UX design is a process, not an outcome. As a UX-focussed business, our process is closely followed every time we undertake a new website, application or software project. We begin with the theory that we know nothing about the product, market, Users or business to ensure we don’t bring any preconceptions or false assumptions to our approach.
It’s a collaborative approach, and at each stage, all decisions are challenged, questioned and tested; by focus groups and/or live User testing where relevant.
So, what is our Process?
There are four key stages to our UX design process:
- Immerse
- Visualise
- Produce
- Collaborate
1. Immerse
Good UX can only come from thorough understanding. The first step in our UX process, therefore, is a workshop session, we call TechLab. Designed to allow us to immerse ourselves into the challenges and opportunities of the business, assess competitors, and familiarise ourselves with the brand, market and internal operations.
There’s more information about TechLab here.
2. Visualise
During this stage, we take the findings from our TechLab session to develop wireframes using a rapid prototyping tool, such as Adobe XD. It is at this stage where we make decisions on image and text placement, CTAs etc.
It’s a valuable step in bringing the User Journey/s to life before moving on to converting into HTML pages, where we can demonstrate responsiveness and interactivity.
3. Produce
We now enter the design phase, producing high-quality, consistent and appealing front-end designs. We incorporate content, apply graphics, digital assets, icons and styling rules, all in-keeping with the learnings and insights discovered during the Immerse stage.
We work closely with content creators and the technical team during this phase, to ensure our designs are realistic in accommodating real content, and that all coding standards are met. All decisions around the User Interface are challenged and tested so to prevent technical challenges later on.
4. Collaborate
Once the front-end build is complete, we move on to back-end development. However, this does not mean this is the end of the project for our UX team. It is wholly important for designers and developers to continue to work closely and collaborate throughout the entire build process, solving problems together and ensuring an optimum UX through to completion.
Once the site goes live, the job is not over! As mentioned, UX is a process, not an outcome, which means all our digital solutions are continually monitored and rated against agreed KPIs. Ongoing review is paramount for continued success. Google Analytics and HotJar are usually invaluable tools to apply to a site for these reasons.
We’ll talk about those in another blog post!
If you are interested in reviewing the UX on your own platform, get in touch. We’re always up for a brew and a chat.