It is imperative for a top-quality application or website to have an attractive interface. The project’s success begins with a solid UX or user experience.
What exactly is the UX design process?
To comprehend the UX design process, it will be a good idea to break down the expression. User experience or UX implies the feeling of a user while they are using a particular service or product. It encompasses different types of feelings such as emotion and physical interaction. Consequently, UX design is the system created by the designers with the purpose of making the experience of the user easy and satisfying.
Below we will mention the different stages involved in UX design process which all the designers follow at present.
1. Define goals
It is imperative for every single UX design process to include clear objectives. Establishing authentic reasons for the project should be the motto right here. On most occasions, these objectives ought to align with the requirements of the users.
Make it a point to make a list of the primary goals for the project which might include a budget, timeline, as well as specific metrics for assessing the overall success of the application or the website.
2. Conduct user research
The most significant phase of the UX design process happens to be user research given that it helps to inform the rest of the decisions made by you. The UX designers perform the Initial demographic research prior to obtaining first-hand input from the users. There are a number of methods for getting feedback from the users such as interviews, surveys, and focus groups.
It is a fact that face-to-face interviews will be providing the maximum value for the process of UX design given that it will be possible for the designers to assess verbal as well as nonverbal responses from the users.
User survey happens to be the subsequent option. Surveys happen to be less personal; nevertheless, they will assist in exploring your users’ attitudes. You will be able to assess their options on different topics out there.
Focus groups, which involve a small group of users, are interactive experiences. Rather than one-on-one interviews, you will be encouraging the focus group to discuss opinions among themselves.
Designers use this research for creating a listing of features required by the users. After getting feedback from the users, make sure to compile the research and outline their requirements. You should use these results for fine-tuning your UX design process.
3. Create user flow diagrams or maps
Your user experience process diagram might likewise consist of site maps or scenario maps. You will be able to create better wireframes by mapping the requirements of your users. You will need site maps while designing applications which are web-based as well as websites. A user flow diagram should be created for more complicated applications.
A user flow diagram is going to outline the steps that the users should take for completing some particular actions. Starting from an entry point, this diagram is going to include every possible outcome. It will help to provide a clear picture of the paths which the users are going to take. Assessing the paths in the design process will assist you in getting rid of redundancy and it will also be able to minimize the steps required for performing specific tasks out there.
4. Design prototypes and wireframes
It is essential to develop a wireframe prior to designing the visual UI. The wireframe happens to be an extremely time-consuming part of the entire UX design process. The user interface should be outlined without any visual element whatsoever. It happens to be a simple outline of the application or website’s structure.
Wireframes depict the hierarchy of the elements depending on the requirements of the users. It is actually a placeholder for the UI prototype. A typical wireframe is going to consist of the following:
- Outline of the structure and the layout
- List of elements on the screen
- Overall UI description
It will be possible for the designers to develop prototypes with the help of wireframes. Apart from helping in usability testing, prototypes are likewise essential for presenting projects to high-level executives and stakeholders prior to launching the project.
5. Develop the UI
Although a different team might create the UI, it is nevertheless an integral part of the UX design process. The prototypes and wireframes which you develop will be brought to life by the development team. In fact, the user interface and the user experience team will usually work together for maintaining consistency. The designers might also produce a style guide for the UI designers that they can use during the design procedure.
6. Launch the project
After developing and designing the project, you have to launch it. You might commence with a beta launch which will depend on the scale of that project. A beta launch happens to be a small-scale release to a restricted number of users.
7. Evaluate the results
Go on analyzing the project’s success during public launches and beta launches. Pay attention to users’ feedback and also verify the data related to the use of the application or website. Make use of the objectives which were established at the beginning of the UX design process for figuring out which particular areas require improvement.