Design Process + Business

At any business, we have an opportunity to either redesign a current website/application or create something new. The design process is a fluid methodology that can change depending on the designer’s preference. For a loose framework, here is an example of one process:

Research

  1. Current state (if redesigning)

  2. Current trends

  3. Wing’s brand guidelines

  4. Published research findings

  5. Competitor’s designs

Requirements

  1. Ask questions

  2. Work with delivery leads

  3. Work with the business to find needs

Design

  1. Wireframes

  2. Mockups

  3. Prototypes

Review with team/business

Gather feedback 

Test

Informal testing

  • Work employees

  • Family members

  • Friends

Formal testing

  • User member panel

  • Testing service participants

  1. Script

  2. Observation room

  3. Observers

  4. Note taker

  5. Testers – compensation

Design – incorporate testing feedback 

  • Iterate on designs

Design Process with Delivery Leads

When working with delivery leads at work, it is best to integrate the design process with their requirement gathering process. Working hand in hand with business analysts allows the designer to discover pain points and history of the project. Utilizing requirement gathering meetings with stakeholders allows valuable insight for the designer to use when creating a design.

  1. Collaborate with business analysts for pain points and requirements gathering

  2. Use requirements for design

Design Process with Developers

After working with business analysts, the developers should also have a sense of what the project needs in requirements. The UX/UI designer should work with developers when designing a project to assure the developers are capable of creating the design in code.

Developers work in an Agile methodology. However, the design process should be mostly finished when handed off to developers. Developers will take the design files and specifications and create it using code. The developers will have questions as developing so it is important for the designer to remain available in the project to discuss any changes or unknown items the developers may request.

Once the development is finished, it is up to the UX/UI designer to complete their own round of quality assurance. The designer reviews the developed work to make sure the development matches the design. This is also an opportunity to review ADA compliance in development. If there are areas that don’t match the design or errors in ADA compliance, the designer can create bugs in Azure Dev Opps.

  1. Design

  2. Check in with developers for capabilities

  3. Update Design

  4. Hand off design and specifications to developers

  5. Answer development questions

  6. Review development for bugs

Design Process with Quality Assurance

Quality assurance helps design by making sure the development matches and functions as it should. After checking in with developers for capabilities, the design should be reviewed with QA so they can write their test scripts.

Any updates that occur with development should be shared with QA so they can update their test scripts.

After development is complete, QA begins to test the development for functionality. At this time the designer can also test for ADA compliance and matching the design. Bugs can be created in Azure Dev Opps with the bugs that the QA team finds.

  1. Design

  2. Check in with QA for test scripts

  3. Update QA with any design changes

  4. Work with QA after development for design and ADA compliance

Design Process with Project Management

The earlier design works with project management the better. The PMO sees design fitting in the process as below:

  1. Requirements

  2. UX Design

  3. Sponsor/stakeholder sign off

  4. Legal review and sign off

  5. Development kick off

UX/UI Change Management

UX is a discipline based on change. When major changes occur when the design process is in progress, the main objective is to communicate the changes with the team. The earlier the changes are communicated the better.

  1. The need for a change is realized

  2. Change is discussed with business analysts and developers

  3. Change is implemented in the design

  4. Change is discussed with QA

  5. Change is implemented in the development

  6. Change is implemented in the QA test scripts

PMO Change Management

  1. Fill out PMO change management form

  2. If impact is to UX/UI…

  3. Approved by UX/UI + PMO

  4. Change is implemented

Versioning and Iterations

Design iterations are inevitable when focusing on user centered design. Iterations can be handled by creating new versions of the old design files when it comes time to create an updated version.

Adobe XD allows documents to be updated without changing the link that it generates. When making updates it is good practice to update the published link frequently so anyone with the link can see the latest versions.

Jira allows an opportunity to directly upload a screenshot to a story. The best practice is to delete an old screenshot and attach a new one with any updates to the developers have an up to date version to use.

UX/UI + PMO Milestones

  1. Requirement gathering with UX/UI involved

  2. Requirement sign off

  3. Design

  4. Design Review

  5. Design Changes from stakeholders or team

  6. Design Review with changes

  7. Design Sign off (document)

  8. Solution design sign off

Adrienne