My UX process.

How I try to approach all UX project requests—be they wide or narrow; greenfield, updates, or sustainment.

My General UX Process

  1. Research and validate the request
  2. Analyze the current state of things
  3. Iterate on design: collaboration, reviews, and testing
  4. Launch, and evaluate post-launch

Research and validate the request

  • What concern are we trying address?
  • Whose concern is it? Who's the intended audience?
  • Is the concern valid? How does it affect other audiences?
  • Is the concern prescriptive? If so, what's the real underlying concern?
  • What are the priorities for usability? What are the priorities for accessibility?
  • Does the solution need to be internationalized and/or localized?
  • What are our metrics for judging success? What are our targets, and are they hard or soft?

Analyze the current state of things

  • What tools do we have at our disposal to evaluate the current experience and any changes to it?
  • What's our baseline to compare any improvements against? What artifacts and history exist?
  • What happens in the current experience?
  • How do customers/visitors access the relevant parts in the current experience?
  • How would changes affect the current experience? How would changes affect the overall customer/visitor engagement across all kinds of touchpoints?
  • What historical research and testing results do we have for this or similar efforts?
  • How viable is user testing for the current experience and the new experience?
  • What heuristic analysis has been done? What can be done?

Iterate on design: collaboration, reviews, and testing

  • Collaborate with stakeholders, customers, and team members, preferrably in working sessions when possible.
  • Leverage SMEs to the best extent, especially when interaction with customers is limited.
  • Review progress and designs with stakeholders and teammates on a regular basis.
  • Validate the experience against requirements.
  • When ready and possible, test the design and experience with customers and visitors.
  • Modify designs based on appropriate feedback.
  • Lather; rinse; repeat.

Launch, and evaluate post-launch

  • Participate in the launch once ready to rollout to customers and visitors.
  • Assist the team with any issues as they arise.
  • Provide in-launch and post-launch evaluation of the experience.
  • Monitor post-launch analytics and customer/visitor feedback.
  • If additional phases of design and development are needed to achieve a larger goal, queue those up and keep moving forward.