Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to deep-dive into every part of the product design and ux research process. This section outlines my approach to each as well as the level of depth and detail I like to achieve.
1. research and ideation
I access and collect information about:
+ the users
+ the desired end product
+ the business and their goals
+ competitors to the business and the product
+ technical opportunities and/or limitations
I do this by:
+ conducting interviews with subject matter experts
+ conducting internal and external workshops with stakeholders
+ conducting user tests, interviews, focus groups, and surveys
+ immersing myself into the environment
I do these things so that, in conjunction with quantitative and qualitative data, I can make informed decisions later on about user interactions, messaging, wayfinding, and more.
2. insights and direction
I analyze the information by looking for:
+ patterns
+ relationships
+ cause & effect
+ logical groupings
+ core insights
I take the distilled information and create precise documentation. In doing so it allows me to process the information deeply, allows others to quickly and easily understand the research, and helps everyone remember WHY we're doing things a certain way later on.
3. user flows and interactions
I design the back-and-forth we have with digital devices.
One of my favorite parts of UX is solving/designing for the interactions that happen between the user and the digital medium. When, why, and how information is exchanged are some of the core elements that determine how the experience feels and factor into what we think about the product and/or the brand.
I ask, "What happens when___ ?" until all scenarios are accounted for and then translate the answers into if/then style diagrams.
When there are many scenarios, certain actions inevitably repeat within larger ones. I extract those functions and document them once, effectively creating a lego piece that can be inserted into any flow and also creating experiential consistency for the user.
4. Navigation and content structure
Can users find what they're looking for in one try? Is the main navigation clear and does it make sense? Can you click with purpose and confidence?
Is there a logical place for every piece of necessary content? Does the structure accommodate for business growth/content evolution/new user types?
I parse the content and look for patterns, natural groupings, and relationships. I organize for logic, wayfinding, and business priority.
5. layout and usability
What information needs to exist? How much of it? What's the purpose of this screen? What can users do? What do we want them to do? Who is coming here? Where are they and what are they doing when viewing this screen
6. Prototype and Testing
I create prototypes with digital tools such as InVision, with HTML/CSS/Javascript, and on physical paper. I make test plans based on the main goals of the product as well as any UX decision points that arose while designing that require user input. I moderate the sessions, comb the data afterward for insights, and make refinements until the final designs are delivered for launch.
