The discovery phase of any project is the most important part. This is the step that saves time and money in the long run by learning as much as possible about the needs of the users, so we can give them a product we already know they'll love.

METHODS

Interviews and Surveys: to find out what users want and what they do naturally

Card Sorting: to determine how users categorize things - important for content strategy, menu structure

User Personas: to establish who we’re designing for

Journey Maps: to understand the overall experience and potential pain points

Competitive Analysis: to differentiate the product from its competition

The most exciting part of an iterative process: taking everything that has been learned so far and turning it into an actual, real-life product!

METHODS

User Flows: to map out the steps users must take to complete a task

Sketches: the quickest, cheapest way to start designing

Lo-Fi Wireframes: to refine user flows, architecture, layout, and features

Hi-Fi Wireframes: complete, beautiful visual design

Interactive Prototype: the most thorough tool for usability testing and demonstrations

Mood Boards: to inspire the visual style

Style Guides: to keep the design consistent and clean

Usability testing can begin at any point during the design process. Whether we only have initial sketches, or a high fidelity prototype, we have something to take to the users to get their feedback.

METHODS

Contextual Inquiry/Task Analysis: to see how easily a user can complete an assigned task, and find out what they like and dislike about the experience

A/B Testing: a great way to experiment with two competing design ideas

Heuristic Evaluation: to assess how well the product conforms to standard usability principles

The UX process is unique in that ideally, it never ends. A product can be refined indefinitely by continually testing and improving the design. The sky is the limit!