My design process changes to suit the role I work in. Considerations such as team dynamics, development methodology, resources, constraints, and UX maturity all influence my design process. Conversely, my design process shapes those same considerations as I push for process improvement and tighter alignment to design thinking principles.

Here are the steps I commonly take. This list is not necessarily linear, and I adapt my approach to the needs and constraints of each project.

Discovery

  • Project Kickoff Meet with the people overseeing the project, which in my experience has been a product owner, project manager and stakeholders. Here I’ll assess the user and business needs of the project.

  • Brainstorm Jot down ideas and questions based on the initial meeting. I may look at best practices or do market research

  • Dev Meetup Talk with the developers for the project to discuss programmatic constraints, existing infrastructure, design possibilities, irrelevant nerd banter, etc

  • Research Conduct ethnographic studies including interviews and surveys. I have a strong research background with degrees in sociology and HCI. My training and experience allows me to lead research studies independently.

  • Scenarios Report back to PO about what I’ve learned and document core user scenarios and design requirements

UX Design

  • Task Flow List or sketch the steps the user’s path through the design including the user's goals, frustrations, and feelings

  • Paper Sketch Draw some basic UI on paper, play with ideas, whiteboard with other UX designers

  • Wireframe Design the UI in Sketch, incorporating the knowledge I’ve obtained, utilizing conventions, and innovating where possible. I usually create 10 or more wireframes at first at medium fidelity.

  • Feedback Elicit reactions from other UX designers / researchers, PO, developers and finally stakeholders

  • Report Meet with UX lead throughout the process to keep them updated on the project and help with any concerns or questions

  • Iterate Rethink the design balancing feedback, priorities, and my own intuition

  • Prototype Work with a UX researcher in testing a prototype with target users. My current tools include Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch

  • Rinse, Repeat UX design steps as necessary

Execution

  • Pitch Present designs to PO, stakeholders, developers, customer support team, and other team members. Incorporate research, task flows, and user scenarios to illustrate a compelling vision. Get final feedback and approval

  • Visual Design Hand the designs off to a visual designer, or in some cases, handle the visual design myself. Add red-lines if necessary and if the project allows

  • Annotate the designs to ensure designs are developed to spec

  • Hand-off Show designs to developers a final time. Help estimate the dev effort and break the design into stories in Agile sprint planning

Implementation

  • Status Checkins Keep abreast of the development progress in daily stand-up meetings and code reviews

  • Collaborate Stay available for dev and QA questions. Clarify design and make design tweaks if absolutely necessary

  • Test Work with QA testers in finding and resolving bugs

Follow-through

  • Reflect Consider what went well and what could be improved in Agile sprint retros

  • Observe Use the now live feature and listen to user feedback

Guiding Principles

I have principles that guide me through the design process, endure challenges, and realize success. Here are three of them:

  1. UX is a team sport. I believe that every employee can contribute to the UX process. It is my job to harness their abilities, lead the process, and champion the user experience.

  2. Users don’t want products; they want task completion. Users have a goal in mind. They don’t want a product; they want to accomplish their task in the most effective way possible. Users rarely share designers’ excitement for a product or feature. It’s best to stay humble and focus on the user’s most crucial needs.

  3. Discipline remains when passion fades. UX job descriptions often call for “passion.” Passion is a great quality. However, passion can wane when designs are not developed, challenges pile up, and design tedium persists over time. Discipline, on the other hand, is the will to keep iterating, tinkering, and sticking to your guns when the chips are down.