Getting down to business

Designing is an iterative process and it’s not all about doing it alone. I’m still part of a team.

Getting started

• Background information from internal stakeholder, Service/Product owner or similar. As a designer you are typically not a domain expert and I often need that expertise to understand the user journey better.

• User research. If there is none and it is a bigger project I strongly recommend doing initial research. Finding users can sometimes be challenging depending on where you are working but it is essential in the end. Not only do user research guide you to make sure you are doing the right things, it is also highly appreciated by the users to feel they are part of this process. That appreciation will strengthen the trust for the company or product you are working with which is really a win win.

• Current/Previous design. I need to understand what the solution looks like today and why it’s not working. Testing it out myself has always been part of my design process, understanding the user pains to the core.
  

Designing

Once I have what I need I start sketching and I like to get all my ideas out before discussing with anyone else. As soon as I feel ready, I like getting feedback from other designers and hearing their thoughts, as well as showing it to the developers that will implement the solution and getting the more technical input as well. Getting developer involved early will also make it easier to handover once ready, and less risk of misunderstandings during the implementation.

Testing the solution. For me this is non-negotiable before releasing anything to production. You have to let users try it out at some point of the process and get their input. The adjustments you make are part of the iteration process and makes sure you are on the right track. User testing is also one of my favorite parts of the UX process!