Design process
Hi @geo-team,
It's been three months already (wow) I joined the team. But I realized there wasn't enough explanation, how I as a designer to define the problems and solve it
Thanks, @rnienaber for your suggestion!
There are four steps I generally follow so it doesn't mean that the process is fixed as it is. I choose methods considering the characteristics of the task. For example, I might not use all the four steps for the bug-fix.
Here is the general view of the process. Since it's not exactly a linear process, it's not an ideal way to put the form of the flow chart. But I would like to provide a visualized summary of each step.
1. Understanding: identify the needs and constraints
- Asking team :D
- Understand the persona and the context of use case
- Planning: list questions and assumptions
I love exploring the topics before diving into the research. It takes some time but clarifying the assumptions made the research outcome more reliable.
2. Research: drill-down the problems
- UX scorecard Part 1: identify usability problems by mapping the users' journey
- Competitive research: understand how the competitors are handling the use case
- Usability test: identify problems on the current UI
The scorecard is journey mapping. After creating all the scorecards of Geo, I should revisit them in a couple of months later. Any method regarding user research might be used, but it depends on the topic and the maturity of the feature.
3. Brainstorming: imagine solutions
- Brainstorming workshop: Diverse methods could be applied. (Sketching session, affinity diagram etc)
- UX scorecard Part 2: propose possible solutions in the written format.
For the case of Geo, I need inputs from the engineers :) It's not a fixed practice, but I would love to explore different methods for the brainstorming session.
4. Prototyping & validation: visualize the ideas iteratively
- Fast prototyping: low-fidelity and high-fidelity
- User validation: validate the concept of the new design or feature
- Design review: reviewing the design with the team
- Design critique: reviewing the design with the designers. Considering the consistency of the user flow including the tone of visual language.
At this stage, I started working on Balsamiq and Sketch. And the validation is necessary. Based on feedback from users and the team, I improve the design iteratively.
workflowdesign & workflowsolution validation
Cheers!