MY UX DESIGN PROCESS
User Research
Includes user & SME interviews, surveys, observational studies, and contextual inquiries to establish the use environment, use cases, and user requirements.
Competitor Research
Activities similar to those in user research with inclusion of expert reviews and investigational studies on existing products and user guides to develop key competitive insights.
User Modeling
Includes user journey maps, mental models, and personas to identify key user groups, needs, and potential pain points.
Concept Modeling
Includes process workflows, site maps, and task analysis using tools such as Visio and Miro to establish key design elements, critical tasks, and potential use related risk . Analytical methods such as uFMEA and empirical methods such as usability evaluations should be included in early exploratory work as this will reveal key findings early in development.
Design Thinking
Work closely with cross functional teams (software, hardware, systems, product management) to brainstorm, sketch, and storyboard. Develop low fidelity mockups to set the foundation for design intent and determine risk controls that can mitigate any use related risk.
Visual Styling
If there is no existing style guide, work with branding to develop mood boards, brand assets/icons, and style guides to ensure there is a strong brand cohesiveness and vision.
Design
Work closely with product management to understand marketing product concept requirements. For software solutions, use wireframing and prototyping tools such as Figma for user testing and as a handoff to development teams. For hardware solutions, work with industrial designers to create mockups and 3D printed models. The focus should be on developing and testing the critical and high risk areas first.
Evaluate
Includes end user testing (in person and remote) for usability analysis. Formative and summative evaluations should focus on testing critical tasks and hazards to ensure use safety of product design. The entire solution including onboarding, training, user guides, IFUs, and product interaction should be included in the evaluation.
Iterate
User centered design may include multiple design iterations as development occurs tradeoffs will need to be made. Sometimes these changes are small and other times they may impact the entire journey or design intent. The residual risk should be assessed to help prioritize development efforts.