In an ideal scenario, the following is the typical process that I follow to solve user experience problems. I say typical because—depending on the scope and complexity of the project—there may be more or less focus in any given area. At the core of this process: empathy for the user and informed design decisions and thinking.
Define the problem space and start brainstorming.
What are we trying to solve? What do we need to learn?
What are the user/business needs that currently exist? Who are the intended users?
Do we have a clear understanding of goals?
Are we building something new or iterating/improving on something that already exists?
Who are our stakeholders, and how can we get them involved?
How can we push beyond the expected?
Understand the landscape ahead of us and develop a point of view.
Things that tend to happen here:
Gather requirements, relevant analytics, usage data, systems data
Review prior research (if applicable)
Stakeholder interviews/alignment, User interviews (if needed/if possible)
Competitive Reviews / Expert Reviews / Heuristic Analysis
Assess Feasibility & Constraints
Identify core user scenarios and goals
Let our ideas take shape.
Key activities:
More Brainstorming and Concepting
Affinity Diagramming
Sketching
User/Task Flows
Personas / User Scenarios
Prototyping
Wireframing
What do we still need to learn?
Methods include:
Remote / In-person User Testing
User Interviews
Usability Testing
Surveys
Click Tests
A/B Tests
Refine our ideas and make necessary adjustments.
Ask ourselves:
Did users uncover anything we missed?
Does that introduce any changes in scope of work?
If major user issues are noted, how can we adjust?
Does our design meet our business requirements?
Are there any additional conditions / pain points / edge cases that need to be addressed?
How’d we do? What opportunities are emerging?
Review and reflect—determine how to move forward and iterate:
Usage and Analytics
Customer Feedback
Stakeholder Feedback
Team Feedback
Post-launch user testing and analysis