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.