There’s a comprehensive study by the Nielsen Norman Group that illuminates the utility of a number of common UX deliverables, at various stages of the design process: “Which UX Deliverables are Most Commonly Created and Shared”. According to this study,
“static wireframes were the most frequently produced deliverable overall (71% of respondents produced static wireframes “often”), but were not chosen in the top 4 most effective deliverables for any audience.”
The conclusion drawn by the group is that UX designers create all these static wireframes but they’re very rarely (if at all) shared with management, clients, or developers. They’re not…
I’m currently in the process of wireframing the native iOS app for my mentor-matching passion project. As such, I’m faceplant-deep in research for Apple Human Interface Guidelines.
According to Apple guidelines, there are three primary themes that differentiate iOS:
- Clarity. Text is legible at every size, adornments are subtle and appropriate, precision, focus, functionality motivates the design.
- Deference. Content typically fills the entire screen, translucency and blurring can hint at more. Fluid motion, crisp interface. Minimal use of bezels, gradients, drop shadows. All this keeps the interface light and airy, ensuring content is paramount.
- Depth. Distinct visual layers and realistic…
Or: how well can you distill your user research into an actionable blueprint for design?
Background: In this mentor-matching project I’m working on, I’ve conducted research, identified my primary user persona, and created my MVP feature list. Before any wireframing begins, there’s an important step that considers the research and ensures the user’s basic needs are supported through the features and function: how the users work their way through. How will they arrive? What decisions will they make, and what actions will they be asked to take? From each decision point, where will they go next?
The Problem
Understand the tasks users will be coming to the app to complete, and work out how the…
As designers, we should be comfortable with the practice of coming at a problem from the user’s perspective.
During the scoping phase of a project, we ask a lot of questions to help us get into the “guts” of a project: Who is the market? Who is the end user? Who are we designing this thing for? Thing is: it’s really tempting to insist you’re designing for the user and let your own personal preference creep in. I can’t count the number of times I have to reiterate the focus on the end user through the design process. Not just to the client — who will, invariably, let their own taste influence their feedback if they haven’t been…
Learning about Minimal Viable Products can help your team prioritize features for a first launch, and ultimately create more value for your users.
Lest the design team focus on delivery to the detriment of the actual utility of a product, a great way to approach the MVP is to remember the true goals of their application, and refer back to the “Jobs to Be Done”. As it is an outcome-driven model, JTBD outlines the fundamental goal a user wishes to accomplish or the problem they wish to solve in a given situation. It’s a centring influence.
Answering the following questions will guide you to create a scenario:
- Who is the user…
Reesa Del Duca
Visual/UX designer, marketing biz owner. Hanging around in the kitchen and drinking coffee, probably.
