacted by your design decisions
What it is
These are typically short sentences that help communicate the who, what and how of certain tasks to be accomplished. ex. As an Admin, I want to invite other users, so that my team can collaborate.
How it helps
By understanding which users try to accomplish specific things in specific ways, we get a better idea of functionalities or features that are crucial to completing these tasks.
Phase 3: Design
This is the stage most people get excited about; when ideas begin to materialize and it starts to feel like there may actually be a light at the end of the tunnel. An important principle in UX design is testing and validating ideas. Checking in with your users at multiple points throughout the design phase helps confirm that you’ve made sound design decisions and highlights how you can improve and refine your design over many iterations.
What it is
Wireframes are probably one of the most well-known design deliverables. They are essentially an initial rough draft of how your final product might look or work.
How it helps
They are most helpful as tools for discussion and explanation. They can help designers communicate and confirm content types, sequences, how interactions might work (when a user does X, Y happens), etc.
What it is
Prototyping can be done at various levels of detail – but it usually involves having someone play or work going through an unfinished concept, pretending that they are doing it in a real-life context. This is often where you developed the nuanced
interactions and microinteractions.
How it helpsPrototypes can help find weaknesses, gaps, flaws in logic and other problems you hadn’t thought of yet. It also can give you real-feeling material to use for testing and validation with users.
What it is
Having a current or potential user work through an almost-final or live design step-by-step to see whether it is easy for them to use.
How it helps
Usability tests help make sure people can understand the intent of a design, the layout, the copy, the interactions – and whether it helps them accomplish what they’ve set out to do.
What it is
Files or knowledge provided to whoever is dealing with developing, implementing or maintaining a design, including your
design rationale documentation.
How it helps
Keeping track of design decisions and logic prevents confusion for everyone. It’s essential when doing complex design work to be able to explain why something was designed the way it was and what are the various parts that go into it.
Phase 4: Do it again!
Design is never done is the motto here. When UX designers deliver a piece of work (even if it’s been tested, tweaked and refined a hundred times) they know that it will eventually have to be updated or reworked. Tech and culture evolve continuously – and design work isn’t immune to becoming obsolete or having to be replaced by something better.
Want to dig deeper on flow diagrams?
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