{"id":10033,"date":"2019-11-11T15:39:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T20:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=10033"},"modified":"2020-12-13T23:37:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T04:37:47","slug":"what-is-the-ux-design-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/what-is-the-ux-design-process","title":{"rendered":"What is the UX Design Process?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the name implies, UX Designers are focused on user experience \u2014 how a product, like a website or app, makes you feel while you\u2019re using it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figuring that out takes research, prototyping, and testing, with this high-level role working closely alongside other types of Designers and Product Managers to bring each vision to life in a way that resonates with end-users. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to Tony Ho Tran<\/span><\/a> in Inside Design, every modern, successful product or service needs UX design behind it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith it, customers will remain satisfied and (ideally) loyal to your business,\u201d he writes. \u201cWithout it, your user can be left frustrated and bitter with your product\u2026 resulting in, ultimately, fewer users.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tran says the most effective UX design creates a positive experience for a company\u2019s target audience by anticipating \u2014 and ultimately fulfilling \u2014 their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the actual UX design process to make that happen?<\/span><\/p>\n

Most UX Designers break the process down into a few key stages, which allows a team to figure out user needs, develop and test ideas, and refine a design so it has the maximum impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand the Problem<\/b><\/h2>\n

Remember the good old days of high school, when you were given math problems or essay topics to tackle? Step one, before hitting pen to paper, was always making sure you understood the question and the parameters.<\/span><\/p>\n

And just like those school days, UX design process also requires gaining a thorough understanding of the issue at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDesign solves a problem,\u201d explains <\/span>Saadia Minhas<\/span> for UX Planet. \u201cIn order to provide a solution, you first need to understand the problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In UX design, that can mean interviewing clients and brainstorming concepts together, determining what problem you\u2019re trying to solve for your company, their company, and the end-users, and bringing together the project team to get everyone on the same page before the hard work really begins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research and Analyze<\/b><\/h2>\n

In-depth research is the backbone of UX design, long before you\u2019re building prototypes or signing off on graphic design choices. Some of this means scoping out your competitors to get a sense of their product offerings, including their shortcomings and any potential sources of inspiration, while another chunk is focused on end-users.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour user research is going to be the lifeblood of your project,\u201d explains Tran. \u201cThe things you discover and unearth during this stage lays the foundation for how your entire project will turn out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Be it through surveys, focus groups, or 1-on-1 meetings, you need to get a clear sense of what users want and need from the product you\u2019re designing. That means focusing on questions like what they\u2019re hoping for in a product, and what they struggle with when it comes to current market offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot only do UX Designers want to know who their users are, but Designers want to dive deeper into their needs, fears, motivations, and behavior,\u201d <\/span>writes Nick Babich<\/span><\/a> for Adobe\u2019s design blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

During this phase, it can be helpful to create user personas \u2014 as in, fictional representations of your target customers \u2014 to give you a clear guideline for what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sketch and Design<\/b><\/h2>\n

This is the phase where you\u2019re finally hashing out ideas \u2014 and while they don\u2019t have to be perfect, they should be rooted in your research, with a laser-sharp focus on solving the problem at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whiteboard flows, wireframe prototypes, and often hand-drawn sketches can all be part of the process so you can share concepts with your team and other stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the process moves forward, you\u2019ll start getting into the nitty-gritty of a final design, hammering out specifics like typography and style guidelines with your graphic and UI design team.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Babich, an effective design phase is both highly collaborative, requiring input from the whole product development team, and iterative, meaning that it cycles back upon itself to validate ideas and assumptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to design, redesign, scrap it, and design it all again,\u201d Minhas echoes. \u201cHyperventilation and overconsumption of coffee are completely natural at this stage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Test, launch, repeat<\/b><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve finished building a final design, backed by research and analysis, you\u2019re almost ready to send it into the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, though, comes plenty of testing \u2014 ensuring every single piece of the product is usable and effective. Ultimately, you\u2019re trying to figure out if it works well, resonates with customers, and if it solves your initial problem. <\/span><\/p>\n

Doing so requires a few approaches, according to Tran: Internal testing, end-user testing, and potentially a beta launch. \u201cThis is a limited release of your product to a small number of people with the goal of finding issues and cleaning them up before you launch it to the world,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

In UX, tests can be as simple as observing customer-product interactions or as complex as presenting different versions of a product to the public to see which is better received, <\/span>notes UsabilityGeek.com<\/span><\/a>. \u201cDevelopers may offer questionnaires and surveys or even do further interviews with customers to identify spots of difficulty or confusion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After this point, your team might decide it\u2019s time to officially press the \u201claunch\u201d button. <\/span>But, sorry to break it to you, that\u2019s not where the process ends.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe process goes on until the desired experience and customer satisfaction is achieved,\u201d Minhas writes.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, testing, re-launching, and then testing again \u2014 getting as close to an ideal product offering as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to UX design process, there\u2019s no one fits all solution,\u201d says Babich. \u201cBut whether your UX process lightweight or it\u2019s full of a lot of activities, the goal of each UX design process is the same \u2014 create a great product for your users.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Ready to pursue a career as a UX Designer? Take a look at our UX Design Diploma Program<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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