Process

User-Centric Approach to Success

Design Process

There are five phases to my approach to creating successful user-centric products:

Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

It's important to note that this process is not linear, and for the process to work, it must be tailored to the specific user and industry it’s intended for. Additionally, it must cater to each department that interfaces with it.

Rachel Eisner's Design Process Infographic

Empathize

To initiate my Design Process, I follow a crucial first step – Empathize. Here's how I go about it:

Engage with experts: I speak with professionals who have knowledge and expertise in the field to gain a better understanding of the problem.
Empathize: I put myself in the users' shoes to gain insight into their experiences, motivations, and challenges.
Immerse myself in the environment: I spend time in the physical environment where the product or service is used to better understand the issues involved.
Observe: I pay close attention to how people behave and interact with the product or service in question.

Empathy is crucial in a human-centered design process. It enables me to:

Avoid making assumptions: Empathy allows me to avoid making assumptions about the environment and the people using the product or service.
Understand users' requirements: By empathizing with users, I can better understand their needs and requirements.

During the Empathize stage, I conduct significant research to collect information that will be used in subsequent steps. This enables me to comprehensively understand users, their needs, and the problems that impede product development.

Define

Building on the insights gained from the Empathize stage, I move on to the Define stage, where I aim to define the problem statement with a human-centered approach:

I combine all the information I have created and gathered during the Empathize stage.
I carefully analyze my observations and synthesize them to define the core problems that I have discovered up to this point.

Doing this ensures that the problem statement is meaningful and not just based on my company's needs. So, for example, instead of defining the problem as "We need to increase engagement among Influencers/Investors by 6% on our platform," I will define it as "Influencers/Investors need to engage more with their audiences to share their strategies, increase their audiences, and offer more of their services."

The Define step is crucial in helping me and my team of designers develop innovative ideas and establish features, functions, and other elements that will help us solve problems or allow users to resolve issues with minimum difficulty. Here's what I will do during this stage:

I ask questions that can help me look for ideas for solutions, such as "How might we improve the value proposition for Investors/Influencers so they are more likely to utilize our platform to engage and promote offerings to their followers?" I will use the insights gained during the Empathize stage to create a problem statement that truly resonates with the user's needs and desires.
By the end of this stage, I will have a clear and concise understanding of the problem, which will help me confidently progress to the Ideate stage.

Ideate

I now have a better understanding of my users and their needs with a well-defined problem statement created from the research I conducted in the research phase. When moving from defining a problem to ideating potential solutions, I like to keep an open mind and consider as many possibilities as possible. Therefore, I start by brainstorming different ideas without any judgment or evaluation, then gradually refine them as I gain a better understanding of the problem at hand. Here are some techniques I use for idea generation:

Brainstorming: I find it essential to have someone to bounce ideas off of and get feedback. To get the creative juices flowing, I like to indulge in simple brainstorming sessions where the whole team has 3 minutes to sketch out as many ideas as possible, and then we go around and present our ideas in 1 minute.
Brainstorming techniques: There are hundreds of brainstorming techniques to choose from, such as Worst Possible Idea, SCAMPER, Storyboarding, and Mind Mapping. The goal is to generate as many ideas or solutions as possible at the beginning of the Ideation phase.
No bad ideas: I believe no idea is bad when brainstorming; one part of an idea could spark or inspire someone else to a new idea.

Progressing through the Ideation phase, I'll pick other techniques to help me investigate and test my ideas. It's crucial to find the best way to solve the problem at hand, and that requires exploring all possible solutions.

Prototype

After ideating potential solutions, I move on to the prototype phase, transforming my ideas into tangible designs or models. I typically start with rough sketches or low-fidelity prototypes, then refine them into high-fidelity prototypes as I get user feedback:

Sketching: Sketching is an essential part of my prototyping process. It's a quick and easy way to visualize ideas and explore different solutions. To keep myself on my toes, I always aim to come up with at least two different versions for solving a particular problem. This helps me stay creative and avoid falling into the trap of sticking to the first idea that comes to mind. I also make a point of sharing my sketches with stakeholders or clients, as it can be helpful for them to understand my thought process and how the ideas have evolved.
Prototyping: Once I have a clear idea of the structure and flow of the application, I move on to creating wireframes and prototypes. Depending on the project's needs, I might start by drawing the wireframes on paper, using my sketches as a starting point. Next, I take photos of my sketches and use a prototyping tool like InVision to create clickable prototypes. This allows me to iterate quickly and refine the design as I go. Finally, when the design is more solidified, I move it into Figma to create a high-fidelity prototype that is more representative of the final product.

Test

Once I have a solid prototype, I begin the testing phase. I gather feedback and evaluate its effectiveness, gaining a deeper understanding of the product and its users. Depending on the testing phase results, I may make additional changes to the prototype before moving on to the implementation, where I bring my design to life. To achieve this, I take the following steps:

Refine and Redefine: I use the results generated from testing to refine and redefine any issues that users may face.
Ensure Flow: It's crucial to ensure that the prototype flow makes sense to the users and that they can navigate it easily.
Observe User Behavior: I closely observe the user as they test the product, taking note of their behavior and thought process.
Encourage User Feedback: I encourage users to think out loud during testing so that I can understand their emotions and feelings toward the product.
Make Alterations and Refinements: Based on user feedback, I make necessary alterations and refinements to the product to rule out problematic solutions.
Keep an Open Mind: Throughout the process, it's essential to keep an open mind, leave out the ego, and be willing to make changes. Ultimately, this phase is about achieving the best possible outcome for the users' needs.

Implementation and Beyond: Iterate

Once I have tested and refined my prototypes satisfactorily and the product is live, it enters a new iteration phase. As I progress, I remain open to feedback and continuously monitor and adjust my approach to ensure the best possible outcomes, looking beyond the research findings and evaluating the entire product. This includes monitoring its progress, making necessary improvements, and reaching out to a wider audience to gather feedback:

Creating a detailed action plan: I outline the steps needed to iterate and expand the final product. This can include defining the necessary resources, assigning tasks, and setting deadlines.
Launching and promoting: I help to launch it to the target audience and promote it through various channels. This might include helping to create a marketing strategy, developing sales materials, gathering analytics, or communicating with customers to gather feedback.
Monitoring and evaluating: After launching the product, I continue to monitor its performance, gather user feedback, and monitor reviews. I use this feedback to refine the product and make necessary changes to improve its performance.
Keep challenging, questioning, and improving the product:
- What aspects of our process were successful, and what factors contributed to our success? Conversely, where did we struggle, and what were the reasons?
- In what ways are our users reacting to the product? Has the product effectively addressed their pain points and concerns? How can we improve the product to meet the needs of our users better?
- What valuable insights have we gained from this process that can inform our future endeavors?
- Are there any areas where we can improve the product, and if so, what are they?

Following these steps ensures that the product continues to meet the users' needs and delivers a positive experience.