UX Process
Throughout my career, I’ve seen many diagrams trying to illustrate the UX design process. However, a lot of them were (in my opinion) either pretty vague or somewhat confusing. So, what I did was to create my own. Part of my intention in creating this graphic was to simplify what I consider to be an ideal design process that fits well with how most modern agile teams operate and function. In the diagram below, notice how the starting point on the very left begins with a line that represents a focus on the user, and continues all the way to the end where it says “solution”. At the heart of the diagram, the step of the process that is of critical importance is emphasized by its size. This is where we balance user needs, business needs, and technological possibilities. I emphasized this because let’s face it – we are best served by a process that not only puts the user front and center, but also balances it with business goals and technology potential.
Details
Having worked for a variety of companies ranging from startups to large corporations, I’ve been exposed to a lot of different ways of doing things, but in recent years I have worked as sort of a generalist. The reason I have worked this way has been intentional, since AAA Insurance whom I recently worked for partnered closely with Pivotal Labs in San Francisco, which uses this model. Even now, because of the nature of being a UX consultant, I tend to work with design teams that are usually much smaller and the designers tend to cover broader areas of the design spectrum. At work, you will usually find me practicing a range of things such as user research, information architecture, interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and sometimes HTML and CSS when needed. I’ve worked in teams that have adopted methods like pair designing and pair programming, and am well-versed in running and moderating designer-led user research sessions which give design teams an undeniable advantage when it comes to the products they create.