UX stages and process tips for a user experience
The concept of “user experience” has experienced significant popularity and recognition in recent years. As numerous companies hire dedicated professionals in this field and an increasing number of articles delve into the subject, it is evident that user experience has become a paramount consideration in product development. But what exactly is UX? What does it entail?
In exploring the essence of user experience, we find its roots stretching far back in history, to a time when humans first began refining tools and objects to enhance their ease of use. Even something as simple as a chair underwent continuous optimization to prioritize comfort, aesthetics, and user-friendly design. This commitment to research, experimentation, and improvement embodies the essence of user experience itself.
With the advent of the digital age and the pervasive influence of the computer industry, the focus on user experience has seamlessly transitioned to the realm of digital interactions.
Since the 90's, through the creation and popularization of the term "UX design", we are increasingly focusing our efforts on improving the user experience focused on digital products and services.
In this article, we will delve deeper into the concept of user experience, exploring its significance, and its processes to guarantee a good user experience.
When it started
The term "user experience" was first used in the mid-1990s by Don Norman, according to him "user experience encompasses all aspects of end-to-end interaction with the company, the service and its products." Therefore, UX design encompasses the entire user experience process, not just the construction of small screens and websites as imagined by many.
(205) Don Norman: The term “UX” — NNgroup YouTube
UX design is about the relationship and the experience that a person will have with your product or service. This experience can take various forms, such as an app, a website, or even a service like Uber, for example.
The Process
There is no secret formula that guarantees a good user experience. There are several processes we can follow, but I believe a good start is to divide the design process into 5 steps, as described by Jesse James Garrett in the book "The Elements of User Experience: User-centered Design for the Web".
According to Jesse, the design process would be divided into 5 layers:
1. Strategy:
It is the most abstract layer of the project, as it involves defining the needs and objectives of the project: WHAT, WHY, and for WHOM we want to create this project. Understanding the needs of our users helps us determine whether the product we are creating worthwhile or if a similar product already exists.
Some of the methods to start understanding strategy are desk research, quantitative research, qualitative research, personas, user journey, or one of my favorites: a Lean Inception process, which I believe can effectively address the challenge of finding what you need within a short time period.
Tip: One method does not necessarily exclude the other. You may need one or a combination of the above methods, depending on various factors such as the time available, business strategy, and/or budget.
2. Scope
After understanding the problem and project objectives, we can anticipate the functional aspects within our scope. What will be required for our project? What are the content requirements, and what functionalities will be necessary to ensure the efficiency of our application, based on the defined strategy? At this stage, we can determine the nature of our application. Through research and strategy definition, we can assess whether it is more beneficial for our users to develop a website, an application, or any other service that meets their needs.
Creating a product backlog can help you catalog the features required. This should include all features, ordered in accordance with business objectives. No ideas should be disregarded; keep all suggestions for future review and optimization of the existing structure. For this stage you can do a dynamic in mural/miro for example, to priorate the ideas with your business and technical team or you can continue in your Lean Inception design process, their is a special activity to help you prioritize ideas on Lean Inception.
3.Structure
In a more intermediate stage, we return to something more concrete. We can already plan how we will transform the ideas into something digital; it is the materialization of the solution. We move on to the step of creating the entire functional part, defining how the flow of the site or application will be. For example, we ask ourselves questions like: ‘How will the information on my site be organized?’ If it is a shopping site, for instance, ‘How will I structure the categories of my site to make the user’s search easier?’ ‘How will users navigate from one page to another?’ ‘How will users search for information on my site?’ ‘Is the vocabulary I’m using clear?’ These are just a few questions that should be answered in this step of application design.
This stage is about flows, you can start to design a user flow to understand how ideas can became actions and features. It is also important to start thinking about the classifications. Which categories will stay together in your product? For example, if I am designing a shopping app, should the product “air fryer” be placed in the category “home appliances” or in the category “portable appliances”? Is the category “portable appliances” really necessary, or will it just confuse the user?
Tip: I use Whimsical to create user flows, mindmaps and wireframes. It is easy to use especially to create flows and you can collaborate with other such as your dev team or even you business team.
It is important to share your ideas early with your team because everybody can understand the product and give their point of view. Remember, everybody is responsible for building the product, not just the design team. It is teamwork.🙅♀️
4. Skeleton
In a more concrete step, we have already started to develop the skeleton of the solution itself. We set out to design the interface, which is the wireframe of the application. It acts as the ‘outline’ of your website or app. In this step, we define the placement of each element. Using the example of a shopping site, we determine the appearance of the homepage, which elements to include, and where these elements will be positioned on the page. We also decide on the relevant content and elements for the site, and we may choose to remove certain elements to avoid ambiguity or confusion for the user.
Here, you begin to create wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes. I personally use Whimsical for wireframes, but for prototypes, I prefer Figma. Even with low-fidelity prototypes, it is easy to transform your skeleton into a high-fidelity prototype later if you use the same application.
5. Surface
This is how your product will look like. Here, you have the high-fidelity prototypes. It is important to develop a high-fidelity prototype to showcase what your product can do before finally building it. You can also use your application to test your ideas with users and determine if your product is truly what they need. It is a process of improvement; no one creates a perfect product on the first try.
It is like building a house…
In conclusion, the analogy of the 5 layers to the construction of a house highlights the importance of defining project strategies and understanding our goals and needs. How many bathrooms, how many rooms, what will the residents of our house look like? To finally begin to draw the design of the house itself. Just as we envision the final layout of a house, it is essential to recognize the extensive effort required to shape it according to our desires.
Similarly, websites and applications encompass more than just their visual layouts on screens; the creation of each element, button, or page necessitates the groundwork described earlier. This emphasis on studying user experience reflects its increasing relevance in recent years. By understanding and embracing this process, we can strive to develop exceptional products that meet the needs and expectations of users.
Bibliography:
I leave here some books and links for consultation:
- The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web — by Jesse James Garrett
- The Definition of User Experience (UX) (nngroup.com)- By Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen
- Don Norman: 3 ways good design makes you happy | TED Talk
