I enjoy the design process as it’s a very social thing. Not only does it involve working with stakeholders but also clients and users. In the end, it’s about how usable is the design because if a user is confused, the design isn’t working.
Usability testing is a constant process and happens through out these steps and even after GoLive:
1. Requirements
- Personas: Who’s using it
- User Stories: How are they using it
- Business Stories: What does the business want them to do
- Start sketching: Sketching gets ideas out in the open quickly
2. Lo Fi Design
- Home page: based on the Requirements
- Create a “Mood Board” with design inspiration
- Test these wireframes on paper and with clickable mockups
3. Hi Fi Design
- Create a hi fi design either in code or photoshop/fireworks to flesh out the wireframes with the Mood Board and styleguide
4. Development
- Start coding, make changes as needed, test against requirements
- A/B Test problematic features
5. Implementation
- Finish the styleguide: Future design decisions are based on this, in part
- Document the Requirements: These also help the site to be consistent in the future
6. Deployment
- Post GoLive usability testing
- Regular sprints around improving user flow by researching real user behaviour
- Real data: Prompt users for feedback and also use Google Analytics
We follow this process consistently on every project in order to get the best results possible.
