The Fundamentals of UX Pt. 1
UX Research (Discovery)
The UX Design process is principally oriented to solving a problem with the intention of unearthing a direct and intentional solution. This begins with defining the problem area to be solved. This can certainly be a challenging feat, especially when the problem to be tackled is of a generative form (seeking to discover — through patterns — the basis for solving a problem). Once an initial pattern is formed, we can then build out a process for extracting insights from our target users.
Getting Started
Establishing a goal with research allows us to check-in throughout the process — offering a reminder as to our initial orientation and can help with informing us whether or not we are on track in our discovery.
To begin, we must first capture an audience to have a direct conversation with. Getting the right people into the room is more difficult than it seems, so it is to our benefit to screen candidates — helping us to be effcient with our time and more effective when we hold 1:1 interviews with users (user interviews).
Interviews
As we lead up to an interview it is imperative to craft an interview guide that provides a trajectory of questions and topic areas to move through. It can be helpful when writing questions by beginning with the end in mind — what is it that we are intending to get out of this question? Are we getting to the behaviors, motivations, pain points and needs of the user?
Synthesizing our findings
The data we collect from user interviews is only as good as the means by which we can make sense of it. And so, the process of synthesizing qualitative data must be synthesized down into key themes and inferred insights. This crystallization or rather, refinement helps to provide clarity as to the key areas to focus on when turning to the design phase. To get back to the goal of synthesis — (this is important) is to provide the fuel for the creation of 3 key outputs. Synthesis aides in redefining our problem statement, crafting Personas and fuels the creation of features to be built into the eventual solution.
The above provides the basis for moving into the design phase — to inform our designs with sound data from our users. It is important to note that UX starts and continuously checks in with the target audience to provide the most accurately and intentially designed solution.
Timeboxed for 30 mins [ ]
