6 Stages of the UX/UI Design Process
Every process should consist of well-thought-out steps that not only help plan the work but also systematize what needs to be done to achieve the goal.
Excellent user experience is what makes your product unique and appealing to customers.
At first, this process may seem daunting, but with the right approach, design becomes an enjoyable activity.
Step 1: Understand Your Customers and Their Values
The first step of the design process is to create a strategy and get to the core of the product development process. Here, we aim to understand the values behind our client, which will help us tailor the service to their vision. We should not be afraid to ask about marketing goals, selling points, or strategies. Gaining access to marketing materials, as well as consulting with people responsible for sales and marketing, will help build a client profile.
At this stage, the development team discusses the product with the product manager. During a brainstorming session, it is necessary to identify end users and formulate use cases. Ask the client about the product's selling points and its competitors.
All the collected information will give us a solid foundation for creating the product. At this stage, consider creating a presentation for the client to involve them in the process and gather initial feedback.
Tip: Don't forget to document each stage of the process - it will serve as a backup if confusion arises at any point, and as solid proof of your work.
Here, also consider the following: sending a list of product questions for the client to answer, selecting a point of contact (people responsible for the project on the client's side), and compiling a list of competing products.
Step 2: Research Competitors
When the initial conversations are over, you are ready for a deeper dive. In the second stage, it is necessary to conduct research (if you have an existing product, it also needs to be evaluated), analyze competitors, and recent trends, while keeping in mind the recommendations prepared by your client.
The list of competing products should include a detailed analysis: strengths and weaknesses, successful features, interesting solutions, as well as those we don't like. If the product being created already exists, prepare a detailed analysis for it as well.
The research should help decide on the overall style of the product (whether to follow recurring themes or branch out), without going into details about which fonts, graphics, or colors to use. At this stage, you can also think about a possible site layout. Creating a mood board that collects all ideas and showing it to the client is a great way, again, to get feedback before starting the actual design process. Constant communication with the client helps us avoid mistakes and misunderstandings.
Step 3: Sketch Your Product
The next step on this path is creating sketches. Use a whiteboard or paper to turn the carefully gathered information into a vision of the product. Share a "rough" prototype with the client and ask for their opinion. This is a process of conveying an idea and receiving feedback. Working on such prototypes gives more freedom to make changes than working on a "live" product.
Ask yourself questions: Is the system convenient? How easy is it for an outsider to navigate? Does it deliver the desired result? You can also find a group of people from your company and ask them to be your first test group.
Don't forget to document the workflow and progress in a presentation.
Step 4: Develop the Product
Finally, it is time to start developing the product design. At this point, you can focus on colors and fonts, experiment with different layouts, etc.
The prototype should be regularly tested by your testing group, or you can use "corridor testing". It is important to occasionally test with a new group, as they will give you a fresh perspective. They may notice new problems that another group might have missed because they are already familiar with the product.
The assets created at this stage must be coordinated with the development team, as not all ideas will be easy or even possible to implement.
The actual design process is usually the longest stage, because you not only create the main screens but also adapt your product to various screen sizes, mobile devices, add error messages, loading animations, etc. Keep in mind that if your product will also be used on mobile devices, this can affect the entire layout and your initial strategies.
Step 5: Implement the Solution on a Web Page
When the client approves your design, it can be implemented on a web page. If you are not handling the implementation yourself, it is important to start collaborating with the front-end team as early as possible. Design handoff tools like Zeplin come in handy here.
The fifth stage also includes creating the final user experience for web and mobile, last minor UX fixes, adding micro-interactions or other details you may have overlooked.
It is important to hold a final session with stakeholders and the development team to present the final version of the work, answer any questions, and catch errors early.
Step 6: Evaluate the Work and Improve It
The final stage of the UX journey is evaluating the work. Although the process incorporates collaboration at every development stage, a final quality check is necessary. In fact, design quality assurance should be an integral part of the process. Conduct usability tests and create reports. After the product goes live, use tools like HotJar and Google Analytics to track user paths and find out exactly how they use your product.
After some time of product operation, it is worth revisiting it to double-check that everything is working properly, and possibly identify areas that require refinement.