design methodology rooted in a deep understanding of the user
Dan Trenkner, Art Director at Digital Telepathy
What is UX design?
“User Experience Design”
The design behind the visuals of
Products
mobile apps • websites • smartwatches
How does the user make an account?
What information does the user see on the screen? In what order?
Places
restaurants • hospitals • airports • stores
How does the visitor know where
to go or what to do? Where does the visitor go for help?
Services
meal-delivery • ride-sharing • streaming
How do we make the service most convenient for the customer? How does the customer access the service?
What is the process?
The User Experience Design Process
STEP
1
Understanding user and business needs.
Interviewing and Shadowing
First, the designer will go out into the field and talk face-to-face with users and stakeholders, learning about their goals, attitudes, and concerns.
contextual inquiry • think-aloud • ethnographic research
Researching
In order to truly understand breath and depth of the problem space, designers will also discover and read relevant information.
literature review • internet research • consulting domain experts
Building Empathy
Through research, designers build empathy for users, allowing them to design solutions that truly improve people's lives.
"You are not your user."
Synthesizing Information
Designers then create visual diagrams and graphics that synthesize all of the data they had uncovered through their research.
journey maps • service blueprints • conceptual models
Step 2
The User Experience Design Process
STEP
2
Communicating user and business needs.
Sharing Findings
It's not enough that the designer understands the user. Now that they have uncovered the core pain points for users, it is their responsibility to convey these findings to the rest of the team.
diagrams • presentations
Storytelling
Designers then create specific artifacts that convey their findings to stakeholders in an easy-to-understand and memorable way, often through storytelling
storyboards • personas • scenarios
Connecting
To proceed to the next stage, designers need to make sure everyone on the team is on the same page. Discussions and workshops may be held to elicit opinions, ideas, and a direction to take.
discussions • workshops
Step 3
The User Experience Design Process
STEP
3
Applying user and business needs.
Brainstorming
Designers then ideate and come up with design solutions that meet both user and business needs.
Organizing Content
Utilizing information architecture, designers determine optimal hierarchy of information, or the order in which information is presented.
Lo-Fi Prototyping
Next, designers rapidly create sketches and wireframes of design solutions that can be easily changed.
User Testing
Lo-fi prototypes are validated with actual users and updated accordingly.
Hi-Fi Prototyping
Finally, designers create the "visuals" of the product or service - interactions, animations, and colors - and pass their work on to developers!
Iterating
The process doesn't end there. Designers must continuously re-evaluate, re-test, refine to ensure the best user experience.
Answers from experts
What is UX Design?
Below are answers experts in user experience design have provided for this question.
Source: User Testing Blog
“process of designing a solution that considers all the needs of the user
Brent Summers, Director of Marketing at Digital Telepathy
commitment to building products with the customer in mind
Marieke McCloskey, Director of Research at UserTesting
creative and analytical process of determining what a website, device, or piece of software is going to be
Steve Portigal, Principal at Portigal consulting
so much more than just designing for a screen
Paul Boag, UX Consultant of Boagworks
improving customer satisfaction and loyalty through the utility, ease of use, and pleasure provided in interaction with the product
Oxford Journal Interacting with Computers
art and science of generating positive emotions through product interactions
Tomer Sharon, Senior UX Researcher at Google
commitment to developing products and services with purpose, compassion, and integrity
Whitney Hess, Experience Design Coach at WhitneyHess.com
design with an awareness of every touchpoint that makes up the overall experience with your product or service
Joshua Porter, Co-Founder of Rocket Insights