User Experience Design (UX Design) is a way used by designers to solve human problems by making sure that decisions are made using empathy and are aware of a person’s needs. The UX Design Process is a procedure used by organizations to complete their projects and create them in a way that is helpful to consumers.
This is the first step of the process which falls under user research. Here the UX designers conduct research or observe the target audience for their product and identify a common problem that the users face. The firm conducts user research where they look into the target market to understand customers better. Along with that market research is also conducted where they look into market segmentation and product differentiation. Moreover competitive and product research is also conducted where they analyze their competitor’s behavior and analyze insights about an existing product to understand consumer behavior, respectively.
Research could range from interviews to surveys to eye tracking. This allows them to synthesize a solution that will help the users. Usually, this involves creating a short summary of the problem that is occurring and coming up with a practical and helpful solution. Here teams from different departments collaborate to come up with a solution that is beneficial. The problems could include a person struggling with their daily expenditure and how to improve their monthly budget or finding their way around a city.
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This is the stage where designers start their ideation stage. It is where the designers will sketch out the initial designs and figure out the details like its functionality, how its layout is supposed to look like and where will it be available. After the initial design is decided upon, the details of the solution will come into play. The designer will now map out user flows that will allow the user to complete their tasks. For example, the feature can give users an option to categorize their transactions and figure out their overall budget. After this step, the designers will wireframe their work either by hand or digitally.
The prototyping phase is where the designer makes a lifelike model of the feature to see how it will function. It works as a simulation that is interactive and allows stakeholders and sample users to see how the finished product will work and whether it is something worth spending money on. It allows testers and developers to check whether the product is easy-to-use and runs the way they intended it to. Initially, designers start with paper sketches and then move to wire-framing and low-fidelity prototypes which involve testing user flows and information architecture. After that, the team creates high-fidelity prototypes that make the design operate like the final product. For example, if the feature is categorizing users’ budgets then is it easy to operate? Can users from different age groups work with the feature? The layout and interface can also be reviewed here.
The testing stage is where designers use real users to test their product. This is a way to make sure that your product is working in a way that is satisfactory and gives you a chance to rectify any mistakes in the design and fix them before sending them off to development. Testing also takes place in-house where the product is tested by the team members who use it regularly and report the progress. Several test sessions also take place to examine the product before the final launch. This saves the company money, time, and effort. This is a way to ensure that the product is ready for launch and can prove to be beneficial to the users. The designers are able to test the product’s accessibility and recognize any issues regarding the usability of the product.
This step comes into action if any problem was identified during the testing stage. This is when a problem with the product design needs to be fixed. It uses the trial-and-error method and feedback from real users and stakeholders to make changes accordingly. It saves the company money and time and ensures that the product created is user-friendly. It helps the designers validate ideas along with discovering possible business opportunities. It also helps the product meet the desirability, feasibility, and viability criteria by being tested repeatedly and fixing any mistakes.
The iteration process allows designers to collaborate with other departments and they are able to receive feedback from real users. This stage can also include surveys that ask real users to give their feedback for example asking them which part they didn’t find desirable. Quantitative and qualitative data help the designers to be clearer about what to include and what to deduct from the final product.
The launch of the product is the final step of the UX Design Process. It is when the final product is launched for public use by real targeted users. Before the launch, the final design and prototype are handed over to the development team and after that to the UX audit which ensures that the product meets the set criteria and is accessible. Improve your digital interfaces by mastering essential UX writing skills through structured courses and classes. The finished product is then released into the market for use. At this stage, designers implement the product where they add colors, images, and icons to the product. If the high-fidelity version is ready the designers take it for QA tests and implementation. This ensures that our product is ready to launch and can be used by the public easily.
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