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How I work
Every project is different, and in my experience different companies all work in slightly different ways. Some want designers to be dedicated to a single craft (UX vs UI for example) whilst others look for end-to-end specialists.
During my time in the design industry, I’ve worked in all of these types of roles, sometimes focussing on a sole discipline such as UX, UI, or Customer Research, sometimes a mixture of two or more, and other times working across the entire spectrum in a more ‘end-to-end’ fashion.
With my experience now spanning two decades, I am able to bring a whole range of skills to a project and/or team, and can contribute to a high standard throughout the lifecycle of a project.
During my time in the design industry, I’ve worked in all of these types of roles, sometimes focussing on a sole discipline such as UX, UI, or Customer Research, sometimes a mixture of two or more, and other times working across the entire spectrum in a more ‘end-to-end’ fashion.
With my experience now spanning two decades, I am able to bring a whole range of skills to a project and/or team, and can contribute to a high standard throughout the lifecycle of a project.
Below you’ll find some of the methods I use across the various product design disciplines.
Research and Discovery
UX Design
UI Design
Prototyping and Testing
Research and Discovery
Depending upon the scale and scope of a project, varying amounts of research will normally be required before pencil hits paper or a pixel is placed on screen. I have included a selection of research methods that I frequently use from project to project here.
Competitor analysis
Looking at other solutions in the marketplace which cover similar material to the project I’m working on is a staple research method. Seeing what works well, what doesn’t, and gaining inspiration and ideas for my own project.
User interviews
Interviews are a key qualitative research method to help better understand the needs and wants of those I’m designing for, especially in early phases of a design project. There’s no better way to dig into specific issues and find out more details. Face-to-face interviews also give the opportunity to observe body language and facial expressions which serve as additional insights into what may be said verbally.
Stakeholder interviews
Similar to user interviews above, stakeholder interviews are useful to understand the same needs and wants but through the lens of the business I’m working for. This type of session is also useful for gathering additional information such as prioritising features as well as any KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that may be of importance.
Surveys
Sending out surveys to a wider group of people (such as customers of a business) can be a useful way to gather large amounts of quantitative data in a short period of time. Surveys are particularly useful when I have a reasonable understanding of users’ needs and have more broad questions that I need answering. Such as prioritising the order of content, or finding out what content types are important.
Group workshops
Workshops are an invaluable tool to complete tasks or gain insights into problems which are difficult to understand. I will often use a workshop setting during research phases of a project to help build out knowledge around a product, such as Service Blueprints or Journey Mapping, which I have more detail on in the following section.
UX Design
User Experience Design is a fundamental part of the Product Design discipline, and the methods included below are just some of the ways in which I go about my work.
Journey mapping
Sharing some crossover with a service blueprint (below) a journey map explores the steps taken by a user as they engage with a service or product. At each stage of the users’ journey I can identify the desired outcome of the step, any pain points which are experienced, touchpoints that the user has and any particular metrics which may be applicable.
Service blueprint
A service blueprint is a map which shows all the touchpoints of a user with a brand or product, as well as key internal processes that occur within it, often with a frontstage/backstage presentation which illustrates the lines of interaction.
User flow mapping
This is a visual representation (often with screenshots) of the flow that a user takes within any given product, and aids in seeing an overview of the flow, making it easier to identify areas which could be optimised or reworked.
Site taxonomy
Exploration of content taxonomy to better organise the structure and navigation of a website or app is a useful exercise to support both user and business needs and goals.
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
In addition to understanding user needs, there will usually be a strategic goal for the business which needs to be considered. This will often be in the form of KPIs and used to measure the performance and success of a piece of work.
Sketches
Nothing is better as a quick way of visualising an idea than getting out a pencil and paper and drawing it. This method helps to validate ideas and concepts quickly, and is useful in both solo and group settings alike.
Wireframing
I use low-fidelity design wireframes to lay out the page structure for web and app projects. This helps to illustrate ideas with other designers and/or stakeholders, enabling fast iterations and improvements between versions before moving into high-fidelity design work.
Design sprints
Design sprints take on many forms, but I’ve often used the ‘Google Sprint’ format which entails a intensive five day process as a team, working through big design challenges from initial ideas and concepts, through to a working prototype which can then be tested with customers/users and stakeholders.
Personas
Personas are a useful guide for which highlight particular types of users, such as demographic, behaviours, needs and wants. This can aid in creating tailored experiences for specific (and often targeted) user groups.
UI Design
Following the UX process, some of the methods and tasks I perform from project to project key to ‘UI’ are detailed below.
Design Systems / Pattern libraries
Design systems and libraries are fundamental in aiding designers in maintaining consistency and coherency across the landscape of a website or app. They contain reusable patterns, components, typography and guidance for designers so that ad-hoc work is the exception rather than the rule.
In addition to Design Systems being visible within the designers’ tool of choice (Figma/Sketch/etc), it is also important to share this information with other teams and groups of people such as developers. Online documentation with platforms like come into their own here, as they not only provide playback of the design elements, but can also be integrated with development solutions such as to show design and code examples side by side.
Design Tokens
Design Tokens are the bridge between Design Systems and Development teams, and give a direct link between styles that are created and the code being written. Tokens give an additional layer of control for designers to make changes to designs without needing development input to change values manually.
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Design cycle
Much like wireframing, my UI design process goes through an iterative cycle, whereby an initial design is created, often critiqued by other designers and/or stakeholders, tested, and then iterated upon. This process can repeat as many times as deemed necessary to get to the best result given time/budget constraints.
Design workshops/hackathons
Collaborative design sessions are a useful tool to bring other designers and stakeholders together to come up with ideas for solutions to problems, and can present options that would otherwise not be considered.
Prototyping and Testing
Before handing over to development, I will often prototype and test proposed solutions to ensure that they are functioning both as intended and in an optimal fashion. The results of these tests may send designs back for updates through an iterative ‘think, make, check’ cycle before being deemed as ‘complete’.
Prototyping
Prototypes can take a number of forms, such as paper, low and high fidelity, as well as vary in complexity, ranging from simple clickable ‘page-turners’ through to almost fully-functional complex flows, including variables to store data and interactive input fields.
Depending upon the needs of the project and the phase it is in, prototyping is a key method I use to help validate design and UX decisions before handing over to developers.
A/B Testing
A/B testing is a standard testing method which I employ, usually to validate if a new design/experience performs better than an existing (control) version.
Multi-Variant Testing (MVT)
Multi-variant testing is similar to A/B testing, however instead of pitting one design/experience against another, it would include a minimum of three (including the control version)
I find this testing method to be used less frequently than A/B testing, and is more suitable for when there is a level of uncertainty around the best solution.
Guerrilla Testing
A great way to get out and test a product is to take a prototype into a space where you can test it directly with it’s intended users, for example in a store or supermarket. I have used this method on many occasions for clients (such as Argos, Debenhams and River Island) to great effect.
Eye tracking (and other detection methods)
Eye tracking is a great tool to help understand what parts of a design are being noticed by users. Such as headings on a page or key CTA’s and information.