Why user experience matters?
Tech pioneer Steve Jobs said “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
User experience design.
Simply put, user experience (UX) design is a set of principles used to build better online experiences that are more meaningful and relevant to users.
Put your customer first.
The UX design process explained.
The user experience design process is fluid and iterative. The five different stages are repeated and evaluated to continuously improve functionality and design.
Discovery
Good digital design solves problems. We first need to identify the problems in order to provide solutions. By interviewing and collating feedback from all stakeholders along with historical analytics we can build an understanding of customers and their needs. This knowledge provides the foundation for the next stage – the design.
Activities
- Workshop to map out business needs and how you wish to interact with your customers
- Interview key customers about their real world experiences
- Record user testing of key tasks to establish what pain points exist and how users find the current UX experience
- Define user groups and personas
- Research the market and trends
Outcomes
- User personas
- Work flows
- User flows
- Competitor audit and analysis
- Analysis of latest design principles and trends
Design
Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one! When it comes to UI design opinions are worthless unless they can be backed up with facts. This iterative design process starts with sketches, flows and wireframes to share with stakeholders. Once happy, high-fidelity prototypes bring the vision to life.
Activities
- Brainstorming sessions
- Card shuffling workshop
- UX/UI trend research
Outcomes
- Basic sketches
- Detailed design spec, tone of voice and style guidelines
- Site architecture mapped out
- Low & high-fidelity prototypes
Delivery
Turning the vision into a functional website. The implementation of the design starts here. Depending on requirements, this can be a non-complex or complex development process. Either way, we will work with you to deliver the best solution for your needs.
Activities
- Build front-end interface and back-end funcionality
- Training on the CMS system
Outcomes
- Developed website with complete functionality following the UI style
- Cross browser and device testing
- Launch and post-launch checks
Evaluate & learn
Now the website is live let’s ask one simple question.
Is it easier for your customers to use and does it provide the solution to their problems?
Activities
- Analyse the user flow and experience
- Compare the front-end experience against what was expected
Outcomes
- Customer feedback
- Improvement recommendations identified
Repeat
Ignoring your website is for losers. Learn from your mistakes, plan your next UX process cycle and go again.
In the digital world, one thing is guaranteed. If you don’t keep up with your competitors they will be happy to service your customers for you.
Summary
The best user experience can only be provided with an iterative design process.
If you think you know your customers and what they want then you’re probably wrong! I don’t know either – let’s find out together.